Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Ben McNair had a hand in four winning outcomes and the Linfield Wildcats competed well during a weekend split of two matches Friday and Saturday inside Rutschman Field House.
 
The Wildcats dropped a narrow 5-4 result Friday night to visiting Austin College of Austin, Texas. Linfield bounced back Saturday with a solid 7-2 decision over Bellevue Community College.
 
Linfield 7, Bellevue C.C. 2
McNair led the way with a straight-sets singles win over BCC's Emahd Khan at No. 2 and, together with partner Luis Rojas, cinched an 8-3 victory over Khan and Edgar Quintero at No. 1 doubles.
 
In other doubles action, Linfield's Nathan Saragoza and Trent Prussing defeated Rodolfo Bahn and Shu Chantani 8-1 at No. 3 doubles. Bellevue's Oscar Cruz and Mikko Curry-Edwards knocked off the Linfield duo of Eric Rutherford and J.T. Barcellos 8-4 at No. 2
 
"We didn't start off with the energy we're looking to establish, but we played smart and grabbed a lead after doubles," said Wildcats coach Ben Belletto. "A great start in singles allowed us to relax a bit, which we need to be able to do."
 
Including McNair's win in the second tier, Linfield prevailed in five singles matches. The Wildcats jumped to first-set leads in five of the six pairings to grab the early momentum.
 
Rojas was pressed into a third set before pulling out a 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 11-9 win over Quintero at No. 1. Barcellos topped Cruz at No. 3, winning 7-6, 7-5. Jacob Mangan secured a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Bahn at No. 4 while Rutherford took down Curry-Edwards 6-1, 6-3 in the No. 5 slot. Cameron Ventura earned a third-set triumph at No. 6 singles, pulling out a 6-2, 4-6, 10-2 win.
 
"Luis battled through some up and downs and came out on the winning end," said Belletto. "Cameron did a great job stepping into the lineup. Eric played very disciplined. Jacob did a great job competing today, as he always does."
 
Austin College 5, Linfield 4
In the No. 1 doubles flight, McNair and Rojas paired for a comfortable 8-3 win over Austin's Kenneth Hardy and Josh Granberry. But the 'Roos nailed down wins in the other two tiers as Calum Robe and Erik Meendsen defeated Rutherford and Barcellos 8-5 at No. 2, and Andres Padilla and Travis Fortune were 8-4 winners over Saragoza and Trent Prussing.
 
"This loss hurts because we know we had our opportunities, but that is part of the game," said Belletto. "Austin capitalized instead of us."
 
The two evenly matched teams divided the six singles pairings with Linfield winning the first, third and fifth positions.
 
Saragoza downed Granberry 6-1, 6-1 at No. 1, McNair scored a 6-3, 6-2 win over Padilla at No. 3 and Prussing rallied a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 third-set win at No. 5.
 
Belletto said Saragoza played "a complete match" at No. 1 singles and "played patient and within himself in doubles."
 
In other singles contests, Hardy put down Rojas 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2, Robe set aside Barcellos 7-5, 6-3 at No. 4, and Preston Spivey recorded a 6-4, 6-3 result over Mangan at No. 6.
 
"Trent showed an immense amount of heart coming back from a set down. I'm so proud of him," said Belletto. "We will continue to learn and grow, as setbacks and disappointments sow the seeds of future successes."
 
Next
Linfield returns to Northwest Conference play over the coming weekend with a pair of home matches. Saturday, the Wildcats host Pacific at 10 a.m. A day later, Pacific Lutheran pays a visit for an 11 a.m. match.