ANGOLA, Ind. – Despite battling back from an early deficit, No. 24 University of Rochester softball team dropped its opening game of the 2026 NCAA Division III Tournament to Loras College, 14-6, in a run-rule six innings on Thursday afternoon in game two of the Angola Regional at SportONE/Parkview Softball Field.
With the loss, the Yellowjackets will now play Earlham College in an elimination game on Friday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m., with the winner playing again shortly thereafter in another elimination game against the loser of the first game of the day on Friday: No. 4 Trine vs. Loras.
After Molly Broccolo stranded a Duhawk baserunner at third in each of the first two frames, Katelyn Wade gave Rochester the lead with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the second, with her solo home run putting the Yellowjackets on the scoreboard.
The Yellowjackets' lead was short-lived, as the Duhawks strung together three-straight hits to start the top of the third against Broccolo, and eventually chased the Yellowjackets' starter out of the game after just 2.2 innings pitched.
The inning opened with back-to-back singles by Ellie Baker and Katherine Svigelj and Ava Franklin followed with a two-run triple down the right-field line to give Loras the lead. Broccolo retired the next batter on a groundout, but a walk and a fielder's choice added to the Duhawks' lead. A batter later, Gillian Jones made it 4-1 with another RBI single, forcing a Rochester pitching change.
Maddie White relieved Broccolo and quickly worked out of the inning without allowing any more damage, getting Ashli Bossom to foul out to strand a pair.
Rochester responded in the bottom of the frame, mounting a two-out rally to cut its deficit to one, 4-3. Laygo blasted a solo shot to center to cut Loras' lead to 4-2, while Mulholland followed with a single to right center, and took third when Jensen Sminchak reached on an error. With Wade at the plate, Sminchak stole second, and on the throw, Mulholland came home to score, pulling the Yellowjackets within a run.
Kaili Henning struck out Wade to keep the Duhawks in front, and then Loras tacked on two more on three-straight singles to start the fifth. Franklin came through again for the Duhawks, this time with a two-run single. White retired three of the next four, stranding two more to keep Loras' lead at 6-3.
In the bottom of the fourth, Rochester got all three runs back, first with a one-out, solo blast from Julianna Lyons, before Laygo knocked in a pair with a two-run double to tie the score at six.
White then kept the Duhawks off the scoreboard for the first time since the second inning, and Rochester attempted to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of walks put runners on first and second with just one out, but Henning got out of the inning with a foul out and fly out, keeping the score even at six.
In the top of the sixth, the Duhawks blew things open with an eight-run frame, taking advantage of a pair of Rochester miscues in the field to take a 14-6 lead. Four-straight hits after White retired Franklin for the first out of the inning gave Loras an 8-6 lead. White got Jones to ground out and Bossom drew a walk to load the bases for the Duhawks.
A fielding error extended the inning and allowed Skorich to score to make it a 9-6 game, and Svigelj reached on a fielder's choice to score another and put Loras up 10-6. Franklin singled through the right side to score to more to make it 12-6, while after another fielding error, Kiya Steger put the capper on the eight-run inning with a two-run single up the middle.
in the bottom of the sixth, Steger stranded a pair of Yellowjackets to give the Duhawks the 14-6, run-rule victory, and send Loras into the winner's bracket.
With the loss, Rochester drops to 35-8 on the year, while the Duhawks move to 30-14 with the win.
White (13-4) took the loss for Rochester, allowing 10 runs, just four of which were earned, on nine hits, walking and striking out two. Broccolo allowed four runs on six hits over 2.2 innings in her start.
For the Duhawks, Henning (14-6) earned the win, allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits, walking three and striking out seven.
Offesnively for the Yellowjackets, Laygo led the way, going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, run scored and three RBI. Laygo was one of three Yellowackets, along with Lyons and Wade, to hit a solo home run, and one of two to record a double.
The Yellowjackets will look to stay alive in the Angola Regional when they square off with Earlham College in an elimination game on Friday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m.