FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – The No. 2 ranked McKendree University women's bowling team opened their 2021-22 season by finishing second out of 16 teams after three days of competition at their annual Bearcat Hammer Open held at St. Clair Bowl.
After going 9-1 on the first two days of the event, the Bearcats were seeded fourth in Sunday's championship bracket and they would open with a 4-1 win over 15th-ranked Maryville, before earning a 4-3-1 win over No. 3 ranked Arkansas State in the second round and then fell in the championship match, 4-3 to No. 1 ranked Nebraska. For the event, McKendree posted an 11-2 overall record.
Along with finishing as the tournament runners-up to the defending national champion Huskers, the Bearcats placed junior
Maranda Pattison (Redwood Valley, Calif./Ukiah Independent) on the All-Tournament Team after she finishing second in the individual standings as she recorded a total of 1,035 pins and averaged 207 per game in five traditional games on Saturday.
In Friday's five Baker matches, the Bearcats went 5-0 and then went 4-1 in Saturday's traditional matches with the only loss coming against Arkansas State as the Red Wolves picked up a 988-912 win. Among McKendree's wins on Saturday was a 1,002-974 win over Nebraska, who went 6-4 over the first two days.
On Sunday, the Bearcats opened bracket play (best of seven) with a 4-1 win over Maryville. Against the Saints, McKendree won the first game, 200-182 and then posted a 248-192 win in the second game and earned a 179-164 in the third game. Maryville, though, would post a 213-194 win in the fourth game, before McKendree sealed the win with a 224-185 win in the fifth game.
The win over Maryville set up a second round match-up with Arkansas State and this match came down to a tiebreaking eighth game as the Bearcats won the tiebreaker, 105-83. Against Arkansas State, the Red Wolves won game one, 208-182 and after the teams tied 218-218 in the second game, ASU would win the third game, 197-914 to lead 2-0-1. The Bearcats, though, rallied to win the next three games – 214-180, 194-179 and 218-135 to take a 3-2-1 lead in the match. ASU would force a tiebreaker with a 184-181 win in the seventh game.
With the win over Arkansas State, the Bearcats advanced to meet Nebraska in the championship game. Against the Huskers, Nebraska opened with a 245-233 win, before the Bearcats evened it up with a 232-203 win in the second game that was aided by three consecutive strikes in the 10th and final frame by senior
Hope Gramly (Prosper, Texas/Prosper).
NU would take a 2-1 lead after its 200-166 win in the third game, but the Bearcats would post a 222-210 win in the fourth game to even the match a 2-2. The fifth game went to NU as they won 210-202, before the Bearcats rallied for a 220-210 win in the sixth game.
With the game all tied up at three games apiece, the two teams battled it out in the seventh and final game. The Huskers would hang on to win the seventh game, 216-180 to earn the team title.
Along with Pattison's No. 2 position in the individual standings, Gramly finished 18th on the individual standings as she recorded 929 pins and averaged 185.80 pins in her five-game block to give the Bearcats two players in the Top 25 of the individual standings.
Junior
Rebecca Hagerman (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) finished 48th with 714 pins in her four game block, while sophomore
Isabel Allen (Tamworth, England/Polesworth High) was 64th with 568 pins in three games and graduate student
Cassidy Courey (Brooklyn Center, Minn./Mount Mercy) was 67th with 554 pins in three games.
Fifth year senior Isabella Correa Satmiento (Cali, Colombia/Colegio Leonistico La Merced) was 87th with 400 pins for two games, junior
Kayla Smith (Salem, Ill./Salem) was 88th with 365 pins in two games and freshman
Anna Warkel (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) was 107th with 146 pins in one game.
The Bearcats will return to action Nov. 11-13 as they travel to Kenosha, Wis., to compete in the Stephen F. Austin Lady Jack Classic.
