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Leo Clayton gave it his all against Shepaug on April 9 but came up short in the tiebreaker.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Coach Jeff Tripp said Leo Clayton “ lost a tough match in 3 sets.
“He won the first set 6-1 and then lost the second set 6-4. Instead of a full third set, we play a 10 point super tiebreaker to decide the match. Leo lost that 10-6.
“Tennis is so unique in that there is no clock to run out” Tripp said. “So when you get a lead, you have to keep winning points and games to win the match.”
“It was a really well played match from both players with a lot of attacking at the net and great lobs to counter. Leo is a senior but only playing tennis for his second season. He’s gotten much better really fast and hopefully this match will provide him some lessons moving forward.”
This spring HVRHS is playing matches at the Salisbury town courts in Lakeville, as the courts at the high school, which are slated for improvements, did not weather the winter well.
Clayton started playing tennis two years ago.Patrick L. Sullivan
Freshman pitcher Wyatt Bayer threw three strikeouts against Northwestern.
Riley Klein
Despite the proximity of these two schools, this was far from a rivalry game. Players on both teams were more than familiar with the opposing roster after teaming up each fall for several seasons of Gilbert/Northwestern/Housatonic co-op football.
Fans could not have asked for a better spring day to take in the game April 9. Clear skies illuminated the field with temperatures around 72 degrees in Winsted. Singing birds gave way to chirping dugouts as the match got underway.
Wyatt Bayer worked the mound from start to finish for HVRHS. He opened the first inning with a strikeout, but one Northwestern runner reached home before the inning was out. The Highlanders took a 1-0 lead which lasted through the third inning.
In the fourth, Hunter Conklin launched a deep double into center field. He brought home two runners in the process and put HVRHS up 2-1. Northwestern evened the score in the bottom of the fourth to tie it up at two.
The tie persisted through the fifth inning before Northwestern pulled ahead in the bottom of the sixth. Bayer got on base with a single in the seventh, but the Highlanders got out of the inning ahead.
Bayer threw three strikeouts for HVRHS and went 2 for 3 from the plate. Conklin led the Mountaineers offensively with a 2 RBI double.
For Northwestern, Ben Crone batted 2 for 3 with a triple, Gavin Deloy hit 2 for 3 with a pair of singles, and Robbie Ayers hit 2 for 4 and touched home twice including the game winning run.
HVRHS moved to 0-2 for the season. The Mountaineers will host Shepaug Valley High School Friday, April 19, at 3:45 p.m.
Northwestern’s Ty Devita and Housatonic’s Wes Allyn were opponents on Tuesday, April 9, but will be teammates come football season.Riley Klein
