June 2, 2018
Josie Barnes won the East Hartford Open Saturday afternoon on the strength of a powerful performance in the final stepladder competition.
The Vanderbilt assistant coach and former two-time NCAA Player of the Year ran through a gauntlet of stars on the Silver Lanes with consistent bowling to earn her second professional career victory. She had previously won the 2016 Rochester Open.
Barnes, the No. 4 seed in the stepladder, eliminated third-seeded Shannon O’Keefe, 233-217 to get things started. She then stopped Lindsey Boomershine by a 232-190 margin before defeating the No. 1 seeded Danielle McEwan, 224-216 in the title match.
The championship match came down to the 10th frame, where Barnes could have clinched victory with a double but instead left a 10 pin standing after her first strike. That cracked the door for the former Fairleigh Dickinson standout but also needing a double, McEwan failed to convert on her first ball.
The victory continues a hot streak for Barnes, who helped lead Vanderbilt to its second NCAA Championship in April. In a post-match interview, Barnes called both the NCAA and today’s PWBA victories “sweet.”
Giselle Poss, another former Vanderbilt All-American, also had a splendid tournament, placing an excellent eighth in the final standings with a 211.60 average. As the No. 4 seed and making the stepladder, Barnes averaged 216.90.