Bradford, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford bowling team kicked off their season on Saturday morning and picked up three wins against AMCC rivals Penn State Behrend.

The teams bowled three total matches, with the first two in a traditional format, and the final match in Baker format. The Panthers won the traditional matches 825-812 and 821-700. In the Baker match, the Panthers fell behind early but battled back to win the match 4-3 with a pinfall advantage of 1061-971.

The Panthers earned a hard-fought battle in the opener, beating the Lions 825-812. Newcomer Brookelyn Garvey had the high score of the match for the Panthers, rolling a 197. Jordyn Graham was just behind her, posting a 181. The Panthers had a much easier time winning the second match, as they won by 121 pins. Graham had a career-high in the match, posting a 225. 

In the two traditional matches, Graham averaged a 203, while Garvey averaged a 185. Meghan Schwab also had a strong debut, averaging 162.5 pins over the two matches. Sarah Newland rolled a 152 in the first match and a 136 in the second for a 144 average, while Ekaterina Wilson rounded out the Panther scoring with a 128.5 average over the two matches.

The Panthers fell behind early in Baker bowling, losing a thriller in the first game 144-145 and the second 112-130. The Panthers won the next two games by 4 and 23 strokes but saw themselves on the brink of a loss after a 165-157 loss in the fifth. The Panthers responded in the final two games, breezing to a 177-121 win to force a deciding 7th game, and closed with a 157-123 win to clinch an overall victory. 

The Panthers will be back in action next weekend, as they head to Buffalo to bowl in the Medaille Invitational.