Oyster River, Portsmouth, St. Thomas tennis all ousted from division semifinals
BOW - The Oyster River High School boys tennis team only lost to two teams in the regular season, one of them being Bow, and that was the semifinal matchup on Monday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Division II tournament.
Unfortunately, Oyster River, the defending Division II state champions, fell to Bow for the second time, 5-4.
Oyster River's No. 4 Siddhu Srivatsan (8-6), No. 5 James Li and No. 6 Alec Scarlat (9-7) all won singles matches for the Bobcats, and the duo of Shashu Srivatsan and Simon Bliss won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles..
"The boys gave it their all and pushed through all types of elements today," Oyster River head coach Michael Pare said. "Some of them didn't get off to a good start, some were having challenges with their serves, wind and sun, and at the same time dealing with an improved Bow tennis team. These boys have worked so hard to bring Oyster River boys tennis to where it is today, and that casts a ray of sunshine over a disappointing loss."
Oyster River ended its season at 19-3.
"It's been a very competitive season and I am proud of the boys for being part of it," Pare said. "We only lost a couple of close matches this year and each of those matches was because teams thrived off the challenge of playing these boys. If you have ever played tennis, you know that it's easy to play well against better opponents because they hit a cleaner ball and they are more consistent. This is ultimately what happened, other teams play better because of our kids skill level and we just couldn't shake it today."
DIVISION II
No. 1 Lebanon 5
No. 4 Portsmouth 3
LEBANON - Portsmouth battled top-seeded Lebanon, but came up just short in a Division II semifinal.
Portsmouth's Ben Welsh (No. 4, 8-3), Jiles Tracz (No. 5, 8-3) and Josh White (No. 6, 8-6) all won their respective singles matches.
"Very solid season by a great group of young men," Portsmouth head coach Anthony Sillita said. "The season didn't end the way we wanted, but we competed until the end. Their effort all year and today made me proud to be their coach."
Portsmouth ends the season with a 12-4 record.
DIVISION III
No. 1 Plymouth 7
No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas 2
PLYMOUTH - St. Thomas Aquinas saw its season come to an end to top-seeded Plymouth in the semifinals, ending a great season the Saints put together this spring.
St. Thomas freshman Alex Molda won his No. 1 singles match 8-4, and teamed with Ryan Whiting to win at No. 1 doubles, 8-4.
"We were excited to play against the defending state champions and the No. 1 team today," St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Wyatt Gantenbein said. "We battled them in every position, but they were the deeper team today. We have come a long way this season and with everyone returning, we expect to challenge (Plymouth) for the state title next season."
The Saints defeated No. 5 White Mountains, 8-1 in the quarterfinals, and finished the season with a 12-4 record.
"We are super proud of the growth we have shown from last year to this year," Gantenbein said. "Can't wait to see what we accomplish in the years to come."
SOFTBALL
Marshwood 1/2
Portland 0/1
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine - Lindsay Bennett pitched five scoreless innings, didn't allow a hit and struck out seven batters to lead the Hawks in the first game of a Class A South doubleheader.
Emily Hester had a triple and Piper Catanese had a hit and scored a run for Marshwood.
In game two, Hester went five innings, allowed one run on five hits, and struck out six. Hester also had a hit and a run.
Catanese had a hit and a run, and Lilly Gennero added a hit for the Hawks.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Oyster River, Portsmouth, STA boys tennis lose in division semifinals
