The Saint Francis University bowling team posted a 2-3 record on the first day of their home tournament, the Red Flash Invitational, at the Holiday Bowl in Altoona, Pa.

The Red Flash (33-38, 9-5 NEC) had the more challenging of their two days on the opening day of the tournament as they faced the top end of the competition in No. 19 Valparaiso and No. 8 Duquesne, the latter of whom is currently the Northeast Conference's best team after two regular season tournaments. The Dukes, despite their 4-1 record in tournament play, hold the tournament lead through five traditional matches based on total pinfall.

HOW IT WENT DOWN
The Frankies suffered close losses throughout the day, losing to No. 8 Duquesne by five pins and No. 19 Valparaiso by 14 pins. 

Senior bowler Marissa Metcalfe took the spotlight in the early part of the day, as the fourth-year bowler posted a pair of 256-pin games, one to lead the Flash to a victory over Pitt-Bradford and the other to keep Saint Francis within striking distance of Duquesne. Metcalfe was the individual leader through four games, and it took a Duquesne bowler putting up a similarly impressive score to knock her into second place in the day one standings.

Head coach Ashley Bingham was able to cycle through different lineups throughout the day, as the fourth-year head coach continues her search for the right five bowlers to click with each other and stand out from the pack. All seven bowlers competed for at least two matches today.

Although the Flash were running on fumes heading into the final match of the day, it was the heavy home crowd that willed Saint Francis to their second win of the day over Penn State Altoona. Despite the low-scoring affair, the ladies managed to hang in and close out the day on a high note, providing them with momentum heading into a much more favorable day in the Baker rounds on Saturday.

METCALFE'S MOMENT
Marissa Metcalfe set the pace for the first three matches, and while they would be tough battles to compete in, her performance and energy pushed the team to compete for the crowd decked in red that came to cheer them on.

The win over Pitt-Bradford was quite the sight, as the Dyer, Ind., native bowled over 30 percent of the team's total strikes by herself in the win over the Panthers. In filling all her frames in the second match, she was able to continue her filled frame streak that reached 34 frames to start the day, a stretch that certainly helped push the team.

She followed by bowling nearly half of the team's strikes against Duquesne, including throwing a perfect first five frames and closing out with strikes on three of her final five throws.

Her 256-pin games certainly boosted her standings, but she was one of just three bowlers to topple 1,000 pins on the day. She sits in the second position overall after a performance well deserving of an All-Tournament team honor in what could be her last home tournament.

FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Morgan State 840, SFU 807 
SFU 935, Pitt-Bradford 744
No. 8 Duquesne 940, SFU 935
No. 19 Valparaiso 896, SFU 882
SFU 819, Penn State Altoona 709

SATURDAY'S BAKER SLATE
Positional Round - competition starts at 10 a.m.
Mount Aloysius
St. Vincent
Pitt-Greensburg
No. 15 Mount St. Mary's

FOLLOW ALONG
Day 2 of the Red Flash Invitational begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with doors opening at 8 a.m. The Red Flash will recognize their seniors on the lanes at 9 a.m., as Kassidy Landwehr, Emma Meade, Marissa Metcalfe and Samantha Timm will be honored after four years competing on the team.

The Red Flash Invitational, as well as tomorrow's senior ceremony and Sunday's awards ceremony, will be live-streamed on the team's Facebook page, and the latest updates will be posted on the team's Facebook and X pages.

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