Rochester Community and Technical College dropped a pair of games to St. Cloud Technical & Community College on April 21, 2026, as defensive miscues and timely hitting by the Cyclones proved costly across the doubleheader.
In the opener, RCTC fell 6–2 in a game that remained within reach through three innings before a decisive fourth inning swung momentum in St. Cloud's favor. The Yellowjackets were limited offensively early, held hitless through the first three frames by St. Cloud pitcher Emma Shelton. Meanwhile, the Cyclones scratched across an unearned run in the first inning to take an early 1–0 lead.
The turning point came in the bottom of the fourth, when St. Cloud capitalized on a combination of errors and clutch at-bats to score five runs. RBI contributions from Sami Winter, Allie Leither, and a two-run single by Addison Breth broke the game open despite St. Cloud recording only four hits overall. RCTC starter Amelie Dohlman allowed six runs, three earned, in 3.1 innings, while Zoey Clark settled things down in relief by tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Rochester finally found offense in the top of the seventh. Zoey Clark and Cason Forbrook reached base before Michaela Cauffman delivered a two-out, two-run single to put RCTC on the board. The late rally, however, was not enough to overcome five defensive errors that extended innings and inflated St. Cloud's scoring chances.
Game two saw St. Cloud jump out early and never relinquish control in a 9–1 victory. The Cyclones erupted for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, fueled by five hits and aggressive baserunning. Alyssa Knudson was tagged with the loss in the circle, while Zoey Clark again worked in relief, striking out five over 4.1 innings.
Offensively, RCTC was held to four hits, with Ella Bergan scoring the lone run in the fifth inning. Jayda Bednarek drove her in with an RBI double, accounting for Rochester's only extra-base hit. St. Cloud amassed 16 hits in the game, with multi-hit performances from Kenzie Hill and Keeliana Doran, who also combined for four stolen bases.
Across both games, RCTC showed flashes of resilience but struggled to string together offense and limit self-inflicted mistakes. RCTC will continue their critical road trip with a pair of games on Wednesday at Ridgewater.
