Pirates keep postseason hopes alive with 6-3 win over Saddleback
COSTA MESA -- In a match the Orange Coast College men's tennis team HAD to have, the Pirates came through with a 6-3 Orange Empire Conference win over visiting Saddleback on Tuesday at the OCC Tennis Complex.
With the win, the Pirates finished the regular season 12-7 overall (3-5 in the OEC) and with some solid conference and nonconference victories under the belts, Coast will be hoping for a postseason berth as the seedings get figured out this weekend.
In Tuesday's win, the Pirates came out with a purpose in doubles and notched victories in all three matches. Quoc Tran and J.P. Phan outlasted their Saddleback opponents for a hard-fought 9-8 win.
At No. 2 doubles, the team of August Von Heimburg and Ryan Mulrooney cruised to an 8-3 win, while at No. 3, the team of Daniel Zerlotti and Yuma Olson pushed past their Gaucho opponents to an 8-6 victory.
In singles play, Coast picked up three more victories to secure the team win, led by Justin Pham's 6-1, 6-1 win. Olson overcame an early-set loss to win at No. 6 singles, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 and at No. 1 singles, Tran capped off a productive afternoon for the Pirates with a 6-3, 7-6 win.
With the loss, Saddleback drops to 11-7 overall, 4-4 in OEC play.
