The Saint Francis University bowling team exceeded expectations on the first two days of this weekend's competition but couldn't replicate their success on the third day as the Frankies finished Sunday winless in three matches, concluding the weekend in sixth place at the 6th Annual Mount Shootout at Clearview Lanes in Mount Joy, Pa.

The Red Flash (45-47, 9-5 NEC) were one of four teams who earned a path to the championship match on Sunday's best-of-seven baker competition, and while No. 25 Niagara appeared to be a good match for the Flash on paper, the Frankies seemed to be missing the fire that powered them on the first two days of the tournament. The loss to No. 25 Niagara was followed by similar defeats at the hands of Lincoln Memorial and No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson to conclude this weekend's tournament.

WHAT ALL HAPPENED
Unlike the first two days, not much went right for the Red Flash. While they occasionally had a spark in select games on Sunday, their position in the bracket worked against them, pitting them against some of the tournament's toughest competition. The Flash had little room for error, and while mistakes weren't the entire reason behind Sunday's results, the team found it difficult to compete with the pin totals posted by the high-octane top-5 end of the bracket.

No. 25 Niagara jumped out to a quick, three-game lead that put the Red Flash squad against the wall. While the team made an impressive comeback attempt, Niagara's lead was too much for the Frankies to overcome. Despite the Red Flash rolling three games over 200 pins, the Purple Eagles secured their 4-2 victory with a 246-pin performance to outlast Saint Francis.

With the loss to the Purple Eagles consuming much of the energy the Red Flash had, they ended the day with two shutout losses at the hands of Lincoln Memorial and No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson.

They finished the afternoon against No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson, once again failing to seize open opportunities to win the final match of the day. In the three combined matches, the Flash won just two games, both against Niagara in the first match of the day.

There were scattered moments of individuals standing out on the final day of competition, namely the first-year bowlers who were able to contribute at various points on Sunday. Freshman Hayden Bennett led off all three matches, filling her first 11 frames in the contest vs Niagara. Fellow first-year bowler Jewel Johnson entered the second match against Lincoln Memorial and struck on all five of her attempts in the loss.

WEEKEND RECAP
The Red Flash started the weekend with an impressive 6-0 record, including a perfect first day that saw them defeat No. 13 Mount St. Mary's and Bryant while posting stellar performances in all five matches on Friday.

While the Frankies ran into some hot teams in Lincoln Memorial and Alvernia on Saturday, they were able to rebound in an upset victory over No. 4 North Carolina A&T State, a match that came down to clutch performances in the tenth frame. They were able to clinch a winning record on Saturday with a win over Kutztown, moving them into fourth place overall after the two days of qualifying competition.

The Red Flash finished the qualifying round in fourth place based on total pinfall despite being tied for the second-best record in the tournament. Their 5,079 baker pinfall on Friday put them in fifth place after day 1, while the 5,039 traditional pin total on Saturday lifted them into fourth for Sunday's bracket play.

The Frankies entered Sunday with advantages over the other four teams in the top five of the tournament. Saint Francis dealt losses to the top two teams this weekend, as they gave No. 13 Mount St. Mary's their only loss of the tournament while also upsetting No. 4 North Carolina A&T State on Saturday. No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 25 Niagara, both Northeast Conference opponents, have yet to defeat the Flash in conference play through the first two regular season conference tournaments. This gave a positive outlook on Sunday's potential road to the championship round.

Instead, they started slow and couldn't get anything going on Sunday. Their 8-5 record shows signs of improvement while hinting at things that can be fixed in the coming weeks as they look toward the final few tournaments of the regular season.

SUNDAY RESULTS
No. 25 Niagara 4, SFU 2
Lincoln Memorial 4, SFU 0
No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson 4, SFU 0

UP NEXT
The Red Flash will conclude conference competition at the third Northeast Conference regular season tournament in Manchester, N.H., on Feb. 17-18. This will be the final opportunity for conference teams to qualify for the NEC Championships on March 22-24.

Despite Saint Francis being predicted to finish seventh in the NEC at the beginning of the year, the Flash proved the doubters wrong as they currently sit third in the conference with a chance to clinch a postseason spot on the first day of competition.

A postseason appearance would mark the second consecutive showing for the Red Flash under fourth-year head coach Ashley Bingham. This would mark just the second stretch of multiple postseason appearances, with the only other instance coming between 2013 and 2019 under former head coach Tom Falbo.

FOLLOW US
The third Northeast Conference regular season tournament, as well as most other tournaments, will be video streamed on the team's Facebook Live 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.