Jonesboro, Ark. — Youngstown State's bowling team registered the third-highest pinfall in the field and picked three wins on the opening day of the 2025 Mid-Winter Invitational on Friday. The three-day tournament is being held at the Hijinx Family Entertainment Center and is being hosted by Arkansas State.

The Penguins went 3-2 in their head-to-head matches on Friday while earning a 40-pin victory over No. 4 Arkansas State. YSU shot 5,260 in their five Baker matches and averaged 210.4 per game. That was the third-highest clip in the field of 15 teams, and it is 23 pins behind second-place Vanderbilt and 26 pins ahead of fourth-place Nebraska.

The tournament will shift to traditional play on Saturday with five more head-to-head matches to finish qualifying. The pinfalls from Friday and Saturday will be combined to determine seeding for Sunday's bracket.

Youngstown State opened the tournament with its highest set of the day in a 1,133-934 victory over Jackson State. The Penguins totaled an impressive 755 over their final three games, and the good start allowed them to remain among the top teams in the standings all day.

The Penguins dropped their second match 1,079-1,037 to Sam Houston as the No. 8 Bearkats held a 43-pin edge in the final game to pull ahead. Youngstown State flipped the script against fourth-ranked Arkansas State in its third match as it outscored the Red Wolves 225-191 in game five to win 1,073-1,043. YSU then held off No. 17 UAB to win by three pins, 1,039-1,036, and the Penguins ended the round with a 1,046-978 loss to No. 2 Vanderbilt.

No. 3 Jacksonville State leads the field with 5,349 pins, and the Gamecocks were the only team to win at least four matches on Friday. YSU will need to remain in the top four to have a chance to compete for the tournament championship on Sunday.

Saturday's traditional round will begin at 10:25 a.m. Eastern, and the Penguins will face five straight teams ranked in the top 14 of February's National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 poll.

Baker Match Results

• Match 1 vs. Jackson State | W » 1,133-934
• Match 2 vs. #8 Sam Houston | L » 1,037-1,079
• Match 3 vs. #4 Arkansas State | W » 1,073-1,043
• Match 4 vs. #17 UAB | W » 1,039-1,036
• Match 5 vs. #2 Vanderbilt | L » 978-1,046