By Cort Reynolds
MASON - Ada senior Zach Beaschler's chance for a state title came up just short as he lost in the semifinals of the Div. II Ohio state tournament Saturday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.
By coming in fourth in the singles tournament, Beaschler authored the best finish ever by an Ada player at the state event.
He suffered his first loss of the spring 6-1, 6-0 to eventual state champion Andrew Pregel of Cincinnati Indian Hill in the semifinals Saturday.
Then later on Saturday Beaschler met Dayton Miami Valley senior Colton Morehart in the third-place match, and lost 6-2, 6-2 to finish fourth.
Pregel rolled to the title with a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the finals over sophomore Trevor Ball of Columbus Wellington. In four matches at the 16-player state tourney, Pregel swept all eight sets he played, winning 48 games and losing just three.
Ball had nipped Morehart in a third-set tiebreaker in the other semifinal Saturday.
With the two losses Saturday, Beaschler ended up 26-2 this season. He put together a 9-2 record in the 2018 tournament, winning 18 sets and losing just five, four of which came on the final day.
On Friday in the first round, Beaschler faced junior Niyanth Reddy of Dayton Miami Valley. After dropping his first set of the tournament 1-6, Beaschler rallied to win the final two sets 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
In the round of eight, Beaschler led Milan Gonela of Columbus Wellington 6-1, 1-0 in the second set when Gonela was forced to retire.
Seth Banks was the only previous Ada boy to to make it to state, a feat he accomplished twice in the late 1990s. Beaschler is the only three-time state qualifier in school history.
