CLARKSBURG -- When Matt Lawrence sliced his second shot on the ninth hole into the brush, it looked like his day was done.
Somehow, he was able to muscle the ball out from just in front of a rabbit hole near the seventh tee box and push it just in front of the green. He managed to save par and finished the day with a 39.
"I just took a 6-iron and full swung it," Lawrence said. "I didn't even know where it was going, I just wanted to get it out of there and have a shot to save par."
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Pittsfield's Ryan Grande and Jake Matthews had even better luck on the ninth hole. The duo birdied the ninth to help their team to a slim 161-168 victory.
"[Pittsfield's] top four is maybe, questionably, the best top four in the Berkshires," Lawrence said. "They have an all-around great game, whether it's short game or long game. They can do it all."
Grande took medalist honors with a 37 on the par-34 course. Matthews finished with a 39 and Adam Brickle also had a 39. He made a birdie on the seventh hole. Jerry McDonough had the fourth-lowest score for the Generals, shooting a 46 out of the sixth position.
For Drury, Alex Boulger shot a 42, while his younger brother Nick finished with a 43. Nick Bater kept his team within striking distance by finishing with a 44.
"They were just able to play a little bit better than us," Drury coach Don Dagnoli said. "They have a great team and a really
While the Generals had success putting and chipping, the Blue Devils struggled with their short game.
"It's just a matter of focus and working on the short game," Dagnoli said. "Most of the shots we lose are short-game related. It's when we're chipping to try to save par."
Dagnoli fears his young team tries to over compensate after hitting a tough first or second shot. They attempt to save the hole by making a miraculous shot, when they should just chip it onto the fairway and try to save par.
"We just need to hit some where safer, so we can hit the next one," he said.
Much like Lawrence's approach on the ninth.
"That was a great recovery," Dagnoli said. "He managed to save par on the last hole after a really tough lie. That just kind of show's you the type of player he is. He can really grind it out when he has too."
The slim margin is a good sign for the young Blue Devils, a team that won just four matches last season.
"It's the short game, once we get our putts and chips down we'll be fine," Lawrence said. "It was only seven strokes that we lost by [Wednesday] so we'll be fine."
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