MASON, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's tennis team defeated both Marietta College and Capital University in an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
BW (13-4, 4-3 OAC) shut out Marietta (5-9, 1-4 OAC) by a score of 9-0 and then defeated Capital (4-6, 2-3 OAC) 6-3 in the afternoon match.
In the match against Marietta, the Yellow Jackets only surrendered three games in junior Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar Athlete and All-OAC players Dominic Polifrone (Hudson) and Matt Harris (Akron/Revere) No. 1 doubles 8-3 win. Senior Alex Papke (Federal Way, Wash./Thomas Jefferson) and sophomore ITA Scholar Athlete Jake Elbin (Findlay) at No. 2 doubles and junior ITA Scholar Athlete Roger Boyer (Medina/Brunswick) and freshman Michael Benotti (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) at No. 3 doubles each won 8-0.
The singles lineup was slightly adjusted as everybody from No. 3 to No. 6 moved up one spot. Benotti and junior Ben Binion (Shelby) did not allow a single game in their 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles. Between Polifrone at No. 1, Elbin at No. 2, Boyer at No. 3 and Papke at No. 5, the Yellow Jackets only surrendered a total of 11 more games en route to the shutout.
Capital proved to be a tougher test in the afternoon match, getting on the scoreboard with an 8-1 win at No. 2 doubles. However, the pairings of Harris and Polifrone at No. 1 doubles and Boyer and Benotti at No. 3 doubles gave BW a 2-1 lead with 8-4 and 8-3 victories, respectively.
The Crusaders would add wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles to round out their three points. Harris stumbled in his first set at No. 2 singles but was able to recover for a 3-6, 6-3, 10-6 win. Elbin breezed through his first set but found himself in trouble down 5-0 in the second set. The sophomore rattled off seven straight games for the 6-1, 7-5 victory at No. 3 singles. Benotti defeated his Capital opponent 6-3, 6-0 and Papke proved to be the clinching point for the Yellow Jackets with his 7-5, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles.
With one OAC match remaining, BW sits in fifth place. The top six teams advance to the conference tournament which will begin with first round matches on May. 1
BW will finish off the 2018 regular season on Saturday, April 21, when the Yellow Jackets host Otterbein University for an OAC dual match with the women's team for Seniors' and Parents' Day at the Pop Collins Tennis Courts.
