The Saint Francis University bowling team won a pair of games Sunday morning to close out regular season conference play at the third Northeast Conference regular season tournament at Yankee Lanes in Manchester, N.H.

The Red Flash (47-52, 11-10 NEC) did just enough to gain the fifth and final postseason spot for the NEC Championship, where they will compete in the play-in round against No. 18 Merrimack. While the 2-6 record may not look pleasant, the win-loss totals from all three regular season conference tournaments are looked at to determine the conference's postseason competition.

HOW THE DAY WENT DOWN
Sunday marked the lighter of the two days for the Red Flash, who returned to the lanes after a Saturday that saw them fall to four nationally ranked opponents.

The second day was a welcome sight for Saint Francis fans, as the Flash got comfortable in wins against Long Island and Wagner in the first two matches of the morning. Mackenzie Keane managed to strike on half her attempts against Long Island to will them to victory, while the 234-pin fifth game against Wagner was the deciding factor in defeating the Eagles in match two.

In the team's lone loss of the day to No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson, the Flash stayed competitive against a team consisting of some of the conference's top bowlers. Saint Francis bowled two games of over 200 pins - something they didn't manage in any of their six matches this weekend - and sophomore Ayanna Carroll gave the team a fighting chance as she struck in all five eighth-frame appearances while leading the Frankies with six strikes overall.

STILL JUST FIVE BOWLERS
The Red Flash started and finished the weekend with just five bowlers, as they were dealt a short hand when seniors Emma Meade and Marissa Metcalfe missed the weekend with academic obligations. The remaining bowlers stood their ground in a pivotal final conference tournament that featured movement between the third and sixth positions in the standings.

Freshman Jewel Johnson was this weekend's standout bowler, as the rookie maintained consistency throughout an up-and-down weekend for the Frankies. She moved into the anchor role in the middle of day one and bowled more than half her frames from that spot for the rest of the tournament.

Sophomore Mackenzie Keane, who was limited with a leg injury, managed to push through and put up solid numbers to keep the Red Flash competitive in the matches they had a chance to win.

While it may have been a rough weekend for the Red Flash, they will have an extended break to reset their minds from competition, physically recover, and finish the season strong in the postseason.

POSTSEASON OUTLOOK
The Red Flash, who entered the weekend as the third seed in the conference, earned the fifth seed as a result of their play over three NEC regular-season tournaments. This is the second consecutive season the Frankies will go into the tournament as the fifth seed, as they fell in the play-in match to eventual NEC champion Sacred Heart.

No. 18 Merrimack, the host of the final NEC regular season competition and the NEC's fourth seed, will face the Flash in the play-in match on March 22 at Hamilton Lanes in Hamilton, N.J. The Warriors defeated the shorthanded Red Flash team 1043-869 in Saturday's final match.

No. 9 Duquesne claimed the conference's regular season championship, followed closely behind by No. 19 Sacred Heart. No. 21 Fairleigh Dickinson snagged the last double-elimination spot, with the Warriors and Red Flash preparing to battle for the fourth spot in the final bracket.

The Red Flash are bowling in their second NEC conference tournament appearance, the second time in program history that Saint Francis has bowled in consecutive conference tournaments. They will be on the hunt for their first postseason victory under fourth-year head coach Ashley Bingham, while they now have a one-in-five shot to claim their third NEC Championship.

UP NEXT
The Red Flash bowling squad will take a break after competing in four of the last five weeks. Following the university's spring break, the team will fly to Tennessee to battle in the Columbia 300 Music City Classic, hosted by reigning national champion and fifth-ranked Vanderbilt on March 15-17. This will be the last regular season tournament of the season, as the following week will be the aforementioned conference championship in New Jersey.

FOLLOW ALONG
The Music City Classic, as well as most other tournaments, 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.