Rochester Community and Technical College opened its 2026 softball season in dominant fashion on Thursday, rolling to a 10–1 victory over Minnesota North College–Vermilion at home. Behind a powerful offensive showing and a commanding pitching performance from sophomore Zoey Clark, the Yellowjackets controlled the game from the second inning on and ended the contest in five innings.
After a scoreless first, RCTC seized the momentum in the bottom of the second. Ivette Mendoza's two-run homerun sparked the Yellowjacket offense and gave them an early 2-0 lead. That early push set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, as RCTC kept pressure on Vermilion's starter Adriana Pena, who allowed six hits and five earned runs over three innings.
The third inning proved pivotal. RCTC strung together timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to plate three more runs, extending the lead to 5–0. Clark played a starring role on both sides of the ball, collecting three hits—including a double—and driving in three runs. Her contributions helped break the game open while she continued to hold Vermilion in check from the pitching circle.
RCTC's biggest offensive burst came in the fourth, when the Yellowjackets exploded for five runs to push the margin to 10–0. Walks proved costly for Vermilion reliever Autumn Walker, who issued five free passes in her lone inning of work, allowing RCTC to pull away comfortably despite recording only one hit in the frame. Five different Yellowjackets stole bases, including Clark, Bednarek, and catcher Holly Flom, helping manufacture runs even without overwhelming power numbers.
Vermilion broke up the shutout in the fifth when Madison Bowling singled and later scored on an RBI hit from Walker. Bowling accounted for most of the Ironwomen's production, finishing 2‑for‑2 with a stolen base.
Clark closed out the complete‑game effort, finishing with seven strikeouts while allowing just three hits and one run. She faced only 20 batters and threw 55 strikes in 87 pitches, keeping Vermilion off balance all afternoon.
With the 10–1 win, RCTC moves to 1-0 heading in to the Early Bird tournament in the RCTC dome begining Friday at 8:00am and continuing through the evening on Saturday.
