April 24, 2012
RICHARDSON, Texas — Josie Earnest’s phenomenal run at the USBC Queens ended Tuesday night on ESPN2, losing a high-level game to 37-year old Hall of Famer Liz Johnson, 268-223. The Vanderbilt assistant coach ended this major professional tournament with an impressive fifth-place finish and collected $3,000 for her efforts.
The tournament was eventually won by Diandra Asbaty, who had beaten Johnson in the second round, then took out Stephanie Nation and top-seeded Carolyn Dorin-Ballard to win the coveted title.
Earnest said in a televised interview that she fought nerves the entire game but one would not have detected that. The former NCAA Player of the Year began with two strikes and had but one glitch, an open frame in the fourth that forced her to play behind much of the match to the strike-throwing Johnson, who has won four of bowling’s major championships during her long career and didn’t give Earnest any help with her strong 268.
“I can’t be too disappointed with my performance,” Earnest said afterward. “I ran into a buzz saw but shooting 223 under those conditions for the first time wasn’t all bad. I’ve bowled at the ITRC (International Training and Research Center) many times but this was a totally different setting – the bright lights and cameras, people telling you when to bowl. I tried to focus on my breathing and staying calm.”
Earnest said she made two sub-par shots in the game, the 3-10 split and a washout, but otherwise didn’t think her nerves affected her shot making.
“I like to think I can make shots under pressure,” she said and veteran Vanderbilt watchers will agree, recalling her strike in the 10th frame to clinch the 2007 NCAA team championship.
Bowl.com has full tournament coverage.
