NEW CASTLE, Del. - - Hosting the Second Annual Wildcat DII/DIII Invitational, the Wilmington University bowling team went into Sunday's bracket play with a shot at third place overall, finishing sixth after three days of action at Bowlerama.
The weekend got off to a strong start for the Wildcats, winning four of the five Baker contests on Friday. They were in third place after the five Baker matches, knocking down 4,414 pins for a 176.6 average. They defeated Penn State-Altoona, Bloomfield, Molloy, and Kutztown on Friday, only falling to LIU Post.
They set a new program best team score in a Baker match on Friday, scoring 953 in a 953-900 victory over Molloy in the fourth match. They also defeated Kutztown, 941-919, to close out the afternoon.
Saturday was a different story for the Wildcats, as they couldn't seem to get in a rhythm in five Traditional Matches. They defeated Medaille in a tiebreaker, 69-63, and finished the day with a win over New Jersey City, 885-839, but dropped matches to Chestnut Hill, Caldwell, and Adelphi.
Sophomore Bailey Peters led the Wildcats with a 183.50 average in four matches, knocking down a total of 734 pins. She had a day's best 201 in the loss to Adelphi. She finished 34th overall in the individual standings.
Sophomore Rachel Hirst placed 37th overall with a 176.25 average score in four matches on Saturday. She set a new personal record with a 228 game against Caldwell in the third match of the day. She knocked down 705 pins in four matches.
Sophomore Malia Stout finished 40th overall on the day, knocking down 672 pins for a 168 average in four matches. She collected a day's best 215 in the team's fourth match against Adelphi.
Freshman Jocelyn Hood had her second best match of her young career with a 214 in the final match of the day, helping the Wildcats to a victory over New Jersey City. She finished in 42nd overall with a 656 total, bowling in four matches for a 164 average.
Sophomore Clare Shaffer also bowled in four matches on Saturday, finishing in 50th overall with a 519 total and a 129.75 match average. She had a day's high 148 against Medaille in the second match of the afternoon.
Junior Sinoda Cook appeared in three matches on Saturday, knocking down 477 pins for a 159 average. Her 164 in her first match of against Medaille proved to be her day's best.
Sophomore Leah Henry rounded out the Wildcats in the standings, bowling in two matches while knocking down 289 pins for a 144.50 average. She had a 154 match against Medaille and a 135 game against Caldwell.
The Wildcats headed into Sunday's Best of 7 Baker Matches in sixth place, but three wins would give the Wildcats a third place finish. In their first match against LIU Post, the Wildcats evened the best of seven, 1-1, with a 184-158 win in the second game, but the Pioneers rattled off the final three games to take the match, 4-1.
The Wildcats then squared off against Kutztown and busted out of the gates with the first three games, 198-173, 225-224, and 195-171. Kutztown fought all the way back to tie the match, 3-3, and force a seventh game, but the Wildcats collected themselves and won the match, 171-157.
Playing for fifth place, the Wildcats fell to Molloy, 4-1, to round out their tournament in sixth place. The Wildcats closed the gap to 2-1, but Molloy won the final two games to take the victory and fifth place.
Chestnut Hill won three matches on Sunday to claim the tournament, defeating Caldwell, 4-3, for the Championship. New Jersey City's Autumn Fortunato won the individual honors and Tournament MVP with a 989 total pinfall, averaging 197.80 per game. St. Vincent's Jessica Guesman was second with 988 total pinfall, averaging 197.60 per game.
The Wildcats are away form action until January when they head back to Kutztown to compete in the three-day KU Invitational at the Limerick Bowl starting on Friday, January 18.
Friday Baker Results:
Penn State-Altoona – W – 804-607
Bloomfield – W – 881-756
LIU Post – L – 921-835
Molloy – W – 953-900
Kutztown – W – 941-919
Saturday Traditional Results:
Chestnut Hill – L – 869-737
Medaille – W – 738-738 (69-63)
Caldwell – L – 936-800
Adelphi – L – 900-892
New Jersey City – W – 885-839
Sunday Baker Bracket Results:
LIU Post – L – 4-1
Kutztown – W – 4-3
Molloy – L – 4-1