James Pelcher will hit plenty of more shots this season for the Baldwinsville boys golf team, in plenty of different situations.
But he’ll never hit one better than the nine-iron on the par-three 8th hole at Timber Banks in Monday afternoon’s 204-225 victory over Auburn.
The nine-iron flew high and true, and reached the green, disappearing over a slope and rolling toward the pin. No one was standing at the green, so Pelcher did not know, until he walked to the green, that the ball had found the cup for a hole-in-one.
Pelcher’s ace, part of a four-over-par 40, propelled an impressive effort as the Bees shot past the Maroons, one of the top CNY Counties League sides.
Josh Pinard led B’ville with a 37, while Christian Nizamis matched Pelcher with a 40 (though without an ace). Sean Barron trailed close behind with a 41 and Truman Strodel had a 46. No Auburn player shot better than Nikita Rosenblum’s 41.
Remarkably, Pelcher did not have the only hole-in-one on that day, as Chittenango’s Mike McIntosh managed the feat on the 8th hole at Rogues Roost West during the Bears’ 206-213 victory over Cortland.
This came as part of the season’s busiest stretch for the Bees, which started a week earlier, on Sept. 10, when it beat rival and neighbor Liverpool 205-221 at Timber Banks.
Pinard shot a 39, the same score as Warriors star Karl Deuble, who had posted 33 in each of his previous two matches, both at Liverpool Country Club.
B’ville had more depth and balance, though. Paul Pitcher and Matt Monaco both shot 41, with Barron and Nizaimis putting up matching totals of 42. Only one Liverpool player, Anthony Cabrey (41) had a total close to Deuble’s effort.
A day later, the Bees had more difficulty against Cicero-North Syracuse’s Blue team, dropping a 178-197 decision to the Northstars at Beaumont.
Nizamis led his side with a 38, one shot ahead of Pelcher and Tim Rothenhoefer. Monaco (40) and Pinard (41) played well, too, but C-NS Blue shone on its home course as Mike Mento, with a 34, and Derek Teague, with a 35, both broke par.
The rematch with C-NS Blue was closer, but again the Bees lost, 202-204. Barron improved to a 39 and Nizamis had a 40, with Pinard, Rothenhoefer and Monaco each shooting 41. Still, the Northstars, led by Mento and Joey Petrin (39 each), ended up in front.
B’ville’s brief skid ended on Friday with a 198-213 victory at Oswego. On the traditional layout at Oswego Country Club, Monaco nearly matched par with a 37, and had plenty of help.
Pitcher, Rothenhoefer and Pinard and each shot 40. Josh Dumas and Jake Anderson led the Buccaneers, both of them shooting 38.
B’ville gets another important home match against Fayetteville-Manlius this Friday, two days after visiting Central Square.
