The Youngstown State bowling team split its two mega matches on Friday on the opening day of the 2023 Southland Bowling League Championship.

The fourth-seeded Penguins dropped their opening match 2-0 to No. 5 Sam Houston, and they fought off No. 8 Valparaiso 2-1 in an elimination contest.

Megan Grams led the Penguins in the traditional format by averaging 240, and YSU got lifts from several people throughout the Baker sets.

"I'm very proud of our collective effort. We drew upon our experiences in both matches and did an outstanding job in two different scoring environments," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. who was recognized as the Southland's Coach of the Year on Friday morning.. "The first match was a bit more conducive to higher scores, and the second saw some tricky transition. Once we got comfortable again during the third point in match two, we relaxed, found our rhythm, and had some fun.

"We're excited to keep things flowing, have some fun together, and see where it takes us this weekend."

Youngstown State will face another elimination match on Saturday morning as it faces the top-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt fell 2-1 to Sam Houston in the winner's bracket on Friday afternoon.

Match 1 vs. Sam Houston

In the opening match of the day, Youngstown State posted high scores in both sets but came up short in both as it dropped the match 2-0 to Sam Houston.

The Penguins posted the third-highest totals in the field in both formats, but Sam Houston led the field in both to advance to the winners' bracket. YSU lost the traditional point 1,085-1,045 and the Baker point 1,083-1,060.

In the individual point to begin the morning, the Penguins fell behind early with six opens in the first four frames and never caught up. YSU was clean over the final six frames, and each bowler marked at least twice in the 10th frame.

Kirsten Moore tied for the highest score on the pair with a 237, and Megan Grams struck eight times in a 233 game to lead the Penguins.

In the Baker point, YSU had the edge in four of the five games, but a big swing at the end of game four propelled Sam Houston to victory.

Youngstown State threw the front six in a 256 game to begin the round, but the Bearkats countered with a 242 to stay with 14 pins. The Penguins won the next two games 205-202 and 200-190 to take a 27-pin lead, but Sam Houston won game four 249-192. That allowed Sam Houston to take a 30-pin lead in the match, and YSU won game five 207-200 to shave seven pins off the final deficit.

Match scores

Traditional: Sam Houston won 1,085-1,045

YSU's starting lineup: Cote, Ennis, Grams, Moore, Marx

YSU-SHSU
193-202
189-220
233-237
237-214
193-212

Baker: Sam Houston won 1,083-1,060

YSU's starting lineup: Cote, Ennis, Grams, Moore, Marx

YSU-SHSU
256-242
205-202
200-190
192-249
207-200

Match 2 vs. Valparaiso

In the elimination match against the fourth-seeded Beacons, Youngstown State won the traditional point decisively but had to go to the best-of-seven tiebreaker to fight off Valparaiso for a 2-1 victory.

The Penguins shot 923 in the traditional set to take a 1-0 lead in the mega match as the pair of lanes showed early signs that it would be a challenge. Grams struck eight times in a clean 247, but she was the only bowler to top 190. Marx shot 184 for the second-highest total among the 10 bowlers.

In the Baker pinfall portion of the match, Youngstown State struggled to mark in the 10th frame as Valparaiso rallied for an 886-874 victory. The Penguins opened in the 10th in the first, fourth and fifth games, but they were still able to have a 12-pin advantage through four games. That lead was fueled by a 203 in the third game as YSU flipped a 48-pin deficit into a six-pin lead. YSU added six pins to the lead in game four but missed a single pin spare attempt in the 10th, and a split in the 10th in game five allowed Valpo to come from behind.

In the best-of-seven, the Penguins opened with a 215-198 win but dropped the second game 169-147. Searching for an energy boost and the right lineup combination, Kuberski inserted Madison Doseck into the leadoff spot, and YSU won the final three games 215-165, 184-178 and 188-174. Doseck marked in all six of her frames off the bench.

Match Scores

Traditional: Youngstown State won 926-791

YSU's starting lineup: Cote, Grams, Bunk, Moore, Marx

YSU-Valpo
166-146
247-145
165-175
164-157
184-168

Baker: Valparaiso won 886-874

YSU's starting lineup: Cote, Grams, Bunk, Moore, Marx

YSU-Valpo
169-175
155-197
203-149
178-172
169-193

Best-of-Seven Baker: Youngstown State won 4-1

YSU's starting lineup: Marx, Bunk, Grams, Moore, Cote

YSU-Valpo
215-198 | YSU
147-169 | Valpo
215-165 | YSU
184-178 | YSU
188-174 | YSU