Rochester, MN - Rochester Community and Technical College earned a hard-fought 10–9 non-conference victory over Anoka-Ramsey Community College on April 8, overcoming a late deficit with a dramatic three-run eighth inning at RCTC.
The Yellowjackets struck first in the opening inning when Connor Mathison scored on a wild pitch to even the game after Anoka-Ramsey capitalized on an error for an early run. The game turned in the Jackets favor in the second inning, as RCTC erupted for six runs. Sean Postula tied the contest with a solo home run, and the offense capitalized on wild pitches to take the lead. Mathison delivered a key RBI triple, and Aiden Yochim capped the inning with a two-run homer to left, putting RCTC ahead 7–2.
Anoka-Ramsey chipped away over the middle innings, aided by a pair of unearned runs in the third and a solo home run by Ramon Perez in the sixth. The Golden Rams continued to apply pressure in the seventh, tying the game at 7–7 behind Perez and Antonio Rivera. In the eighth inning, Anoka-Ramsey surged ahead with two more runs, taking a 9–7 lead and threatening to steal the win in comeback fashion.
RCTC responded immediately in the bottom half of the eighth. After getting runners aboard, Mathison lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to one. Yochim followed with a clutch RBI single to tie the game, and Jerry Fletcher delivered the decisive blow with a run-scoring single to left, giving the Yellowjackets their first lead since the second inning.
Nate Vaughn earned the win in relief after navigating the eighth, and Koda Sanders closed the door in the ninth for his second save of the season. Offensively, Yochim led RCTC with three hits and three RBIs, while Mathison drove in two and scored twice. Despite committing seven errors, RCTC's timely hitting and grit sealed a memorable non-conference win.
RCTC is set to battle Southern Division foe Century College in a four-game series this weekend. The Jackets will host the Woodducks on Friday before making the trip to White Bear Lake on Saturday.
