The Penguins are fighting to stay in the top four, winning four games on Saturday

Kenosha, Wis. – Youngstown State’s bowling team finished Saturday’s traditional round with back-to-back high-scoring sets and climbed back into the top four qualifying spots at the SFA Ladyjack Classic.

The Penguins were in third place after Friday’s Baker round, but slipped to fifth place after three games on Saturday. Needing to finish in the top four to compete in the championship Sunday at Sheridan Lanes, the Penguins posted sets of 1,083 and 1,047 in their final two games to overtake Vanderbilt and move into fourth place.

Youngstown State begins Sunday’s best-of-seven Baker games against Maryville, which handed the Penguins their only loss on Saturday.

The pace of scoring increased across the house compared to Friday, with Vanderbilt climbing from ninth to fourth after shooting 1,237 sets in an uncontested match. This puts the Commodores 110 points ahead of YSU with two qualifying games to go.

With YSU winning its last four head-to-head matchups by an average of 185 pins, the focus was on the race against Vanderbilt. Youngstown State shot 1,083 in a win over No. 24 Oklahoma Christian, securing a 40-pin lead with Vandy as the teams bowled at opposite ends of the center. The Penguins then shot 1,047 to beat No. 15 Newman in the final game, and Vanderbilt shot 948 in its win over Nebraska by a pair. This allowed the Penguins to finish 29 pins ahead of the Commodores, and YSU qualified just 10 pins behind Maryville.

YSU lost its opening game 1,009-886 to the Saints, and the Penguins followed with four straight wins. They defeated Marian 958-58, Carthage 1,010-787, Oklahoma Christian 1,083-873 and Newman 1,047-837. Combined with Friday’s results, the Penguins have a head-to-head record of 7-3 in the tournament.

Individually, YSU had three bowlers ranked in the top 25, and all nine Penguins competed on Saturday. Madyson Marx She shot 215-227 in four of her five matches and was YSU’s top player Saturday with a seventh set of 1,077. Kirsten Moore was four places behind with 1,068 sets and Jade Cote finished 24th with 1,029. Youngstown State rotated bowlers at the other two spots in the lineup.

Youngstown State’s game against Maryville on Sunday to open bracket play begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.