Erie, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's bowling team kicked off their season on Saturday, as they competed in the Mercyhurst Invitational in Erie. The Panthers took on four Division II teams in traditional format matches and posted a 1-3 record on the day.

The Panthers started the day with a matchup against the hosts, Mercyhurst. The Panthers lost to the Lakers 799-897. Anchor Bowler Brookelyn Garvey started her season off with a bang, as she posted a score of 216 in the opening match. Freshman Erin Wales also had a strong debut, rolling a 192 in the match. 

Match two saw Pitt-Bradford take on Roberts Wesleyan, where they fell 802-823 in a tight contest. Garvey led the PAntehrs again, as she posted a score of 182, while Sarah Newland was just behind her at 175. Olivia Shultz had her best match of the day at 163.

After a bye in game 3, the Panthers took on Daemen in the fourth match. Pitt-Bradford had their lowest output of the day in the match, falling 760-844. GArvey had another strong game at 206, and Wales posted a 162 in the loss.

The Panthers were able to end the day on a high note, as they were able to squeak out an 805-800 win over D'Youville. Garvey led the team again at 178, despite posting her lowest score of the day. The rest of the team was able to post a balanced effort, as they all finished with scores between 153 and 163. Alexis Whitfield had her best game of the day at 163.

Individually, Brookelyn Garvey had one of the best days of any bowler at the invitational, as her average of 193.60 was the 4th best of the tournament. Erin Wales finished 22nd with an average of 161.6. Sarah Newland was two spots behind her at 157.6. Olivia Shultz and Alexis Whitfield rounded out the scoring for the Panthers with averages of 139.2 and 135.6 pins per match respectively.

The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow as they have one more day of competition in Erie, bowling in Baker format for the day. The action begins at 9:00 a.m. at Rolling Meadow Lanes in Erie, Pa.