The Saint Francis University bowling team faced many difficulties on the second day of competition, coming out on the other side with a 1-4 record in traditional play at the Northeast Classic at the Bowlerama Bowling Alley in New Castle, Del.

The Red Flash were scheduled to face four opponents ranked in the top 25 of the National Tenpin Coaches Association rankings and were left with an open spot to facilitate a positioning round in the first match of the day. The Flash weren't given a break, as they were paired with No. 20 Oklahoma Christian to open Saturday's competition.

HOW IT WENT DOWN
No. 20 Oklahoma Christian turned out to be a handful for Saint Francis, as all five Eagles bowlers threw 200-pin games to defeat the Red Flash 1084-921. This was the first meeting between the two programs, and the Oklahoma Christian program made sure they made a massive first impression on Saint Francis.

Despite Tulane's No. 12 ranking, the Red Flash put up quite the fight against the Waves. Freshman Jewel Johnson and sophomore Mackenzie Keane put together a string of four or more strikes each, with Johnson's coming towards the end of the contest. The final Tulane bowler struck, tying the battle at 983 and forcing the game to a roll-off. The tiebreaking frame wasn't close until the end, as the Frankies left frames open at the beginning and started playing catch-up a little too late.

Johnson and senior Emma Meade posted 200-pin games for the Red Flash in the match against No. 6 Arkansas State, but not much else went right in the 100-pin loss. The team was able to fix their problems and come back in match four against McKendree, where senior Marissa Metcalfe dominated the Bearcats with a 234-pin showing that included no empty frames and five of her six strikes in the final half of the match.

The fifth game went back and forth between Saint Francis and No. 10 Maryville before the Saints steamed ahead to lock down the victory and close the day.

HAVE A DAY, JEWEL
Substitutions come very rarely in bowling, and when they do, it provides an excellent opportunity for someone to change the trajectory of both the match and their spot on the team.

For freshman Jewel Johnson, both factors were affected.

The Harrisburg, Pa., native was called upon to come in towards the end of the first match, and her performance led the decision-makers to keep the first-year bowler in for the rest of the day. In relief, Johnson bowled a trio of strikes and a set of spares to fill the final four games against Oklahoma Christian.

Johnson made a massive impact in the other four games for the Red Flash. Against Tulane, Johnson bowled a team-high six strikes in the loss, following that up with another six-strike, 200-pin performance against Arkansas State. Her performance against McKendree was the second-best on the team, as her five-strike performance was pivotal in the team's victory over the Bearcats. She remained in the game through the fifth game, bowling three strikes and four spares in a losing effort to Maryville.

While Johnson saw little to no action on the first day of competition, she made enough noise in traditional play to push for more playing time in the future.

COACHING UPDATE
Fourth-year head coach Ashley Bingham left the match against No. 6 Arkansas State with an undisclosed health problem; she did not return to coach for the rest of the afternoon. Volunteer Assistant Head Coach Jamie Yorio took over for her daughter, leading the team the rest of the way. Yorio coached the win over No. 21 McKendree and coached in the close loss to No. 10 Maryville.

SATURDAY'S SCORES
No. 20 Oklahoma Christian 1084, Saint Francis 921
No. 12 Tulane 983, Saint Francis 983 (73-83, Tulane)
No. 6 Arkansas State 1029, Saint Francis 908
Saint Francis 885, No. 21 McKendree 841
No. 10 Maryville 930, Saint Francis 897

SUNDAY'S SLATE
3 Best-of-Seven Baker Games
Opening game vs Molloy at 8:25 a.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Northeast Classic 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.