Lockport, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's bowling team got off to a hot start at the Daemen Storm Fall Classic on Saturday, winning 4 of 5 matches.
The Panthers bowled 5 traditional matches, with the winner decided by highest pinfall. The Panthers picked up wins over Hilbert, William Smith, D'Youville, and Baldwin Wallace, and had the 7th best pinfall total at 4,156.
Pitt-Bradford started their day with a matchup against fellow AMCC member Hilbert. The Panthers bowled their lowest-scoring game of the day but were able to come out on top, winning 750-718. Sarah Newland led the Panthers at 175, while Brookelyn Garvey was just behind her at 167.
In their second match of the day, the Panthers took on the hosts, Daemen. They greatly improved their scoring, but could not keep up with the Wildcats, losing the match 848-922. Garvey led the Panthers with a score of 209, while senior Ekaterina Wilson posted one of her best career games, bowling a 203. Newland finished at 188.
The Panthers exploded in the third match, posting their best score of the season in a 918-779 win over William Smith. Garvey rolled a 225, while Newland posted a score of 190. Wilson finished at 174, but the Panthers also got strong finishes out of their next two bowlers, Alexis Whitfield, and Erin Wales, who posted scores of 165 and 164 respectively.
Pitt-Bradford took on D'Youville in their fourth match of the day, and despite dropping off from their third game, were still able to pick up an 830-798 win. Newland stepped up for the Panthers in this match, posting a career-best score of 236. Garvey was the Panthers second best bowler at 179 while Whitfield rolled a 155.
To close the day, the Panthers took on Baldwin Wallace and breezed to an 810-681 victory. Garvey bowled her third game over 200 for the day, finishing at 204. Olivia Shultz stepped in and bowled a 169, while Wales and Newland posted scores of 160 and 159.
Individually, Brookelyn Garvey finished the day as the event's top bowler, leading the tournament with a total pinfall of 984, and an average of 196.80. Sarah Newland was able to secure the 6th-best pinfall at 948. Her average was 189.60, putting her in contention for the All-Tournament team.
Erin Wales bowled in all 5 matches for the Panthers, averaging 146.4 pins per match. She was in 32nd place after one day. Ekaterina Wilson and Alexis Whitfield bowled 4 matches each for the Panthers. Wilson totaled 630 pins for an average of 157.5 pins per match. Whitfield was 5 spots behind her at 559 and an average of 137.75. Olivia Shultz bowled 2 matches for the Panthers. She totaled 303 pins and had an average of 151.5.
The Panthers have one more day of competition and will look to stay in the win column. They will bowl in 5 baker matches with the winner decided by total pinfall over 5 games. They are slated to take on Ursuline, Saint Vincent, Pitt-Greensburg, Mercyhurst, and Roberts Wesleyan, before moving into a final placement tournament. Action is scheduled to begin at 9:30.
