By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Braxton Fugate can fly pretty high. He’s about to earn his pilot’s license, not long after his driver’s license. Neal Patel’s job as a teammate is keeping him grounded.
Together, with the outcome hinging on their landing, they powered Bedford North Lawrence down to another smooth victory, winning a three-set marathon for the deciding point as the Stars winged their way to a 3-2 triumph over Columbus East on Monday afternoon.
After dropping the first set, Fugate and Patel recovered for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win over Michael Reed and Micah Wettschurack at No.1 doubles, clinching another close victory as BNL (3-2) continues to find ways to pull out tight finishes. Last season, the Stars lost seven matches by a single point. Now they’ve won three of those, quite the turnaround.
“We’ve already made up half of them,” BNL coach Ian Dillman said. “I’m proud of that. It’s all mental. Our energy was back up.“
Fugate and Patel started slowly, failing to generate enough thrust for liftoff. East won the opening set with a late service break, forcing BNL’s top duo to climb back.
“We came into this thinking it was an easy team,” Patel admitted. “Obviously we thought wrong. They showed us that. In the second set, we stepped it up. Our energy started kicking in. When it’s close, we always have that extra energy.”
”We’re a second-set team,” Fugate said. “Our coach got us back in it, with the right mentality. We came together in the end.”
As the lone remaining match on the five courts, all eyes were locked on Fugate and Patel. They closed in dramatic fashion in the third set, winning the final three points.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Fugate said. “I just try to keep the right mentality. Don’t think about the score, think about the best tennis you can play. We’re starting to turn things around. It’s about keeping everyone up as a team.“
“I give it to Neal,” Dillman said. “Mentally, he’s the strongest one out there. You can point to Braxton’s career in singles last year, he struggled staying in front and getting the points moving. But with Neal, he just keeps going. I never expected such a big turnaround at such a fast pace, but those two are clicking.”
Before Fugate and Patel took center stage, BNL recorded two impressive wins. Orion Hill and Micah Carter cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Carson Hartsook and Cooper Henry at No.2 doubles, and Jackson Corey settled into a rhythm during a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Trevor Ernst at No.1 singles.
On the other courts, the Olympians prevailed as Kai Bergman edged Asher Thompson in a three-set duel at No.2 singles (2-6, 6-3, 6-2). Landon Reddleman stopped Aden Ralston 7-5, 6-3 at No.3.
BNL will return to action on Tuesday at Jennings County.
BNL,3, Columbus East 2
Singles
1 Jackson Corey, BNL d. Trevor Ernst 6-4, 6-2
2 Kai Bergman, CE d. Asher Thompson 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
3 Landon Redelman, CE d. Aden Ralston 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
1 Neal Patel and Braxton Fugate, BNL d. Michael Reed and Micah Wettschurack 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
2 Orion Hill and Micah Carter, BNL d. Carson Hartsook and Cooper Harry 6-1, 6-0
