In order to offer as good a challenge to long-reigning Fayetteville-Manlius as it can, the Baldwinsville boys tennis team first had to take care of other top CNY Counties League contenders.

And that included West Genesee, who squared off with the Bees in last Wednesday’s season opener, a tight battle that saw B’ville have to win three of the four doubles matches to pull out a 4-3 decision over the Wildcats.

Of the three singles matches, B’ville claimed just one of them, seeing Sam Damato beat Stefan Atanasov 6-3, 6-3. Otherwise, Scott Ferrari lost to Connor McGuigan 6-2, 6-3, with Nick Jerome falling to Nick Bentley 6-3, 6-0.

So in doubles, B’ville had to get going – and did when David Rush and Isaiah Demoski fought past John Northrup and Chris Upwood 6-4, 6-4. Nick Walker and Chris Dotto won in first doubles over Alex Argiro and Jimmy Harter 6-1, 6-0.

Mason Soeder and Alex Shaban went to three sets, but lost to James Plunkett and Pat Copeland 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. So it rode on fourth doubles, where Kyle Robinson and Ryan Shirk lost the first set, but staged a comeback to beat Ryan Joyce and Drew Francisco 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 for the clinching point.

B’ville did not have a letdown, either, in Thursday’s match against Cicero-North Syracuse as it rolled to a 6-1 victory over the Northstars.

Walker won in first singles, taking out Rich Dennis 6-3, 6-1, but again the Bees were strongest in doubles, where Ferrari paired with Soeder to beat Matt McAndrew and David Harbaugh 6-1, 6-1. Also, Demoski and Rush swept John Barraco and Jake Tesfai 6-2, 6-2, with Robinson and Shirk getting a 7-5, 6-1 win over Mitch Eager and Kavin Inthirakot.