The Saint Francis University bowling team battled in multiple competitive baker matches against top Northeast Conference competition on the first day of the third NEC regular season tournament at Yankee Lanes in Manchester, N.H., on Saturday.

The Red Flash (45-51, 9-9 NEC) faced four of the top teams in the Northeast Conference on the first day of the two-day tournament, and while they came within striking distance multiple times throughout the day, their attempts fell short as they head into a pivotal second day. Tomorrow's result will decide the fate of the Northeast Conference Championships on Mar. 22-24.

HOPE FOR TOMORROW
While they couldn't find wins against the conference's most challenging opponents, the Frankies seemed to find hope that tomorrow could be the better of two days. Not only do they have three easier opponents on Sunday morning, but they have a newfound confidence in the starting bowlers from today's tournament.

The team's best showing came in match three against No. 19 Sacred Heart, who entered the season as co-leaders of the Northeast Conference along with Duquesne. Despite a rough outing, the Flash stayed competitive with the Pioneers, finishing within eight pins of picking up their first win of the season over Sacred Heart.

HOW WAS IT WITH FIVE?
With seniors Emma Meade and Marissa Metcalfe not making the bus trip up north, the rotation featured senior Samantha Timm, sophomores Ayanna Carroll and Mackenzie Keane and freshmen Hayden Bennett and Jewel Johnson. Despite not having the ability to make substitutions, the Flash were able to hang around with the best opponents, including coming within eight pins of topping No. 19 Sacred Heart, one of the two conference leaders heading into the final day.

Freshman Jewel Johnson turned out to be the breakout bowler on the first day of competition, as her stellar play on Saturday morning pushed her to the anchor role by the end of the day. She managed to fill all but one frame against No. 25 Niagara while bowling a team-high six strikes against Sacred Heart while filling all frames in the third match of the day. She finished out her performance by filling nine of 10 frames against Merrimack. Johnson's final stat line featured only eight open frames in 40 opportunities, giving her an 80 percent fill rate on the first day of competition.

FRIDAY RESULTS
No. 9 Duquesne 980, SFU 843
No. 25 Niagara 940, SFU 798
No. 19 Sacred Heart 900, SFU 892
No. 18 Merrimack 1043, SFU 869

SECOND DAY SCHEDULE AND PREVIEW
Three baker matches begin at 8:25 a.m. Sunday morning:
Match 5 vs. Long Island
Match 6 vs. Wagner
Match 7 vs. No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson

While the Red Flash are nearly in the clear as far as the postseason situation, there are still scenarios where the Red Flash can be jumped in the standings, where they sit in fifth place after their first day.

No. 25 Niagara, a team that has caught fire as of late, is capable of catching the Red Flash for the fifth and final spot in the postseason. If the right scenario plays out on the second day of competition, the Purple Eagles will claim the fifth spot in the postseason, leaving the Red Flash on the outside looking in.

Luckily, the Flash are facing the fifth, seventh, and eighth-seeded teams in the conference (as seeded entering this weekend), where they are favored to win in at least two of the three matches. While it is unlikely that the Red Flash will be able to secure a double-elimination spot this weekend, they are essentially locked into an additional weekend of competition at the Northeast Conference Championships towards the end of March.

FOLLOW ALONG
The final day of the third NEC 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.