Claremont, Calif. - Sophomore Josh Kim (pictured, celebrating a key point late in the match) won the clinching match at No. 5 singles as the No. 9 ranked Pomona-Pitzer Men's Tennis team defeated No. 1 and defending national champion Amherst 6-3 in the second of two matches played on Tuesday at Pauley Tennis Complex.
The Sagehens also knocked off No. 23 Trinity (Conn.) earlier in the day by a final of 7-2. With the two wins, Pomona-Pitzer is now 12-3 on the year, while both Trinity (2-1) and Amherst (4-1) suffer their first losses of the year.
The big story of the day was the nightcap, though as the Sagehens took a 2-1 lead after three close doubles matches. Junior Jonathan Kim and sophomore Jake Yasgoor took the first point 8-5 at No. 2, and after Amherst broke for a tight 9-7 win at No. 1, sophomores Antony Bello and Spencer Simonides earned the swing point at No. 3 with an 8-6 win.
The match came down to the final two rungs of the ladder at No. 5 and No. 6, after the first four courts split 2-2. Sophomore Graham Maassen won at No. 4 singles (6-4, 6-1) and senior Connor Hudson took a win at No. 1 (7-6, 6-3) with both players finishing their wins with aces. Maassen won moments after Amherst tied it 2-2 with a win at No. 3 singles (Michael Solimano over Jonathan Kim) and Hudson won his moments after the Lord Jeffs pulled even with a 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 2 (Andrew Yaraghi over Yasgoor).
Josh Kim had the slowest moving match of the day, as he rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set to win 7-5 and started his second set well after everyone else. He was still early in the second set when freshman Sam Malech earned a split at No. 6 with a 6-3 win in the second set, winning the last four games in a row.
The two players then both took control of their matches and essentially had a race to the finish line. Kim went from down a break 1-2 in the second to ahead 5-2 with four straight wins, and after Andrew Arnaboldi earned a hold, Kim held back for a 7-5, 6-3 win and the clinch for the match. His win occurred as Malech was serving ahead 5-0 in the third, and moments later, he finished off his match to complete the 6-3 win.
Earlier in the day, the Sagehens held a 2-1 lead after doubles over Trinity, and had to battle a bit for the win in singles, but eventually came away with a 7-2 win. Junior Thomas Low earned the clincher at No. 6 as a late replacement to the lineup when Yasgoor was pulled from No. 2. Hudson earned his first of two singles wins of the day at No. 1, while Jonathan Kim won at 2, Maassen at 3, and Simonides at 4 (in three sets).
Pomona-Pitzer will play two more matches tomorrow, hosting Tufts at 10 a.m. and Skidmore at 3 p.m., before earning a six-day break.
