NEED TO KNOW:
Match 1 Score: Hampden-Sydney 5, Piedmont 4
Match 2 Score: Piedmont 6, Trine 3
Records: Piedmont, 5-3; Hampden-Sydney, 4-5; Trine, 5-2

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Piedmont men's tennis team capped Wednesday evening with a 6-3 victory in a hard-fought match against Trine after falling in a 5-4 heartbreaker to Hampden-Sydney in the afternoon.

The Wednesday split moves the Lions to 2-2 on their Orlando trip with one match remaining, an 11 a.m. match tomorrow against Saint John's (Minn.).

Match 1: Hampden-Sydney 5, Piedmont 4

In what has been a trend in the early part of the season, the Lions played a closely contested match. However, on this occasion, the Tigers prevailed by the smallest of margins.

Piedmont jumped out to an early lead by taking two out of the three doubles matches. After the Tigers pulled out the opening win of the match at No. 1, the Lions' No. 2 doubles team of SILAS SANDLES and MIKE PORCELLI were a game away from tying the match when their opponents retired. Then, the No. 3 team of CONNOR PHELPS and RYAN RAUGH continued their winning ways, moving to 4-1 on the season with an 8-3 win at No. 3.

Singles action was highly contested with three competitive two-set matches and three more that went the distance. The Tigers put the first singles point on the board with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1. However, the Lions quickly answered, as Porcelli picked up a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 4 to put the Lions back in front. BRYCE VANORDER then won by the same margin at No. 2, putting Piedmont one point away from the clinch with a 4-2 advantage.

Unfortunately, the next three matches went to Hampden-Sydney, all decided in the third set, to give the Tigers the 5-4 win in the match.

Match 2: Piedmont 6, Trine 3

Just like in the first match of the day, the Lions jumped out to a solid start, taking 2-of-3 doubles matches. The win at No. 3 remained constant, as Raugh and Phelps cruised 8-2. However, this time, it was the No. 1 doubles team of ALBERTO NUNEZ and JACKSON TRAYLOR that gave Piedmont the early edge, as the duo delivered an 8-4 victory.

Singles action was closely contested once again, as three matches were forced to third-set superbreakers. Unlike in the first match of the day, the Lions delivered in the decisive breakers, winning 2-of-3 and taking the match by a 6-3 overall score.

Nunez bounced back from a singles loss to Hampden-Sydney, dismantling his opponent, 6-2, 6-2 to give Piedmont its third point. Playing No. 5 singles, Raugh and his opponent took turns rolling to easy wins in the first two sets before Raugh prevailed, 10-8, in the third-set match breaker to put the Lions a point away from clinching. 

The clinch came in the form of the freshman Wassmer Navarro, who won, 7-5, 3-6, 10-7, to lead the Lions to victory. Fellow newcomer SIMON JOHNSTONE also picked up a hard-fought two-set victory (7-5, 6-4) at No. 4 to put the sixth and final point on the board for Piedmont.

TURNING POINT:
- In two closely contested matches, third-set performances proved critical in both. 
    - In the 5-4 loss to Hampden-Sydney, the Tigers bested the Lions in all three third sets.
    - In Piedmont's 6-3 win over Trine, the Lions prevailed in two of the three third-set match breakers.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Both Wassmer Navarro and Nunez avenged singles losses to Hampden-Sydney with victories against Trine.
- The duo of Phelps and Raugh picked up a pair of doubles win at No. 3, moving them to 5-1 as a pair this season.

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