Minus No. 1 singles player, Mustangs forced to change things up against Mendocino
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MENDOCINO >> Middletown High School’s tennis team, which has owned the Coastal Mountain Conference tennis ranks for the past couple of seasons, fell 4-1 to the Mendocino Cardinals on Tuesday in Mendocino.
The back-to-back conference champions, who were without their No. 1 singles player because of illness, managed to win only in second doubles where Nalu Johnson and Louis Pamatz prevailed 6-2, 6-3.
“We lost to a good Mendocino team,” Middletown head coach Tony Hart said.
With No. 1 Will Hoskins unable to go, Middletown had to shift people around. Harrison Brown moved up to No. 1 singles and dropped a 6-2, 6-3 decision to Max Oatney. Anthony Lopez moved into Brown’s No. 2 singles slot and fell 6-1, 6-0 to Enzo Abuliak.
Middletown had to forfeit at No. 3 singles.
In a hard-fought No. 1 doubles match, Middletown’s Leland and Jasiah Pike dropped a 7-5, 6-4 decision to Gabi McElrory and Leo Hinkley.
“They were better than us today, that is for sure,” Hart said of the victorious Cardinals.
The two teams meet again April 10 at the Hidden Valley Lake courts. Middletown returns to action Friday at home against Willits.
