Mustangs one win away from perfect season after 4-1 victory over Kelseyville
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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE >> Middletown High School’s tennis team clinched a second straight Coastal Mountain Conference North championship with a hard-fought 4-1 victory over the Kelseyville Knights on Friday afternoon at the Hidden Valley Lake courts.
Middletown is 11-0 with one match remaining, an April 29 road trip to Cloverdale. Kelseyville (7-3) needed a victory to stay in the running for at least a share of the title, but the Mustangs proved too tough.
The two best matches of the day took place in singles, with each team winning one. In a battle to the end, Middletown’s Harrison Brown outlasted Ryan Taylor 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in second singles while Kelseyville’s Riley Lopez beat Anthony Lopez 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 in third singles.
“It looked like Ryan was going to run away with the win when he had Harrison down 5-4 in the second (set) and up two match points, but Harrison battled back to make it 5-5, and then went up 6-5,” Middletown head coach Tony Hart said. “Ryan came back to force a tiebreaker. Harrison won the tiebreaker and just had a little more in the tank to win the third set 6-2.”
Added Hart, “I thought both players played their hearts out and made some brilliant shots. Hats off to Ryan.”
Likewise, Kelseyville’s Lopez appeared to be on his way out in third singles before battling back for the victory.
“Riley lost the first set and was down 6-5 in the second (set), but he managed to get it to a tiebreaker and turned it around to win 8-6,” Hart said. “Riley is the one who had a little more in the tank and won 6-2 in the third set for Kelseyville’s only win.
“Three-set matches are fun to watch but are grueling for the players with lots of emotional highs and lows, and in singles you don’t have a teammate to rely on. I felt bad for Anthony because he also played his heart out, but it was Riley’s day.”
The first singles match had considerably less drama as Middletown’s Will Hoskins beat Maddy Borghesani 6-3, 6-2.
Middletown also won both doubles matches in straight sets. Leland Pike and Jasiah Pike, undefeated on the season, beat Olivia Raabe and Olivia Bushey 6-1, 6-1 in first doubles.
Nalu Johnson and Luis Pamatz had a slow start in second doubles but came on strong to beat Grace Peterson and Brooklyn Young 6-4, 6-1.
Middletown has next week off for spring break. Kelseyville hosts Cloverdale on Tuesday.
