BOSTON, Mass. – Lesley University junior Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) outlasted Wheelock College sophomore Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) to earn a 6-4, 6-7, 10-4 victory in number six singles to clinch the fifth and deciding point as the Lynx topped the Wildcats 5-4 tonight in men's tennis action at the Boston Athletic Club. The win avenges a 5-4 loss the Wildcats dealt the Lynx in the first matchup up the season back on March 24th. Lesley improves to 3-8 on the season while the loss drops Wheelock to 1-9.
Wheelock took a 2-1 lead following doubles play but Lesley stormed back to take four of the six singles matches to secure the 5-4 win.
Wheelock sophomores Matthew Brown (Angola, Ind.) and Will Spofford (Kennebunk, Maine) cruised to an 8-0 win over Lesley freshman Niko Marcolini (Newbury, Mass.) and junior Jack Tortorici (Grass Valley, Calif.) in the first doubles flight before Wildcats sophomores Matthew Eason (East Hartford, Conn.) and Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) topped Lynx senior Jordan Santos (Middlebury, Conn.) freshman James Webb (San Francisco, Calif.) 9-4 in the third doubles match.
The Lynx picked up their lone win in doubles as sophomore Harrison Sidell (Newhall, Calif.) and junior Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) defeated Wildcats freshmen Gregory Breen (Winchester, Mass.) and Morgan Graham (Thomaston, Mass.) in number two doubles.
Brown kicked off singles play with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Marcolini to put the Wildcats up 3-1 in the match before the Lynx rallied to win the next three matches. Santos used set scores of 6-2, 6-2 to top freshman Jack Krieger (Cheshire, Conn.) in third singles while Sidell earned a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Spofford. Tortorici then outlasted sophomore Jill Crane (Westmoreland, N.Y.) 4-6, 6-4, 10-4 to put Lesley up 4-3.
Eason then earned a 6-2, 6-4 win over Webb in the number five singles match before Barletta outlasted Fenton to clinch the match for the Lynx.
Lesley returns to New England Collegiate Conference play on Saturday as they host Regis College at 11:00a while Wheelock will travel to Newbury College on Thursday for a match scheduled to start at 7:00p.