Baker's Jayden Yencopal, left, and Nate Jensen in action against Four Rivers at Ontario on March 15, 2024. The Baker duo won the number one boys doubles match in straight sets on April 2 at Pendleton, and they finished first in their division at the White Buffalo tournament in Madras on April 6.

After enduring chilly winds and rain on many days, the Baker tennis teams enjoyed 80-degree temperatures, sunshine and light winds when they traveled to Pendleton for matches on Tuesday, April 2.

“After a super windy spring, our players were so happy to play in 80-degree weather with no wind in Pendleton,” Baker coach Amy Younger said.

Baker won the majority of matches.

Despite the tranquil weather there were other challenges related to Pendleton’s relative lack of courts.

“That school has only four courts and no lights, so the matches were a bit different to ensure we finished before dark,” Younger said. “If players split sets, they played a ‘super tiebreaker’, which is the first to win 10 points, to determine the winner.”

Baker went 2-0 in boys doubles, 2-1 in boys singles, 3-1 in girls singles and 1-3 in girls doubles.

The Bulldogs’ matches scheduled at Ontario on Thursday, April 4 were postponed due to inclement weather.

The Baker boys traveled to Madras for a tournament Saturday, April 6. Both boys and girls were home for matches against Four Rivers on Monday, April 8, then travel to Mac-Hi on Thursday, April 11.

BAKER TENNIS AT PENDLETON Boys singles (Baker players listed first)

Caleb Hills beat Matthew Stansbury, 6-2, 4-6, (won tiebreaker 10-5)

Ethan Hills lost to Miller Johnson, 6-3, 6-1

Jack Joseph beat Hunter Henderson, 6-2, 7-5

Boys doubles

Nate Jensen/Jayden Yencopal beat Ben Barhyte/Eli Lowe, 6-1, 6-1

Brandon McCullough/Noah Lien beat Ben Larsen/Lucas Bankston, 6-0, 6-0

Girls singles

Isabel Cunningham lost to Taybree Walker, 6-1, 6-4

Ludo Tricarico beat Rachel Walker, 7-6 (TB 7-3), 6-4

Liz Timm beat Lilly Noble, 6-2, 6-2

Madison Sullivan beat Abby Foust, 6-1, 6-1

Girls doubles

Olivia Jacoby/Kaitlyn Schwin beat Ashtyn Larsen/Josie Nelson, 6-4, 6-4

Paige Marlia/Abby Cunningham lost to Adrianne Demianew/Noemi Alvarez-Barroso, 6-3, 6-4

Emy Myer/Jayden Whitford lost to Ellie Monkman/Sara Airoldi, 6-0, 6-2

Paige Anderson/Katie Spaugh lost to Avery Pitner/Hannah Morioka, 7-5, 6-1

Baker boys compete at Madras tournament

On Saturday, April 6, six Baker boys competed in the day-long White Buffalo tournament at Madras High School.

The doubles teams of Jayden Yencopal and Nate Jensen, and Noah Lien and Brandon McCullough, along with singles players Caleb Hills and Ethan Hills, played at Madras.

Seven other teams participated: Stayton, Crook County, Estacada, Henley, Madras, Pendleton and Sisters.

There were four divisions: number one doubles, number one singles, number two doubles and number two singles.

Yencopal and Jensen finished first in the number one doubles category. Lien and McCullough were second in number two doubles.

Overall, Baker placed second with 114 games won.

The tournament has a round robin format, with each doubles team and singles player playing a single match against each of the seven other schools.

Each match was limited to seven games, so all doubles teams and singles players had 49 total games.

Yencopal and Jensen won 36 games, and Lien and McCullough 32.

In singles, Caleb Hills won 25 games and Ethan Hills won 21 games.

“The boys played a lot of tennis in one day against opponents we don’t normally see in a regular season,” Younger said. “They worked on adjusting to other playing styles throughout the day, which is valuable experience as we head into the second half of our regular season.”

The Baker girls will compete at the Madras tournament April 27.