TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
TOURNAMENT BRACKET
DAY ONE POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE

(WICKLIFFE, Ohio, April 11)—McKendree University took one of two matches on Thursday during the first day of competition at the 2019 NCAA National Collegiate Bowling Championship. The eight-team, double-elimination final-site event is being held at RollHouse Wickliffe in Wickliffe, Ohio.
 
The Bearcats swept past the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the opening contest of the day before being edged by Stephen F. Austin State University to close out action. McKendree slips into the elimination bracket and will return to the lanes Friday morning for a contest against Vanderbilt University. The two teams met in last year's NCAA title match. The Bearcats and Commodores will face off beginning at 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT).
 
For the second consecutive year, the NCAA is utilizing the best-of-three mega match format during the eight-team, double-elimination play. The format starts with a 10-frame traditional game, followed by five Baker contests where the winner is determined by total pinfall. If the teams are tied after the first two formats, the squads will then meet in a best-of-seven Baker contest to determine the match winner.
 
In Thursday's first match against Maryland Eastern Shore, the teams battled evenly through the first five frames. McKendree managed to forge a slight lead in the sixth before the Hawks answered back with a strong seventh frame to pull even once again. In the eighth frame, the Bearcats strung together four consecutive strikes to regain a lead it would not relinquish. Freshman Hope Gramly (Prosper, TX/Prosper) closed the contest in strong fashion, striking on each of her final six shots to lead the way for McKendree with a 238. Junior Breanna Clemmer (Clover, SC/Clover) rolled a 217, while fellow junior Taylor Bailey (Joliet, IL/Joliet West) finished at 202.
 
Armed with a 1-0 lead in the match, McKendree and Maryland Eastern Shore engaged in the five-game Baker contest. The Bearcats rallied in the first game to post a 203-184 win before edging past the Hawks in a high-scoring affair in game two, 237-219. Holding a 37-pin advantage through two games, McKendree continued to add on, winning the middle contest by a count of 209-183 to stretch its advantage to 63 pins. The Bearcats then stormed out to a strong start in game four, rolling nine consecutive strikes at one point on the way to a 278-188 decision that gave McKendree a 153-pin lead with one game remaining. The Bearcats managed to win all five games in the set to take the contest, 1125-934, to finish off the sweep.
 
In its second match of the day, McKendree jumped out to a fast start against Stephen F. Austin. In the traditional match, Bailey had the hot hand for the Bearcats, opening with six consecutive strikes. After picking up a two-pin spare in the seventh, Bailey threw the final five strikes of her game to finish at 278, which marks her season-high in traditional play. She helped lead McKendree to a 1102-995 decision over the Ladyjacks. Sophomore Britaney Myers (Mechanicsville, NY/Stillwater) matched Bailey down the stretch, striking on her final five shots to post a 221.
 
Stephen F. Austin rebounded in the five-game Baker pin fall portion of the match. The Ladyjacks forged a slight lead after two games before slowing increasing the margin in the next two contests. McKendree won the final game in the set, but Stephen F. Austin won by 87 pins to force a best-of-seven Baker match.
 
The Ladyjacks jumped out to a 2-0 lead before McKendree came storming back. The Bearcats began their comeback by rallying past Stephen F. Austin 183-166 in game three. Game four was close until McKendree rattled off four consecutive strikes on its way to a 204-185 triumph to even the match at two games apiece. The pivotal fifth game came down to the 10^th frame, where Clemmer posted a strike and spare to close out a 201-198 McKendree win, giving the Bearcats a 3-2 edge in the match.
 
However, Stephen F. Austin battled back to take game six, 204-178, to force the winner-take-all seventh game. The teams traded leads and again came down to the final shots of the contest, where the Ladyjacks were able to hold off the Bearcats to win the match.