PITTSBURGH – Jacksonville State added another milestone to its inaugural bowling season on Friday morning, when the Gamecocks picked up the first NCAA Tournament win in the Pittsburgh Regional.
 
Jax State, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament that is being played across four sites this weekend, made quick work of Mercyhurst in a 2-0 win to get things started at the AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes. 
 
The Gamecocks (98-23) won the traditional round over the Lakers, 1,005-893 and then clinched the match with a 1,067-805 Baker win. They advance to play the winner of the morning match between Duquesne and Maryland Eastern Shore in the winner's bracket match at 3 p.m. ET on Friday. The winner will advance to Saturday's final of the double-elimination regional without a blemish so far.
 
Jax State didn't waste any time in taking control of the match with the Lakers, who earned a spot in the NCAA field by winning the East coach Conference. The Gamecocks got three scores in the 200's in the traditional round, led by Rebecca Hagerman's 221 and closely followed by a 218 from Maranda Pattison and a 212 from Kayla Smith. Crystal Elliott bowled a 194 and Isabel Allen added a 160.
 
The Gamecocks eliminated any hope of a Mercyhurst comeback early in Baker play, racing out to a 100-pin lead after the first game. The lineup of Allen, Smith, Pattison, Hagerman and Elliott built a 234-144 lead in the first game, and they never looked back.
 
They outscored the Lakers 225-153 in the second game and 179-177 in the third to add to the lead. Jax State changed the lineup a bit in the fourth game and built its lead even more, thanks to a 247 in game four and a 182 in game five from Dannielle Henderson, Keyla Covarrubias, Anna Warkel, Hagerman and Elliott.
 
All of the matches in the NCAA Regional will be streamed live on BowlTv.com.