ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (April 26, 2023) -- Rocky River was swept by the Westlake Demons in a Tuesday-Wednesday Great Lakes Conference West Division home-and-home series. The Demons downed the Pirates 4-3 Tuesday and 11-0 Wednesday.

Tuesday's contest -- at Westlake High School -- was a pitchers' duel deadlocked at 2-2 until the bottom of the fifth inning when the home nine cycled a pair of runners around the bags to take a 4-2 lead. River would get one run back when Gavin O'Brien made it home as the lead edge of a seventh-inning double steal.

The two sides equitably divvied eight hits in the game. Thomas Rossi started and went the distance for Rocky River. He allowed three earned runs on the four Westlake hits and four walks. Rossi fanned six. He helped his own cause by logging a home run -- River's second of the season, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Through 13 games, Rossi owns a .543 on-base percentage.

On Wednesday, it was all-Westlake in a game at Rocky River Field that saw more Pirate errors (four) than hits (three). A trio of Buccaneer hurlers were hurt by six unearned runs but also by a combined nine hits and five walks allowed. The loss marked River's seventh in a row.

The midweek games were just the front half of a busy week for the Double-R. The Pirates (4-9, 0-4 GLC West) are scheduled to play a Thursday road game at Holy Name and a Saturday road tilt at North Olmsted.


by Skip Snow

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