ARLINGTON, Texas – The top-ranked Jacksonville State bowling team kept winning on Saturday, when the Gamecocks swept five traditional matches to extend its win streak to 28.
The Gamecocks (65-9) rode the momentum of five Baker wins on Friday to roll through the competition Saturday and will head into Sunday in first place at the Prairie View A&M Invitational. They grabbed wins over 11 Sam Houston, No. 10 Maryville, host Prairie View A&M, No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 7 Nebraska on the lanes at the International Training and Research Center.
Fifth-year seniors
Crystal Elliott and
Rebecca Hagerman led Jax State on Saturday. Elliott knocked over the second-most pins in the field with 1,166 – an average of 233.2 over her five games thrown. Hagerman enters Sunday's play in fifth in the individual standings after a total pinfall of 1,115 – a 223.0 average.
Sunday will start with the final traditional match of the tournament against sixth-ranked Arkansas State before the field is seeded into bracket play.
On Saturday, the Gamecocks got off to a fast start, rolling to a 1,014-988 win over Sam Houston. Senior
Isabel Allen's 223 led the way, while Elliott added a 219 and Hagerman a 218. Senior
Kayla Smith bowled a 206 and fifth-year senior
Maranda Pattison a 148 to round out the Gamecock lineup.
Jax State kept rolling in match two, taking a 1,106-1,028 win over Maryville. The best score of the day for the Gamecocks was sparked by Hagerman's 257. Elliott bowled a 225, while Smith's 216, Allen's 205 and Pattison's 203 finished the scoring for Jax State.
The Gamecocks upended PVAMU in the third game by a score of 967-853, with Elliott's 228 the highest score for Jax State. Allen and Hagerman turned in scores over 200 with a 206 and 205, respectively.
The final two matches pitted the Gamecocks back against some of the nation's best and they took care of business, starting with a 1,034-991 win over Vanderbilt. Elliott posted a 230 to lead, while freshman
Dannielle Henderson stepped in and added a 219 for Jax State. Hagerman rolled a 215 and junior
Anna Warkel a 214.
The day wrapped up with the closest match of the day with a 1,095-1,086 win over Nebraska. Elliott rolled the best score of the day by a Gamecock with a 264 against her former team. Hagerman added a 220, while Handerson bowled a 214 and Allen a 201. Warkel's 196 capped the Jax State order.
Sunday's action will be streamed online at BowlTV.com.
