Team USA starts off strong in Baker Team play at 2022 IBF World Cup in Australia
November 17, 2022
RESULTS AND INFORMATION
Queensland, Australia – Team USA’s men and women both got off to good starts during Thursday’s first day of Baker Team competition at the 2022 International Bowling Federation World Cup at Suncity Tenpin Bowl in Queensland, Australia.
The men’s team, which features Jakob Butturff, A.J. Johnson, Kris Prather and Kyle Troup, went 5-2 over the course of two sets of best-of-three matches, one in the early afternoon and the other in the evening.
The women’s team of Bryanna Coté, Danielle McEwan, Jordan Richard and Stefanie Johnson bowled only one four-match set, going 3-1.
Men’s Block 1
The men’s first block started slowly as they opened their first match with Germany leaving splits that led to opens in each of the first two frames.
Germany, meanwhile, doubled out of the gate and then used another double in the eighth and ninth frames to keep themselves out front and top Team USA, 205-192.
Because of the World Cup’s best-of-three format for Baker Team, play, the Americans found themselves facing a must-win situation in Game 2.
Things looked dicey for Team USA once again as the Germans struck in six of the first seven frames to start the second game.
However, the lone non-strike led to an open frame. The Americans, meanwhile, went spare, double, spare, four-bagger to keep themselves in the match.
Team USA narrowly avoided disaster in the ninth frame when Troup’s shot almost left a pocket 7-10. The 7 pin fell, however, and Troup easily converted the 10 pin.
That gave Johnson the chance to step up in the 10th frame to shut Germany out.
Proving once again that no moment is too big for him, the powerful right-hander delivered the strike Team USA needed, allowing the Americans to win the game (238-224) and send the match to a third game.
Both teams remained on point during Game 3 with Germany carding two doubles in the first seven frames and Team USA starting strike, spare, four-bagger.
Nevertheless, the Americans found themselves in jeopardy after Prather left a 4-6-7 split in the ninth frame.
That open gave Germany’s Tobias Börding the chance to step up in the 10th frame and shut the Americans out with a double.
That’s exactly what he did, delivering a solid strike in the tenth and then tripping a 6 pin on a slightly high shot in the eleventh to give Germany a 233-226 Game 3 win and the match victory.
Next, Team USA went up against the hosts from Australia.
Things looked good for the Americans early on, but three consecutive nine-spares in frames seven, eight and nine gave Australia’s Sam Cooley the chance to beat Team USA with a double in the 10th frame.
Cooley delivered the first hit, but the second left a 7 pin standing.
That meant that if Prather could convert a 10 pin, the Americans would take Game 1. He did, and Team USA opened the match with a 206-194 win.
The second game wasn’t nearly as exciting, at least not from a win-loss perspective.
After Johnson’s 4 pin in the first frame, the Americans rattled off the back 11 strikes. Australia, meanwhile, managed just one strike of its own, allowing Team USA to win Game 2 (290-179) and the match.
Hong Kong was the next opponent standing opposite the Team USA men.
The opening game of the match was all even heading into the 10th frame, but after Hong Kong’s anchor bowler failed to strike on his first ball, Johnson once again found himself in position to throw a strike to give Team USA a win.
Just as he had earlier against Germany, Johnson delivered in the clutch to give the Americans a 213-203 victory.
Team USA looked good early on in Game 2, going double, spare, turkey to jump out ahead of Hong Kong, which was playing from behind after a split led to an open in the fourth frame.
But things got a whole lot closer after Prather left a 3-4-6-7 split of his own and opened in the ninth.
Thankfully, Troup was there to pick up his teammate. Needing a 19-pin fill in the 10th frame to secure the win, Troup struck out, giving Team USA a 224-212 win and the match sweep.
The Americans’ final opponent of the first block was New Zealand, who came into the match sporting a 1-2 record on the day compared to the 2-1 mark of Team USA.
The Americans had Game 1 wrapped up well before the 10th frame rolled around as New Zealand split four times in the first six frames.
Team USA, on the other hand, was locked in early, going strike, spare, five-bagger to coast to the 235-179 win.
Game 2 brought more of the same as early opens by New Zealand and early strikes from the Americans led to another comfortable win for Team USA, this one by a final of 238-198.
The victory put the Americans at 3-1 for the round and in a tie for second place in the overall Team standings after Block 1.
Although the set wasn’t perfect, Butturff was pleased with the way that he and his teammates performed during the opening block, and he thinks that the close bond between men’s team members definitely played a role in that.
“We have pretty good chemistry between me, Kyle, Kris and A.J., and I think that helped us out there today,” Butturff said. “We all trust one another, so everyone feels comfortable just going out there and bowling their own game. That’s when we’re at our best, and I think that showed by the way we bowled that round.”
Women’s Block 1
After cheering on the men throughout the opening set, it was time for Coté, McEwan, Richard and Stefanie Johnson to open play in the Women’s Baker Team competition.
Unlike the men, the ladies would only have one four-match block to bowl on Thursday; their double set will come on Friday.
The Team USA quartet opened their night battling Malaysia, which had earned the No. 2 seed after qualifying; Team USA came in No. 1.
If the Malaysians were intimidated, it didn’t show as they opened the first game with the front six strikes against Team USA.
The Americans hung tough, staying clean early and recording a four-bagger in frames four through seven to stay tight on Malaysia’s heels.
