FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio (Aug. 15, 2023) -- Rocky River opened its match season Tuesday, and the Pirates picked up a pair of victories in a Great Lakes Conference tri-match against Elyria Catholic and Lakewood.

The Buccaneers hosted the soggy event in the valley, besting the Panthers and Rangers over 3,329 rain-soaked yards of the par-36 outward nine at Big Met Golf Course. Reeling in four scores within 5 strokes of par, the Swinging Corsairs downed EC 158-181 and Lakewood 158-192.

River's top two scores were registered by seniors Nick Tianello (37) and Luke Dietrich (38). Tianello carded a pair of birdies in lowing his season scoring average to 79.4.  

"The course was really wet, which made ball striking a little inconsistent," said coach David Hendrickson. "I thought we held it together well and hit some good shots with the scoring clubs today. Still, we're looking for more improvement in our match tomorrow."

That Wednesday match will also be of the GLC variety: the Double-R is scheduled to host a Big Met tri-match against Fairview, Holy Name, and Normandy.


CANNON FIRE ...

CARD SHARKS: The Pirates' No. 3 and No. 4 scores Tuesday were 5-over 41s. Three players (Dan Capka, Jack Hurt, Caden Lawrence) posted that number. With his 41, Lawrence has averaged a solid 81.4 over River's last four events. The freshman carded a season-best 76 at Chippewa Golf Club Aug. 7. ... On Tuesday, the Pirates hit 20-of-45 (44.4%) greens in regulation and averaged 15.8 putts.

RR JV A-OK ON MONDAY: The River junior varsity squad logged a third-place performance at a Monday tournament at Coppertop Golf Club in Valley City. The top scorers for the Maroon & White were Finn Potts (78), Nolan Toole (80), and Joe Brant (81).


by Skip Snow

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