RCTC Baseball Earns Split at Century College
Rochester Community and Technical College baseball battled Century College to a doubleheader split on Sunday, April 12, dropping a tight opener 6–4 before responding with a solid 5–2 victory in the nightcap at Century College.
Game One: Century Pulls Away Late, 6–4
RCTC appeared in control of the opener through five-plus innings, but a six‑run sixth inning by Century proved decisive as the Yellow Jackets rallied for a 6–4 win.
The Yellowjackets struck first in the second inning when Dylan Balazovic delivered an RBI single to center, scoring Jerry Fletcher. RCTC extended the lead moments later as Conner Cullen lined an RBI single to second base, with Balazovic eventually scoring on a Century error to make it 2–0.
Sean Postula added to the lead in the fourth inning with a solo home run to center field, pushing the advantage to 3–0. Meanwhile, starter Aaron Terpstra was sharp on the mound, allowing just three runs over 5.2 innings while striking out five and limiting Century's offense early.
Century finally broke through in the sixth, scoring once on an RBI single by Ayden Jensen before tying the game on Ryan Jeffrey's two‑run single. The momentum swung completely moments later when Connor Larsen crushed a three‑run homer to right field, turning a 3–0 deficit into a 6–3 Century lead.
RCTC scratched across a run in the seventh as Cullen recorded a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Balazovic, but the comeback bid fell short. Cullen finished with two RBIs, while Balazovic, Grayson DeClue, and Postula each collected hits.
Game Two: RCTC Responds, 5–2
The Yellowjackets bounced back in the second game behind timely hitting and strong pitching from Aiden Yochim and Koda Sanders.
RCTC opened the scoring in the second inning, capitalizing on a wild pitch that allowed Jerry Fletcher to score. Moments later, Derek Encarnacion drew a bases‑loaded walk to plate Sean Postula and extend the lead to 2–0.
The Yellowjackets added two more in the third when Matt Dollaghan singled up the middle, driving in Fletcher and Yochim to make it 4–0. Century managed a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Jack Erickson, but Yochim kept the damage minimal.
Yochim earned the win after tossing five strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out two. Sanders closed the door over the final two innings, giving up one run to earn a save‑like effort.
RCTC tacked on an insurance run in the sixth as Connor Mathison worked an RBI walk, scoring Grayson DeClue. Century added a run in the seventh, but the Yellowjackets secured the 5–2 victory.
Fletcher led RCTC offensively with two hits and two runs scored, while Dollaghan drove in a pair. The split moved RCTC to 13–10 overall and 2–2 in conference play.
Next up for the Yellowjackets is a Tuesday, non-conference match-up at home, versus the JV of Saint Mary's University of MN.
