Bethlehem Catholic and Freedom’s boys tennis teams went head to head on March 25 when the Patriots pulled out a 4-2 victory over the Golden Hawks at Becahi.

The No. 1 singles match was the first to finish, putting Becahi ahead with Liam Maloney winning, 5-1, against Oscar Avila who retired with a shoulder issue.

Freedom tied the match with Logan Ritter’s defeat of Kendryk Silva, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 2 singles.

The Pates went ahead with a win at No. 3 doubles where Luke Eureyecko and Michael Sloma defeated Joey Maigur and Nico Massa, 6-4, 7-5.

Becahi came back to tie the match when Derrick Hartman defeated Jonah Rodburg, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 3 singles.

“In that second set, he started hitting the ball long pretty consistently, so I was focusing on keeping the ball in and not being too aggressive, and then once the rallies got up, he would end up hitting it long,” Hartman said. “Third set, I started hitting the ball shorter, and then I was feeling comfortable with my lobs whenever he came up to net, so I got a few points that way. I wasn’t playing that great in the first set, so I knew it was gonna be a little bit close, but I knew I could do it.”

The Hawks were counting on a win at No. 2 doubles with Kolby Mease and Ralston Rowlands leading, 4-1, in the third set, but Henri Houle and Bhauvya Patel came back to win the match for the Pates, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5).

“A lot of battles today, and if I could just say one thing about today, it’s adversity and battling through it,” said Freedom coach Zach Lebby. “For our doubles, down 4-1 in the last set, they were able to bring that back into a tiebreaker and eventually win it. That’s what I’m proud of today.”

Patel was quick to commend Mease and Rowlands in the hard-fought match.

“Credit to our opponents, though. I feel like they did improve in the second set for sure,” said Patel. “First set, they never hit alleys, basically. Second set, I lost a lot of points just as I’m hitting into the alleys. Into the third set, we were down badly, and then we got more aggressive and had a rhythm, especially the [ninth] game. [Henri’s] serves were crazy. My volleys were crazy.”

Patel and Houle are doubles pair returners this year.

“We were both fresh and ready and wanted to win, but in the second one, I think we got a little overconfident,” Houle said. “Our coach’s advice was helpful to be more aggressive, and that’s what we did. He said, ‘Do you feel like you wanna win?’ And we were like, ‘Yes, we’ve got this, we’re gonna win,’ and that helped us a lot. Probably the best feeling is being from 4-1 down and going all the way up and winning it.”

In the last match of the day, Freedom’s Zane Silvius and Ian Jimenez defeated Connor Gillahan and Brady Jones at No. 4 doubles, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

“Another tiebreak for the second set...They let their guard down just a little bit, but then they picked it up later in the set and were able to win those important points, like the deuce points and the 40-30 points. That’s ultimately what gets the job done,” Coach Lebby said.

Becahi coach Dan Arkans is working with the Hawks to finish on the winning end of three-set matches or to finish the job in two sets.

“The biggest thing is winning the first set. A lot of times, when the teams are even, it’s a fine line. I did talk to them about this after losing to Northampton. They just have to be ready to play right away, to go out and take it,” Coach Arkans said. “I’m the biggest fan of Derrick, and I think he’s better than he thinks he is. The first set, he seems to be a little nervous and a little tight. He’s just got to trust his game and play like he did. Aside from the Libertys and the Parklands, he can beat anyone else. We’re losing a lot of close two setters or three sets. We just have to take that next step. We’re close.”

In the No. 2 doubles match, Coach Arkans felt that a call shifted the momentum.

“You can’t do anything about a bad call or what’s perceived to be a bad call. You’ve got to maintain composure,” Arkans said. “They thought the ball was in when we were up 4-1, but Freedom called it out, and they were rattled by it. They only won one point after that.”