Youngstown State University
Louisiana Tech
Penguins Win Twice, Advance to Winners Bracket Final at Southland Championship
3/25/2022 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team defeated Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston to go unbeaten on the first day of the Southland Bowling League Championship on Friday at the Colonial Bowling Lanes in Harahan, La.
The Penguins, who are the fourth-seed in the tournament and ranked seventh in the NCAA RPI, topped both opponents 2-1 mega-matches to advance to the winners bracket final. Youngstown State will bowl second-seeded Vanderbilt on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. as it looks to clinch a spot in the conference championship match for the first time in program history. Louisiana Tech is the tournament's fifth seed and eighth in the RPI, and Sam Houston is the top seed and third in the RPI.
"I'm very proud of this group," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "The ladies are sharing powerful and positive energy, and I love how we are keeping things simple, staying focused on playing our game, and having some fun together. We are going to enjoy our evening, rest up, and prepare ourselves to continue elevating tomorrow."
Youngstown State averaged 212.2 over its 29 games on Friday, and it had 18 200 performances. Individually in traditional play, Emma Wrenn averaged 246.5, Emma Dockery averaged 225.5, Jade Cote averaged 214, and Megan Grams averaged 192.5.
YSU 2, Louisana Tech 1
Against fifth-seeded Louisiana Tech, the Penguins made a charge in the final three frames of the traditional round to nearly complete a frantic rally, and they carried the momentum to win both points in the Baker format.
The Lady Techsters built an early lead in the traditional round as the Penguins had four opens in the second and third frames, but YSU settled in and posted marks in 14 straight frames to end the point. Youngstown State trailed by 92 pins entering the 10th frame, and all five Penguins marked twice in the 10th to make a push. Grams, Cote and Wrenn each doubled in the 10th, and Dockery had tough luck when the 10-pin didn't trip on her first ball.
Wrenn struck twice and added a nine-count in the anchor position to finish off a 245 game and bring the game to a tie at 1,004. In the five-frame roll-off, the Penguins had opens in the sixth and 10th frames as the Lady Techsters prevailed 86-69.
Wrenn's 245 game was the highest at the time ever by a Penguin at the conference tournament, and both she and Dockery both surpassed later in the day with a 248 and 247, respectively.
The Penguins then trailed by 55 pins after two games in the Baker total pinfall round but stormed back behind a 243 in game three. YSU was plus-76 in that game, and the Penguins outscored the Lady Techsters 649-499 over the final three games. After the 243, which featured a five-bagger from the sixth through 10th frames, YSU followed with a 194 and a 212.
In the best of seven, Louisiana Tech won the first game 198-173, but YSU plowed through the pins in the next four games with a 245.3 average. The Penguins had a string of seven strikes in a 255-222 win in game two to even the match, and the Penguins added wins of 236-183, 247-216 and 243-199 in the next three games to advance in the top bracket.
YSU 2, Sam Houston 1
After a short break between matches, the Penguins picked up right where they finished against Louisiana Tech to edge Sam Houston 1,158-1,142 in a high-scoring traditional round and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Four Penguins topped 235, and seven bowlers total on the pair reached 230. Youngstown State didn't have an open until the ninth frame and had just two opens total in the round.
Cote threw the front six and finished with a 239 game for the Penguins, which was actually the third-highest score in YSU's lineup. Wrenn had a string of five strikes in the fourth through eighth as part of her 248, and she doubled in the 10th to clinch the point for the Penguins. Dockery struck in her final six attempts in a 247 game, and Madyson Marx added a 237.
Sam Houston had the edge in all five games of the Baker total pinfall point to win 1,060-921 and even the match at 1-1. The Penguins had totals of 211 and 203 in the second and third games but were below 180 in the other three.
Kirsten Moore entered the lineup for the first time in the best-of-seven format, and YSU won game one 227-203 behind a string of five strikes in the middle frames. Wrenn then struck three times in the 10th in game two to secure a 202-190 win and put the Penguins up 2-0. A six-bagger in game three gave the Penguins a 245-192 win, and Youngstown State struck in the first six frames and eight times overall in game four to win 243-192 and finish off the victory over the Bearkcats.
