MCMINNVILLE, Ore. – The Wildcat men's tennis team saw its season come to a close with a 6-3 loss to the Lewis & Clark Pioneers in Rutschman Fieldhouse.
 
It was a vast improvement for the Linfield since its first meeting with Lewis & Clark (9-4, 4-2), a 9-0 loss in Portland.
 
The 'Cats finish the season 4-9 with a 2-5 record against Northwest Conference opponents, sixth best in the league.
 
The match also served as Senior Day for Linfield's lone graduate of the class of 2024, Seth Lee. Lee, just a junior, will graduate a year early in May.
 
DOUBLES
Linfield got off to a strong start with two wins in doubles action.
 
At No. 1 doubles Lee and Rogue Stone ended their strong season together on a high note with a tightly contested 8-7 win over Lewis & Clark's Noah Sutin and Joey Lyon, with Lee and Stone taking the first-to-seven tiebreak 7-3.
 
Linfield's top duo ended the year with a team-best 8-5 record.
 
The Pioneers evened the match score at 1-1 in the second doubles flight as Wade McDermott and Kai Wills beat Linfield's Haven Hepton and Cameron Paulsen 8-4.
 
The Wildcats regained the lead as Matous Young and Alexander Rosenquist ended the season with a second consecutive win at No. 3 doubles, taking down Miles Stone and Max Furman 8-4.
 
DOUBLES
The Pioneers took control of singles action to win the day, taking all but one flight.
 
Linfield's lone victory came by Rosenquist at No. 3 singles over a rested Matt Chio. It was a hard-fought win, even in two sets, as Chio pushed Rosenquist to an extra game in the opening set and forced him to win by tiebreak in the second, 7-5, 7-6 (11-9).
In the top flight Sutin beat Lee 6-2, 6-1, while Wills beat Stone 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to gain the lead for Lewis & Clark at 3-2.
 
Although Rosenquist tied the match again with his win in the third, the Pioneers narrowly regained the lead after a three-set contest that ended in tiebreak at No. 4 singles between Lyon and Paulsen, Lyon eventually winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2).
 
Lewis & Clark clinched the match at No. 5 singles as Wade McDermott beat Hepton 6-4, 6-4, setting the match score at 5-3, Lewis & Clark.
 
The match concluded with Stone beating Abhi Acharya 6-2, 6-3.
 
 
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