The Rochester Rockets are your Class 2A Regional Champions.
Powered by a relentless offensive attack and another stellar performance inside the circle from Jaelyn Watts, Rochester rolled past Warrensburg-Latham 11-1 to claim the IHSA Class 2A Regional Championship in commanding fashion.
From the opening inning, the Rockets established control and never looked back.
Rochester wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. Emmah Brown sparked the offense with a single before aggressively stealing her way around the bases. Peyton Purves later delivered an RBI single that brought Brown home for the game’s first run and gave the Rockets an early 1-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Jaelyn Watts set the tone defensively. The Rockets’ ace struck out four batters through the first two innings and consistently kept Warrensburg-Latham hitters off balance with a mix of velocity and location.
Rochester extended the lead in the second inning with another productive rally. Emmah Brown singled before Molly Eichholz delivered an RBI single to center field to score Reese Purves and make it 2-0. Jaelyn Watts followed later in the inning with another RBI single as the Rockets pushed the lead to 3-0.
The offense exploded in the fourth inning, turning a competitive game into a runaway victory.
Brooklyn Thompson started the surge with a double to right field, while Kendall Edmonson later ripped an RBI double that scored Isabella Harness. Moments later, Molly Eichholz lined another RBI double into center field to plate two more runs and stretch the Rochester advantage to 5-0.
The biggest blow of the afternoon came shortly after.
Bottom of the fifth inning, with runners aboard, Isabella Harness crushed a three-run home run to left field, bringing Payton Sitko and Molly Eichholz across the plate and igniting the Rochester crowd as the Rockets suddenly owned an 11-1 lead, ending the game for the championship win.
Harness finished with a huge performance at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including the championship-clinching home run. Molly Eichholz was equally impressive, collecting three hits, three RBIs, and two doubles. Jaelyn Watts added two hits and an RBI, while Emmah Brown contributed two hits and scored twice.
Rochester totaled 13 hits in the championship victory.
Inside the circle, Watts was dominant from start to finish. The Rockets’ pitcher tossed a complete-game effort, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out seven Cardinals hitters. Warrensburg-Latham struggled to generate consistent offense against Watts throughout the afternoon.
Defensively, Rochester also made several key plays behind its pitcher, including strong work from Isabella Harness at shortstop and multiple clean defensive innings that prevented the Cardinals from building momentum.
The Rockets’ balanced performance — timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, clean defense, and strong pitching — proved far too much for Warrensburg-Latham to overcome.
With the victory, Rochester officially captured the Class 2A Regional Championship, continuing an impressive postseason run and adding another title to an already outstanding season.
#22 Isabella Harness Post Game Interview
#22 Isabella Harness with an RBI Double to Right Field
Catcher #10 Peyton Purves with the Pop Fly Foul Ball Catch
#17 Kendall Edmonson with an RBI Double to Right Field
#16 Jaeyln Watts with a Hard Hit RBI Double to Right Field
#11 Payton Sitko making the Pop Fly Running Catch
#9 Molly Eichholz with a Hard Hit 2 RBI Double to Center Field
