BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (March 19, 2024) -- Rocky River opened Northern Ohio Lacrosse League play Tuesday, and the Pirates lifted the lid with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over rival Bay.

The Pirates (2-0, 1-0 NOLL) outscored the host Rockets 4-2 across the middle periods of the contest played on a cold night at Bay Memorial Stadium. The game was tied 5-5 over play in the first and fourth frames. That included a 3-for-3 exchange in the fourth despite penalty time forcing the home side to play the final 10 minutes short-handed. The Rockets (0-1, 0-1) clawed back with three late goals after falling behind 9-4 by the 8:09-mark of that final stanza.

The victory made for a measure of retribution for River, which had been ousted by Bay (10-9 in overtime) in last year's DII Region 5 final.

Five players registered multiple points for the Pirates Tuesday night. Junior midfielder Grace DeWitt led the way with a hat trick. The 2023 second-team all-Ohioan and 2024 captain scored three goals: River's first goal of the evening, a go-ahead late-second-quarter goal to give the Pirates a 4-3 edge at halftime, and one of three extra-man goals in the final period.

Rocky River's other scoring leaders were Elle Mocho (goal, assist), Mackenzie Russell (goal, assist), and Alexis Tisler (2G). [Complete game stats unavailable at time of publication.]

Tisler has logged 5G and 3A through two games.

Two games, two wins. Next up, its another NOLL contest and a game at the Lacrosse Grounds on Detroit Road: the Striped Buccaneers will host Avon Lake in a Thursday home opener (5:30 p.m. opening draw in the varsity game).

by Skip Snow

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