#2 Farmingdale State - 5, #3 Merchant Marine - 3
Farmingdale, N.Y. - #2 Farmingdale State defeated #3 Merchant Marine, 5-3, in the semifinal round of the Skyline Conference Men's Tennis Championship this afternoon. FSC has earned their spot in the Final and will travel to top-seeded Manhattanville on Sunday.
The Rams picked up two wins in doubles competition to take a 2-1 advantage. The #1 pairing of senior Zachary Baker (Carmel, N.Y.) and sophomore Mark Baker (North Baldwin, N.Y.) won 8-2, while the third pairing of junior Cooper Everett (Long Beach, N.Y.) and sophomore Mario Contreras (Southold, N.Y.) notched an 8-5 victory.
Merchant Marine senior Barry Booth (Spanish Fort, Ala.) and freshman Gabby Eitkis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) won at second doubles, 8-3.
In singles play, Everett put Farmingdale State ahead 3-1 with a 6-0, 6-0 win at #6 singles. Z Baker recorded a 6-3, 6-0 win in the #1 slot before M Baker defeated USMMA sophomore Blake Brown (Greenville, SC), 6-3, 6-1, to earn FSC's fifth point and clinch the victory.
Booth (6-4, 6-1) and Eitkis (6-3, 6-0) registered wins at third and fourth singles for the Mariners. The #5 singles match went unfinished with Rams junior Colby Rodriguez (Huntington Station, N.Y.) leading 7-6 (7-1), 5-1.
Farmingdale State will next compete for the Skyline Conference Championship at #1 Manhattanville on Sunday, May 9th at 1:00 p.m. The Rams are in search of their first title since 2013.
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