The Tigers welcomed Benalla to Rochester Recreation Reserve.
The struggling Saints attempted to hold Rochy at bay in the early going, but a couple of key Tiger runs saw them open a six-goal lead, 15-9, at the first break.
With both first-choice goalers back on deck, Tia Webb and Teal Hocking shared the scoring load as Rochester continued to push away from Benalla, doubling the lead to 12 at the main break.
The Saints wouldn’t go down without a fight and made a surge early in the third, reducing the margin to just five halfway through the period.
However, the Tigers regrouped and refocused and, by three-quarter time, had established a fairly safe 15-goal lead.
A quick Rochy burst in the final term pushed the lead near 20, and it stayed there for the remainder of the contest, the Tigers running out winners 66-46.
Webb and Hocking made balanced contributions in the goal circle, with Webb scoring 34 goals and Hocking 32.
The Tigers (5-8) have pushed themselves up to eighth place on the GVL table. The injury-hit middle portion of the season has greatly hampered Rochy’s finals hopes, and it is three games out of sixth with five rounds remaining.
Rochester will require a near-perfect run to have any hope of closing that gap, and a key first step will be against sixth-placed Shepparton Bears, who visit the Tigers on Saturday.
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