Sports: East Lyme beats rival Waterford to win ECC baseball tournament title

Sophomore outlasts Bears’ Michelson in singles marathon

East Lyme — Finn Power slipped and took a spill to start the third set of Friday's never-ending Eastern Connecticut Conference boys' tennis singles championship.

The East Lyme sophomore lay on the court for several seconds before raising an arm and declaring, “I'm okay.”

Power got back up ... and got back to persevering.

Power took a rope-a-dope approach against Stonington's William Michelson, using his quickness and consistency to counter the latter's power.

Finally, after two-and-a-half hours, second-seeded Power won his first ECC title 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“(Michelson) played really well,” Power said, blood drying near his right elbow. “The first set was a bit of a doozy, but I knew I could grind it out for a win.”

Michelson said, “(He) just kept getting everything back. Most matches that I play, some of the shots I hit, most people can't get. For him, he's such a good player that he can get pretty much everything back.

“Congratulations to him. He just played a better match than me today.”

East Lyme also won the doubles title in nearly as long a match. Top-seeded Conard French and Sujesh Kurumbail beat No. 2 Chris Charette and Trevor Hutchins of Ledyard 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in two hours for

their first title. The Vikings also finished the regular season 12-0. “I was surprised,” East Lyme coach Susan Welshock said about the season. “I didn't know how the season would be because it depends on everyone working together as a team. One good (player) doesn't make a team. We wouldn't have been undefeated this year (otherwise).”

It just so happened that Power got a little help from teammate Eric Gu to get the final. Gu, the fifth seed, upset top-seeded and previously unbeaten Nate McCracken of Ledyard in a three-set quarterfinal Thursday.

“I knew I could do well coming into the season,” Power said. “Of course, I knew I had hard competition, even within my team. I didn't expect to be (the number one singles player) on my team. I had suffered two losses in the season to Nate McCracken. That was tough, so I was pleased when (Gu) knocked him out.”

Michelson, the third seed, beat Gu in Thursday's semifinals.

“I beat (Michelson) Monday (in the regular season finale), but I think he had an off day,” Power said. “I knew he'd come back ready and he did. It was very close.”

Welshock said, “Eric Gu said (Thursday) night, ‘Okay, I took out the number one for you, and I took myself out. Now you do it today.'”

Michelson, a junior, took a 4-1 lead in the first set with Power getting annoyed with himself.

Power composed himself and began playing steadier than Michelson. He went ahead 4-1 in the second set and won the first two games in the third set.

Michelson fought back and cut his deficit to 3-2 before Power put an end to it.

“(Michelson) was hitting so well, especially in the first set,” Power said. “He was just bombing balls past me. I knew if I could just get the ball back every time, I knew I could beat him. That was my strategy.”

Michelson said, “He just started playing better. I just started getting more tired, really fatigued, and I was making more unforced errors than him. … I made it to the quarterfinals last year, so I was pretty stoked to make it to the finals.”

French and Kurumbail ground out a win in the first set. Charette and Hutchins responded by handing winning the second set, the first set East Lyme duo dropped all season.

French, a senior, and Kurumbail, a freshman, turned it up in the third set.

“(They) had a heck of a battle,” Welshock said. “They were very similar in style of play. … The athleticism, the intensity, they were just full of energy.” n.griffen@theday.com