Hollister – The youthful San Benito boys tennis team looked across the court at Ridgemark yesterday and saw a team even younger than it is. Facing senior-less Sobrato, the Haybalers evened their Tri-County Athletic League record at 2-2 by posting a 7-0 romp.
San Benito, which has a sophomore and a freshman atop its singles chart and a pair of freshmen playing No. 1 doubles, improved to 3-3 overall on the year and quickly atoned for a 6-1 loss to league-heavyweight Salinas.
‘Balers No. 1 singles player Trevor Parker, a sophomore, defeated Sobrato’s Ron Pollard 7-5, 6-1, and San Benito’s top doubles team of Mark Tobias and Michael Brigantino won its match 7-6, 6-2.
None of the other Haybalers had any hiccups along the way to victory, with freshman Daniel Coffey and senior Marcus Muro – the No. 2 and No. 4 singles players, respectively – recording 6-0, 6-0 wins, and the No. 3 doubles team of Anthony Parraz and Derek Panger nearly matching that with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.
San Benito head coach Leanna Morgan made sure to warn her players against a letdown.
“‘We don’t want to underestimate them,'” Morgan told her team beforehand.
Mission accomplished.
With the first round of league play nearly complete, Morgan believes that Salinas stands out as the best overall team, and that Palma, at the moment, has shown it is runner-up.
But the ‘Balers played a strong match against Palma in the teams’ first meeting early last week, eventually falling 5-2. San Benito was playing without Barker, its top player, but nevertheless narrowly lost two singles matches in tiebreakers.
“We were close to winning,” said Morgan. “We were giving Palma some really good competition, I think. It’s very encouraging that we gave Palma a run for their money.”
In falling to Salinas last Thursday, the ‘Balers’ lone victory game from the No. 2 doubles team of Ryan and Dillon Grow.
“It definitely wasn’t as close,” said Morgan. “Salinas is very solid throughout the lineup.”
San Benito travels to Moran Hill to play Live Oak on Thursday. The match is set to begin at 3:30pm.
Scott Campbell is the sports editor of the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him at (831) 637-5566 (x334) or at sc*******@fr***********.com.
