Jan. 19, 2007
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WARRENSBURG, MO — Vanderbilt won all five of its dual bowling matches Friday afternoon, improving its record to 33-4 in the process.
It was the second-ranked Commodores first competition since December 3 and at times the rust was evident.
Vanderbilt began the afternoon dispatching Arkansas State and Minnesota State-Mankato before meeting host Central Missouri in what would be the key contest of the day. The Black and Gold posted uncharacteristically low Baker Game scores of 150-178 and 147 to fall behind the perennially strong hosts. Eleven of the team’s first 25 balls resulted in splits during this rocky stretch.
The Commodores came back in the decisive fourth game with a strong 240 effort, beating Central by nearly 100 pins to convert a 40 pin deficit into a 50 pin lead. They closed out their opponent with a solid 185 score.
Vanderbilt ended the day with wins over Fontbonne and Elmhurst, winning for the 27th time in their last 28 competitions.
“We definitely had a rust affect,” said Coach John Williamson of the inconsistent scoring. “We had lackluster practices all week so I can’t be too surprised. We were good when we had to be but we definitely struggled. However, so did everyone else today. We had the top pin total by nearly 300 pins so the conditions were not easy.”
The Ozark Classic, which adds Southern and Nebraska to these five squads, opens play Saturday in ice-covered Springfield.
Vanderbilt Results
Vanderbilt 958 Arkansas State 900
169
169
209
214
197
Vanderbilt 994 Minnesota State-Mankato 911
202
208
221
194
169
Vanderbilt 900 Central Missouri State 857
150
178
147
240
185
Vanderbilt 951 Fontbonne 561
187
174
214
212
164
Vanderbilt 899 Elmhurst 774
167
219
172
157
178
