The Saint Francis bowling team found success early on Friday, picking up a pair of wins on the backs of senior Emma Meade and sophomore Mackenzie Keane on the first day of the Destination Orlando tournament at the AMF Sky Lanes in Central Florida.

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
The Red Flash, who find themselves in 12th place in the 18-team tournament, went 2-3 on the opening day despite being pitted against one of the most challenging tournament schedules they will face this season. Their toughest battle of the day was against No. 6 Youngstown State, a match that the Red Flash had a handle on in the first half but let slip away on the backend of the contest.

MEADE'S BIG DAY
Meade's performance flew under the radar after she was lifted in the fifth match against Alabama Birmingham. The Bryan, Ohio, native started in the leadoff role for Saint Francis, where she put up 22 strikes in the first three matches, only not striking on eight frames while the Flash went 2-1. She finished the first four matches with 27 strikes over 40 frames, nearly giving her a 70 percent fill rate to lead the Red Flash. Despite her success, she was shifted to the third spot in the fifth match before being removed with four frames remaining.

YOU FORGOT SOMEONE
Keane, on the other hand, remained in a pivotal position for the entirety of Friday's competition. While the East Brunswick, N.J., native may have been overlooked for the NEC Prime Performer honor after placing 10th at the Penguin Classic a few weeks back, she is making an even bigger impression after day 1 in Orlando. Keane averaged a nearly 85 percent fill rate, tallying a clutch strike vs. Daemen and playing a pivotal role in keeping Saint Francis in the Delaware State and Alabama Birmingham matches. She started the Alabama Birmingham match with nine consecutive strikes, finishing with 12 strikes on 20 possible opportunities in the anchor spot. 

FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
SFU 847, Daemen 825
SFU 1001, Monmouth 847
Youngstown State 1031, SFU 959
Delaware State 953, SFU 895
Alabama Birmingham 976, SFU 945
Total Pinfall: 4,647 (12th)

LOOK AHEAD TO SATURDAY
The Red Flash's schedule doesn't get much easier on Saturday. After facing a position round on Saturday, the team gets their first-ever look at Emmanuel University, followed by three ranked matchups in No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 22 Tulane, and No. 5 Stephen F. Austin. The Red Flash faced Arkansas State at the Penguin Classic earlier this month, getting trounced 916-1003 in a baker match against the Red Wolves. They look to jump into the top 10, as they are just 100 pins behind ninth-place Emmanuel heading into the traditional matches, an area where Coach Bingham's teams are historically stronger.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Destination Orlando tournament and most other tournaments will be streamed live on the team's Facebook page, and the latest updates will be posted to the team's X page.

For more information on the Red Flash, visit sfuathletics.com and follow RedFlashBowling on Facebook, Instagram, and X.