Santa Ynez beat Santa Barbara for the first time Thursday, 12-6, giving the team hope for a first-ever Channel League playoff bid.
The Pirates remain undefeated on the season, 6-0 overall and 2-0 in league play.
“This was a big match for us, as only the top three teams in the Channel League qualify for the playoffs,” Santa Ynez coach Nate Thompson said. “Every year that we have been in the Channel League, only San Marcos, Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara have made the playoffs. So this was a big first step for us in achieving one of our goals for the season.
The Pirates’ No. 1 doubles team of Luke Lockhart and Charlie Hoose swept their three sets with the loss of only two games Hoose, 6-0,6-1,6-1.
The Santa Ynez doubles teams of Ethan Guillemin and Jace Hurnblad and Micah Thompson and Marc Westall each won two sets. Singles players Noah Thompson and Micah Thomas also won two sets each for the Pirates.
Dos Pueblos 18, Lompoc 0
Dos Pueblos swept Lompoc 18-0 Thursday in a Channel League match that saw many Chargers getting on the court to contribute.
Dos Pueblos is now 6-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Chargers play at Newbury Park on Friday.
Nordhoff 10, Carpinteria 8
Carpinteria won eight of nine singles sets against Nordhoff Thursday, but the Rangers swept all nine doubles sets to prevail 10-8 in Citrus Coast League play.
Brothers Austin and Max Stone swept their sets with the loss of only one bam between them.
“They cruised and were off the courts in a hurry,” Carpinteria coach Charles Bryant said. “I was really impressed with Ryan Souza today. He won two out of his three sets but looked sharp in doing so. He was composed and consistent throughout and was hitting with a lot more pace than last season.”
In the doubles sets, Bryant said, “We let them get under our skin a bit and started to play better in the third round, but we fell just short in the total win column.”
Carpinteria is now 4-4 overall and 1-1 in CCL play.