Norwalk tennis third at host Invitational

NORWALK — The Norwalk girls tennis team placed third behind powerhouses Perrysburg and Port Clinton at its host Invitational on Saturday at the Middle School courts. Placing second for the Truckers was Lydia Trost at first singles. She opened with a win over teammate Abby Upton (6-1, 6-1) and outlasted Port Clinton's Shantha Weit in the semifinals, 6-3, 0-6, 10-5. Trost fell to Perrysburg's Penelope Giammarco in the final (6-0, 6-1). Addy Rospert and Lily Ware each placed fourth at second and third singles, respectively. Rospert defeated Toledo Notre Dame's Eliza Rindler (6-0, 6-1) before falling to Perrysburg's Madi Watkins (6-1, 6-1) in the semis. She lost a narrow third-place match to Shelby's Peyton Bruskotter (6-7 (6), 6-2, 12-10). Ware opened with a win over Port Clinton's Maddie Kopcak (7-5, 6-1) before falling to Perrysburg's Cambell Looser (6-0, 6-0) and to Midview's Danica Hazzard (6-2, 6-1). At first doubles, Alyssa Gruhlke and Aubrey Kluding placed fifth, and Chloe Hazelwood and Brooklyn Younce placed third. Gruhlke and Kluding fell to Perrysburg's Lillith Dunn and Savannah Boris in two close sets, 7-6 (3) and 7-6 (6). They bounced back to beat Port Clinton's Rylie Budinger and Kyla Buchman (8-0) and Shelby's Chloe Howell and Ella Keller (8-1). Hazelwood and Younce defeated Notre Dame's Norah Mahmoud and Sophia Walker (6-3, 6-4) before falling to Port Clinton's Grace Arnold and Nora Pixler (6-0, 6-1). The pair beat Midview's Leah Vsarab and Madison Piskunoff for third, 6-0, 3-3 (injury). At second doubles, Roxy Brummit and Riley Helton placed third and Vanessa Vazquez and Libby Lark finished fifth. Brummit and Helton opened with a win over Port Clinton's Lyric Jackson and Lily Mincer (6-2, 6-1) before falling to Port Clinton's Lilly Hatt and Jaelynn Mazur (6-3, 6-3). They won the third-place match over Midview's Morgan Piskunoff and Abby Klooz, 2-6, 6-1, 8-9 (injury). Vazquez and Lark fell to Hatt and Mazur (6-1, 7-5), then beat Port Clinton's Jackson and Mincer (8-3) before topping Notre Dame's Elizabeth Leach and Evannah Cook (8-4). On Aug. 8, the Truckers opened the season with a 5-0 loss to Port Clinton in an Ohio Tennis Coaches Association tournament match in Division II. At first singles, Trost fell to Grace Arnold (6-0, 6-4) and Rospert lost to Nora Pixler (7-5, 6-4) at second singles. Port Clinton's Anastasia Hughes beat Leksi Jurczuk (6-0, 6-0) at third singles. The first doubles team of Alyssa Gruhlke and Aubrey Kluding fell to Shantha Weit and Megan Zgodzinski (6-1, 6-2), while Roxy Brummit and Riley Helton fell at second doubles to Lilly Hatt and Jaelynn Mazur (6-2, 6-1). Norwalk opens SBC Lake Division play Tuesday at Bellevue. Willard places three CLYDE — The Crimson Flashes had a pair of third-place finishers at first and third singles at the 28th annual Clyde Bob Wilson Memorial tournament Saturday. At first singles, senior Emma Steinmetz beat Huron's Rachel Merckens in a tie-break, 10-9 (2). She then fell to Bellevue's Natalie Littlejohn, 10-3, before beating Clyde's Ava Fosnight, 8-1, to finish third. Jillian Strong opened t third singles with a win over Bellevue's Aubrey Branco, 10-2. She fell to Southview's Alexa Caputo (10-0) before rebounding to beat Huron's Blaire Johnson for third, 8-5. Also for Willard, the first doubles team of Emie Buurma and Cora Clark placed fourth. BOYS GOLF Willard wins host Invite WILLARD — The Crimson Flashes shot a 338 to win the Willard Invitational on Aug. 8 at the Willard Golf Club. Kaleb Weaver and JJ Bedingfield each led the Crimson Flashes with an 83. Mason Dawson and Harrison Meisner each shot an 86, while Adler Ames carded an 88 and Jaxson Hall added an 89. Clyde finished second in the six-team field with a 354 while Huron was third with a 365. St. Paul shot a 409 to finish fourth. Mason Beatty led the Flyers with an 86 while Connor Polachek shot 87. Everett Beal added a 111, and he was followed by Jacob Penwell (125) and Tristan Schlachter (126). The Flashes placed ninth with a 350 on Aug. 7 at the Genoa Tom Pickerel Invitational at Sycamore Hills golf course in Fremont. Willard was paced by Dawson with an 80, while Ames and Weaver each shot 89s. Both Isaac Frye and Bedingfield carded 92s, while Hall added a 94. St. Paul also competed in the Mapleton Invitational on Aug. 7 at Brookside Golf Course in Ashland. The Flyers were eighth among 12 teams with a 363. Beatty shot a 77 to place fourth overall among individuals, while Polachek had an 87 and Beal shot a 99. Penwell (100) and Schlacter (119) rounded out the lineup. NL sixth at Hillsdale ASHLAND — The Wildcats returned to Brookside for a second straight day and placed sixth among 20 teams on Aug. 8 at the Hillsdale Invitational. Brody Sword led New London with a 77. Grady Heileman shot an 83, followed by Kade Detterman (84) and Logan Sword (85). Presley Ferguson (96) and Easton Ball (113) rounded out the scoring. New London will play at Western Reserve on Monday.