CLEVELAND—Jax State won its NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship first round Mega Match against Wichita State 2-0 to advance to the semifinal this afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern at Yorktown Lanes.
 
The Gamecocks had four players over 200 in the traditional match to come away with a 1,165-1,049 win to take a 1-0 lead. Junior Emma Yoder led the charge with a 269, striking 10 times and picking up two single-pin spares. Sophomore Erin Klemencic added a 248 to the total, opening with six strikes. Freshmen Kaitlyn Stull and Gianna Brandolino chipped in 241 and 234, respectively.
 
"That is probably the best start that we could have gotten off to," said coach Shannon O'Keefe. "The goal for any tournament is to get to the last day and that win guarantees us to bowl on the last day of the season. If they live that way for their whole career, they're good to have a pretty good career."
 
During the five Baker game total pinfall portion, the Gamecocks got off to a 28-pin lead with a 255-227 win in the first game, striking six straight attempts after leaving the third frame open. The Gamecocks had seven strikes in their first eight rolls of the second game, but only added eight to the lead with a 229-221 win. Jax State picked up three single-pin spares in the third and had nine or better on every attempt, but only came away with a one-pin victory at 237-236 for a 37-pin advantage through three games.
 
Wichita State took the lead in the fourth, closing with six-straight strikes for a 258-220 win to take a one-pin overall lead into the final game.
 
"It was just kind of regrouping and just going right back to work," said O'Keefe of trailing going into the fifth game.
 
Jax State left the first open, but was able to respond with a run of six strikes and a huge two-pin spare pickup by Stull in the eighth to win 257-220 and take the total pinfall 1,198-1,162.
 
The semifinal will air live on NCAA.com