HOLLISTER
Behind a singles sweep, the Salinas High boys tennis team upended host San Benito 6-1 Thursday at the Ridgemark Golf and Country Club in Hollister.
The Haybalers were fresh off their first win of the season Tuesday when they posted a matching 6-1 score against visiting Sobrato.
Although Hollister couldn’t keep pace with the powerhouse Cowboys on Thursday, the final score was not indicative as to how close the match actually was, San Benito head coach Chris Yoder said.
“I think the match was closer than what the final outcome said,” Yoder added. “Three of the matches that we lost were pretty darn close. We lost three close ones.”
San Benito’s only victory came at No. 2 doubles where newcomers Mike Jensen and Josh Greenwood defeated Andre Carranza and Brian Horne 6-2, 6-3.
Salinas won the rest of the matches, of course. But the close battles Yoder spoke of came at No. 1 doubles, No. 3 doubles and No. 3 singles.
If those went the ‘Balers’ way, San Benito would have walked away with an upset and a 4-3 win.
Jon Rudolfs and Tony Culler, Hollister’s top pairing, lost 7-6, 7-6 to Steve Bateman and Adam Krause, while the No. 3 team of Connor Bray and Eric Johnson narrowly fell to Tyler Simmons and Jeff Raves 6-4, 4-6 and 10-7 in the third-set tiebreaker.
At No. 3 singles, Salinas’ Ty Giacalone defeated San Benito freshman Kyle Skinner 6-4, 6-3.
In other matches, top singles player Derek Panger lost to Cowboy Farren Casad 6-0, 6-1; Mark Tobias fell 6-2, 6-0 to John Hackbert at No. 2; and Austin Pan, at No. 4 singles, was defeated 6-0, 6-3 by Brennan Patton.
San Benito (1-2) will host Gilroy on Tuesday at the Ridgemark Golf and Country Club in Hollister at 4 p.m.
