By Cort Reynolds

LIMA – Three Bluffton High School boys tennis players and a doubles duo won their first match but were then eliminated in the second round at the Div. II UNOH tennis sectional singles tournament Thursday, May 9.

A top-four finish qualified participants to the Port Clinton district next week.

Pirate Wade Ginther won his first match 6-0, 6-2 over LCC’s Brady Feison to advance to the round of 16 in the 30-player singles flight.

Ginther then lost in round two 6-3, 6-4 to Noah White of St. Marys to be eliminated.

In his round of 32 first match, Pirate Branson Hilty cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Baylor Altenbach of Elida.

In the round of 16, Hilty fell to eventual sectional singles champion Connor Birt of St. Marys 6-2, 6-0.

Bluffton’s Nick Lovett won his first round match in a tough three-setter over Ottawa-Glandorf’s Justin Kahle 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. 

In the round of 16, he lost to tournament eventual runner-up Mason Wibbeler of St. Marys 6-2, 6-2. 

In doubles action, the Pirate tandem of Isaiah Kohli and Grady Coonfare won their first match with a three-set comeback. The duo beat Mason Welch and Matt Schroeder of Ottawa-Glandorf 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.

In the quarterfinals, the tandem lost to the St. Marys pair of Jaxton Spees and Rhett Chisholm 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to be eliminated.

The Pirate duo of Ayden Diller and Hudson Phillips lost in the first round to the Elida tandem of James Mitchell and Leyton Staley 6-1, 6-2.