RCTC Splits Games on Day Two of Early Bird Tournament
The Rochester Community and Technical College Yellowjackets played two very different games on the second day of the Early Bird Tournament, ending the day with one loss and one impressive win. Their performance showed moments of struggle, signs of growth, and a strong bounce‑back effort in the afternoon matchup.
In the first game, the Yellowjackets fell 5–2 to Lake Region State College. Lake Region came out swinging, scoring runs in each of the first three innings. By the end of the third, RCTC trailed 5–0. Lake Region's offense was steady, collecting nine hits and taking advantage of RCTC's six defensive errors. Even though the Yellowjackets had eight hits of their own, those defensive mistakes made the difference early.
RCTC tried to rally in the fifth inning. Michaela Cauffman doubled and later scored. Ivette Mendoza added the biggest hit of the game for the Jackets—a solo home run that gave the team a spark. Ella Bergan also had a strong day at the plate, going 3‑for‑4. But despite their efforts, the Yellowjackets couldn't close the gap.
Pitcher Zoey Clark threw all seven innings for RCTC. She allowed nine hits and four earned runs while striking out four. She battled throughout the game and kept Lake Region from adding any more runs after the third inning, but the early deficit was too big to overcome.
The second game of the day was a completely different story. RCTC dominated Northland Community & Technical College 12–0 in a five‑inning run‑rule victory. From the start, the Yellowjackets controlled every part of the game. They scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back.
In the first, RCTC capitalized on a Northland error to bring home two runs, then Cason Forbrook added an RBI single to make it 3–0. The Jackets kept applying pressure in the second inning when Gigi Lundi singled to bring in another run, and Amelie Dohlman drove in one more with a sacrifice fly.
The offense stayed hot in the third as Forbrook drove in another run. But the big explosion came in the fourth inning. RCTC scored six runs on a mix of singles, smart baserunning, and disciplined at‑bats. Forbrook had another big hit—a two‑RBI single—and finished the game 3‑for‑3 with four runs driven in. Lundi, Hemming, Clark, Dohlman, and Knudson all added key hits during the team's strongest inning of the day.
Pitcher Alyssa Knudson was outstanding in the circle. She threw a complete‑game shutout, giving up only two hits and striking out two. She stayed in control throughout the game and didn't allow Northland to gain any momentum.
The Yellowjackets ended the day with a 1–1 record, on the day and a 4-1 overall record to start the season. RCTC is now off until they host Northeast Iowa CC in a double header on Thursday, March 5th.
