MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – Despite wins in both the top doubles and singles flights, the Linfield men's tennis team fell 5-4 Saturday to the Whitworth Pirates in Rutschman Fieldhouse.
 
The dramatic match went back and forth throughout the day, but it was the the Pirates (3-6, 2-1) who clinched victory in the No. 6 singles flight as Colby Cinqmars won 6-2, 6-4 over Matous Young for Linfield (3-5, 1-2).
 
DOUBLES
At No. 1 doubles Rogue Stone and Seth Lee continued their strong run for the Wildcats, winning their seventh straight match at the top of the ladder.
 
They were forced to battle for their win Saturday, narrowly topping Whitworth's Nathan Tjelle and Henry Preacher by tiebreak 8-7 (7-3).
 
The Pirates took the remaining two doubles contests, as Ethan Warring and Payton Romey barely outlasted Haven Hepton and Cameron Paulsen 8-7 (7-3) while Cinqmars and Jess Weaver dispatched Young and Alexander Rosenquist 8-5 to set the Pirates up with a 2-1 lead following doubles.
 
SINGLES
Lee started singles off on the right foot for the 'Cats, beating Romey 6-4, 6-2 in the top singles flight.
 
Lee's win evened the team score at two wins apiece and improved his singles record to 4-4 on the season, which he has spent entirely at the top of the Linfield lineup so far.
 
But Whitworth regained the lead at No. 2 singles with a win by Tjelle over Stone, 6-4, 6-3.
 
No. 3 singles proved to be the most even flight of the day, lasting nearly three hours. Linfield's Rosenquist took the first set via tiebreak, but the Warring took the following two for the Pirates to win 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-1 and increasing the Whitworth lead to two for the match.
 
But Linfield tied the score again at 4-4, as Cameron Paulsen swiftly dismissed Preacher 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4 before Hepton won the second three-set match of the day, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 over Weaver to set up Young and Cinqmars to determine the match at No. 6 singles.
 
But it was Cinqmars who came out the victor, clinching the match for the Pirates 5-4.
 
NEXT
The Wildcats host the Whitman Blues (2-7, 1-0) tomorrow, Sunday, March 10 at 11:00 AM.
 
Linfield is then idle for two weeks before taking a break from Northwest Conference action with a trip to California to face Biola on March 25 and Point Loma Nazarene on March 28.
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