Buffalo, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's bowling team was back in Buffalo this weekend, competing in the first AMCC Round Robin of the season. Bowling in total pinfall Baker format, the Panthers went 1-2 on the first day of competition.
The Panthers got off to a slow start losing to Penn State-Behrend 691-811. Pitt-Bradford was able to take an early lead on the Lions, splitting the opening two games 165-169 and 155-135 to net a 16-pin lead. They were not able to keep up the lead, as they struggled to break 130 over the final three games, while their opponents pulled away to win the match. Erin Wales led the Panthers with 146 pins in the match, while Ekaterina Wilson totaled 134.
Pitt-Bradford was much improved in their second match of the day, but could not keep up with William Smith, who won the match 812-883. The Panthers dropped the opening game 124-146 but exploded into the lead with a 220-181 win in the second game. They lost the third game by just 1 pin 176-177 but then saw William Smith pull away in the 4th with a 137-201 loss. The Panthers fell in the final game 155-178 to finish the match. Wilson had another strong match for the Panthers, this time leading the team with 184 pins. Sarah Newland was the next-best scorer for Pitt-Bradford, finishing at 156.
After losing their two opening matches, the Panthers were able to move things in the right direction, closing day one with a 760-720 win over Pitt-Greensburg. Pitt-Bradford got off to a strong start, winning the first three games of the match. They took game one 158-117, game two 168-144, and game three 138-115 to take an 88-pin lead into the final two games. Their opponents were able to pick up wins in the final two games of the match, but the Panthers had a large enough lead to hold off the comeback and win the match. Brookelyn Garvey stepped up to lead the Panthers with 153 pins, while Wilson was the next-highest bowler for the Panthers at 140.
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow for the second day of competition. They will bowl in 4 more matches with action beginning at 10:00 a.m.
