GREENSBORO, N.C. – With a solid day of traditional matches on Saturday, the Jacksonville State bowling team rolled into the top seed ahead of Sunday's championship round of North Carolina A&T's Stallings Invitational.
The No. 1 Gamecocks entered the day in second place behind Arkansas State but totaled 5,241 pins in five traditional matches, the most in the 18-team field. They will face third-ranked ASU in a best-of-7 Baker match on Sunday that will send the winner directly into the championship match.
Jax State ran its total pinfall to 10,324 with Saturday's performance, leaping ASU for the top seed. The Gamecocks finished just 35 pins ahead of the Wolves after two full days of play. Host and fourth-ranked NCAT will be the third seed on Sunday, with fifth-ranked Vanderbilt the fourth seed.
The Gamecocks posted a 4-1 record in Saturday's traditional matches, earning wins over No. 4 NCAT, No. 9 Duquesne, Belmont Abbey and Norfolk State before dropping the final match of the day to No. 11 Sam Houston by just 10 pins.
Fifth-year seniors
Crystal Elliott and
Rebecca Hagerman led the Gamecocks on Saturday. Elliott
Rolled four games over 200, including a 254 against Belmont Abbey and Norfolk State to lead the Gamecocks with 1,121 total pins. Hagerman was close behind with 1,082 pins after adding four games over 200 of her own.
The day started with a rally to beat the host Aggies. Trailing late, the Gamecocks came on down the stretch to squeak out a 976-963 win. Hagerman's 212 led, while freshman
Dannielle Henderson pitched in a 202.
Jax State won its second match convincingly, cruising past Duquesne, 1,085-922. Junior
Anna Warkel was the catalyst for the Gamecocks with a 258, while Hagerman added a 236 and Elliott a 214. Redshirt senior
Maranda Pattison also had a 208 in the match.
They continued their winning ways in the fourth match, a 1,100-829 win over Belmont Abbey. Elliott's 254 and a 227 from Hagerman led the way, but Henderson bowled a 214, Warkel a 207 and Pattison a 198 in the win.
The Gamecocks coasted to another convincing win in match four, upending Norfolk State, 1,052-797. Elliott's 258 was assisted by a 219 by Warkel and a 215 from Hagerman.
The final match of the day may have gone down as a 10-pin loss to Sam Houston, but the Gamecocks' performance was what propelled them into the top seed in the bracket. Despite losing 1,038-1,028 to the Bearkats, they gained 72 pins on Arkansas State and moved from second into first place. Henderson and Warkel each rolled a 223, while Elliott added a 203 in the game.
