Bethune-Cookman Finishes 11th at Wildcat Invitational
ORLANDO, Fla. – Host Bethune-Cookman turned in a gutsy performance while Sam Houston State head coach Brad Hagen’s gut decision proved wise as his Bearkats won the 2016 Wildcat Invitational championship Sunday at Boardwalk Bowl.
The No. 6 Bearkats recovered from an earlier loss to No. 3 Arkansas State and downed the Red Wolves 4-1 in the championship match.
The host Bethune-Cookman Wildcats won two matches on Sunday to finish 11th in the 13-team field. Both victories came against Alabama State – the first a Cleveland Cavs-like comeback from a 3-1 deficit to a 4-3 triumph.
Sam Houston State, the 2014 National Champion, did not have a sharp Saturday afternoon during traditional match play, prompting Hagen to tinker with his line-up. On Sunday, he decided to go back to his original roster despite those players’ struggles the day before.
Junior Heather Penatzer, who Hagen benched the final two games Saturday but reinserted as anchor on Sunday, struck out the 10th frame to give Sam Houston a 230-226 victory in Game 1, then combined with Stephanie Zavala and Janine Kuwahara to reel off five consecutive strikes at the end of Game 4 that allowed the Bearkats to steal a 215-207 win and take control of the match.
Madysen Keller’s 192.6 average and Zavala’s 191.6 paced the Bearkats, who are now a perfect two-for-two in tournaments thus far in the young 2016-17 season.
Arkansas State, whose tournament-high pin count of 10,213 over the first two days was 352 pins better than Sam Houston State, started the day off with a 4-2 victory in the first meeting to earn a berth in the championship match. Sam Houston State bounced back and downed defending national champion Stephen F. Austin 4-2 to claim the other championship spot.
Maryland Eastern Shore Opens The Season Third At Wildcat Invitational
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Entering Friday’s opening day of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcat Classic, Maryland Eastern Shore bowling coach Kayla Bandy said she knew the team was in for a challenge because their first event of the season boasted some talented teams.
That full day of Baker competition turned out to be a bumpy one for the Hawks, but they rebounded during Saturday’s traditional matches and in Sunday’s Championship round to finish third to open the 2016-17 season.
In Sunday’s championship bracket, Eastern Shore won three straight defeating Monmouth 4-3 and Nebraska 4-2 to start the day. The Shore closed out competition with a 4-2 win against Stephen F. Austin to take third place in the final standings.
Graduate student Thashaina Seraus and sophomore Jacqueline Rhoda led the way during Saturday’s competition with Seraus averaging 224.6 (3rd) and Rhoda a 211.2 (7th) over five games on the day. Each had a total pinfall over over 1,000 with Seraus posting a 1,123 and Rhoda 1,056.
Seraus was named to the All-Tournament Team for the event.