NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 Score: Piedmont 8, Adrian 1
Match 2 Score: Piedmont 8, Wartburg 1
Records: Piedmont, 5-2; Adrian, 2-2; Wartburg, 10-7

ORLANDO, Fla. - Playing on two different surfaces, the outcome was the same on Tuesday for the men's tennis team in Orlando as the Lions won 8-1 against Adrian on a hard surface before going to a clay court and besting Wartburg by the same margin later in the day.

Match 1: Piedmont 8, Adrian 1

The Lions took their third in a row to start their Orlando trip on Tuesday morning, winning two of three doubles matches and taking all six singles lines for the victory.

Playing doubles together for the first time this season, SILAS SANDLES and LEO GALARZA put the first point of the match on the board for the Lions with an 8-3 win at No. 3. Minutes later, ALBERTO NUNEZ and HOUSTON MEDLOCK closed out an 8-4 win at No. 1 to make it 2-0 in favor of Piedmont.

While the Bulldogs were able to prevail in a closely contested 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles, the Lions still remained in front going into singles action.

Piedmont stayed in control of the match, winning four out of six first sets to begin singles play.

Junior captain COOPER KEWORK clinched first in a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 5 to improve to 3-0 in singles play this season. Then, after dropping his first set, Sandles battled back to 4-4 in the second before his opponent was forced to retire due to injury, moving Piedmont to 4-1 on the scoreboard and a point away from clinching the match.

The clincher was delivered by PATRICK DEMPSEY (6-2, 6-3), who is now a perfect 6-0 in singles matches.

With the match in hand, the Lions emerged victorious in the remaining three matches, which were all hard-fought.

BRYCE VANORDER picked up his first win at No. 1 singles this season, 6-3, 6-4, before JACKSON TRAYLOR won by the exact same tally at No. 4.

Galarza then battled back after dropping the first to win the second, 6-3, and then take a third-set match tiebreaker 10-4 to conclude the morning.

Match 2: Piedmont 8, Wartburg 1

After having their match against the Knights postponed last night, the Lions took to the clay courts and delivered a dramatic 8-1 win on Tuesday afternoon.

Two out of the three doubles matches were decided in tiebreakers before Piedmont took complete control in singles, winning five of the six lines in straight sets.

The No. 3 doubles team of CHRIS BALE and Dempsey began the match with an 8-4 win while the other two doubles matches were back-and-forth throughout. The No. 2 doubles team of MIKE PORCELLI and ROMAN WEBB picked up a huge win in a tiebreaker, 7-2, to swing momentum to Piedmont as the Knights won the breaker at No. 1, 7-5.

Beginning singles action, ALBERTO NUNEZ fought hard to win his first career singles match, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 to put the Lions in front 3-1.

Nunez's victory propelled the Lions forward across multiple courts, as they cruised to wins at No. 5 (Medlock, 6-2, 6-1), No. 4 (Bale, 6-1, 6-0), No. 3 (Porcelli, 6-2, 6-1) and No. 2 (VanOrder, 6-2, 6-0).

In the final match on court, Dempsey rallied from dropping the first set, 6-2, to win the second, 6-4, and then take the superbreaker 10-8 to close things out on a high note.

The day is not done for the Lions as they will attempt to win a third match for the day, battling St. Mary's Univ. (Minn.) at 6:30 p.m.

TURNING POINT:
- The match against Wartburg turned at No. 2 doubles and No. 1 singles, as Porcelli and Webb won a hard-fought tiebreaker and Nunez battled to win in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Dempsey won three times over the two matches, picking up a doubles win with Bale at No. 3 against Wartburg while also clinching the match at No. 3 singles against Adrian and winning the third-set superbreaker to close out the action against the Knights.
- Porcelli and Bale also were perfect against Wartburg, winning a doubles and singles match.

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