×

Hot Tots kick off season with historic, sold-out opening night

Sean Williams/MDN Jared Showalter (10) of the Minot Hot Tots delivers the first pitch in Hot Tots history at Corbett Field on Monday night.

Monday marked the beginning of a new chapter of baseball in the Magic City, as the Minot Hot Tots began their inaugural season by hosting the St. Cloud Rox at Corbett Field. Getting off to an excellent start, Corbett Field was sold out for the first time since the 90s, as fans and community members packed the stands to see their new Northwoods League team in action.

It’s safe to say that fans were beyond excited for the opportunity to be at the ballpark on opening night, as there was a line around the block to get in the ballpark and fans made their way to Corbett Field early.

With a variety of introductions of the ownership group, front office, and team members that will be providing a lot of great entertainment and baseball throughout the summer, the pregame festivities wrapped up with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Jared Showalter took the mound for the Hot Tots, where he threw the first pitch in club history. Showalter worked around two hits and a walk to keep the Rox off the scoreboard in the first.

In the bottom of the first, the Hot Tots wasted no time in getting the crowd roaring. Travis Stapleton picked up the first RBI in club history, singling to center to score Brannon Mondragon and give the Hot Tots a 1-0 lead.

They refused to stop there, as Ryan Recio picked up an RBI single one batter later, scoring Nick Pepe to double the Hot Tots’ lead to 2-0. Ian Halverson tripled the lead by driving a run in on a fielder’s choice, as the Hot Tots put three runs on the board during their first trip to the plate.

A sold-out Corbett Field went wild as the Hot Tots rallied in the first inning and the excitement surrounding the team only continued to build. After one inning of play the Hot Tots held a 3-0 lead over the Rox.

Hoping to push the lead, the Hot Tots rallied again in the bottom of the fourth when singles by Halverson and CJ Sturiale put runners on second and third with no outs. The rally chased Rox starting pitcher Ryan Chmielewski out of the game.

Two strikeouts and a lineout canceled the threat, as Minot was held to their 3-0 lead. The top of the fifth brought a pitching change for the Hot Tots as well, with Showalter’s night coming to an end. Showalter tossed four innings, allowing no runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

KC Swords took the hill next for Minot and was met with trouble as the Rox made him work to get outs immediately. A walk and a hit by pitch set the table for the Rox first run of the night, which came on a groundout from Ike Mezzenga to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

Looking to play spoilers on opening night were the Rox, as they tied the game with two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Matt Goetzmann and an error. Ben Vujovich gave the Rox their first lead of the night in the same inning on an RBI single to make it a 4-3 game.

Coming up big by limiting the damage was Paxton Miller of the Hot Tots, who entered the game and escaped a bases loaded, no outs jam by only allowing one run. Following the sixth, the Rox held a 5-3 lead.

Heading into the final inning, the Rox held their 5-3 lead as the Hot Tots had one final hope to pull off a comeback. Unfortunately, their efforts fell short as the Rox went on to win by a final of 5-3 to open the Northwoods League season.

The Hot Tots will be back in action tonight, as they wrap up their two-game series with the Rox. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Corbett Field.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today