The Youngstown State bowling team fought through three grueling matches on Sunday and ended up improving its final position to fourth place at the SFA Ladyjack Classic. The three-day tournament was held at Sheridan Lanes in Kenosha, Wis.
The Penguins began the day in fifth place, and they beat No. 9 Maryville and No. 2 Arkansas State in best-of-seven Baker matches that went the distance. YSU had a 3-2 lead on Nebraska in the battle for third, but the Huskers rallied to win the final two games.
The Penguins averaged 208.6 on Sunday, and they topped 225 in eight games.
"We had a lot of fun out there together," YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. "I can sense our togetherness growing and we are elevating our process across the board. After a solid day of rest and reflection, we'll get back after it Tuesday with our eyes on some solid preparation for Virginia."
Youngstown State trailed Maryville 3-2 in the opening round before taking the final two games 229-143 and 234-183. The Penguins then had strings of nine strikes in each of the first two games against Arkansas State, which it won 273-192 and 270-156 to go up 2-0.
The Red Wolves fired a 289 in game three to start a three-game winning streak to take a 3-2 lead in the match, but YSU answered the call with a 257-191 in game six to tie it up. The teams then went toe-to-toe in game seven, and a five-bagger from the seventh through 10th allowed YSU to win 246-237.
YSU then started with a 267-244 win over Nebraska, and it held a 3-2 lead after taking game four 194-173 and game five 184-182. The Cornhuskers won game six 221-214, and they finished the match with a 211-171 win in game seven.
Youngstown State's Madyson Marx and Madison Doseck were honored at the tournament's conclusion as members of the all-tournament team for their performances in the traditional format on Saturday. They helped the seventh-ranked Penguins finish ahead of No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 5 Stephen F. Austin and No. 9 Maryville at the tournament.
The Penguins have one more tournament remaining on their fall semester schedule, and it will be next weekend at the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawk Classic.