However, the early string of strikes put Malaysia too far ahead, and when Coté split (3-4-6-7-10) on her first ball in the tenth, Game 1 officially went to Malaysia, 244-214.
Game 2 began in very much the same fashion as Malaysia opened with a five-bagger to immediately apply pressure to Team USA.
The Americans opened with a double of their own, but things slowed down from there as pair of opens halted Team USA’s momentum and allowed Malaysia to run away and hide.
When all was said and done, Malaysia rolled to a 228-195 victory and the 2-0 match sweep.
Match 2 saw Team USA take on Sweden.
Like the Malaysians had the match before, the Swedes jumped out quickly on the Americans, starting with a turkey to grab the early lead.
Team USA stayed calm and stayed clean, which allowed it to stay within striking distance as the game went to the 10th frame.
Sweden had the chance to lock the Americans out with a double, but it wasn’t mean to be as the second shot in the tenth left a 10 pin.
That gave Richard the chance to step up and play hero for Team USA, which she did by striking on all three shots in the 10th frame to lift the Americans to a 217-215 win. Richard struck on all five shots she threw in the game.
Strikes grew tough for Team USA to come by during the early stages of Game 2, and that allowed Sweden to jump out to the lead thanks to runs of strikes in the third, fourth and fifth and again in the eighth, ninth and first ball in the tenth.
That first strike meant that Sweden just needed to fill the remainder of the frame to win the game and even the match.
It was not meant to be though as Sweden’s next shot resulted in a disastrous 3-4-6-7-10 split.
After the conversion attempt only got the Swedes three more pins, Team USA’s Stefanie Johnson, who had struck on the first two shots in the 10th frame, stepped up needing seven pins for a tie or eight or better for the win.
Her pocket shot resulted in a 10 pin, but it was more than enough to give the Americans another 217-215 victory over Sweden and the match win.
The next matchup pitted Team USA against New Zealand.
The Kiwis led the Americans for most the opening game, but it appeared as if Team USA might be on the verge of completing a comeback when New Zealand left a 1-2-4-10 washout in the ninth frame.
The challenging spare was converted, however, and when Coté caught the business end of a pocket 7-10 in the 10th frame, it was over; New Zealand took Game 1 by a final margin of 186-174.
Even though they were bowling New Zealand, Team USA went Dutch to start Game 2, alternating strikes and spares during the first five frames.
Still, it was enough to get the Americans out to the lead as the Kiwis had just one strike and an open over the same span of frames.
Team USA heated up down the stretch, however, as Stefanie Johnson, Richard and McEwan combined to throw five out of the last six strikes to down New Zealand 227-171.
With each team having won a game, the match would be decided by Game 3.
That didn’t bode well for Team USA after they split and opened in each of the first two frames of the final game.
New Zealand couldn’t take advantage though, and that allowed the Americans to use a turkey in the sixth through eighth frames to jump on top and go on to a 196-182 victory.
Team USA’s final opponent of the day was the Philippines, which entered the contest still in search of its first match win of the block.
The Americans weren’t in the mood to let them find it.
After spares in the first two frames, Team USA ran off six strikes in a row before the streak came to an end with an open in the ninth frame. It was of little consequence, however, as the Philippines couldn’t string enough strikes together to close the gap, allowing the Americans to emerge with a relatively stress free 232-195 win in Game 1.
Things got closer during Game 2, but the outcome was the same as Team USA closed with strikes on five of their final six shots to win the game 245-213 and claim the match 2-0.
That moved the Team USA women to 3-1 for the day and earned them a share of first place with Germany and Singapore.
The set was not without its ups and downs, but the Team USA ladies are never ones to shy away from a battle.
“We’re a team that grinds and just tries to find a way to win,” Coté said. “Whether it’s shooting lights out or just making spares and staying patient, we’re always fighting. I think we stayed patient tonight, and that’s when we’re at our best.”
The ladies will roll a three-game block of matches early Friday afternoon and then a four-game set later that night after the men’s lone four-game session of the day is completed.
Men’s Block 2
Once the women’s block was completed, it was time for the Team USA men to take their cheerleading caps off and get back on the lanes for a three-game block of matches to close out Thursday night’s action.
Singapore was the first team standing in Team USA’s path as the evening block commenced.
The Americans came out strong and grabbed the lead with an early four-bagger, but Singapore hung tough, and when the Americans opened after splitting in the seventh frame, the lead changed hands.
But it would be handed back just moments later when Singapore left a split and opened the ninth. That’s when Team USA stepped up and slammed the door on a 221-216 win.
The action really heated up in Game 2 as both teams stayed clean and logged five-baggers to set up an exciting, high-scoring finish.
Troup had a chance to close Singapore out with a strike on his first ball in the 10th frame, but the shot crept high and left a 4 pin.
That allowed Singapore to double to win the game and extend that match, and that’s precisely what they did, downing the Americans 248-245 to force a deciding game.
The scoring pace came down during Game 3, but the excitement did not as it was another battle that went right down to the wire.
Thankfully, this one went the way of Team USA as after Singapore’s anchor bowler failed to strike on his first ball in the tenth, Kris Prather was able to count 20 pins in his final frame to give the Americans the 219-207 win and the match.
Match 2 was Team USA versus the Philippines, and the opening game was a wild one.
The Philippines looked to have the game well in hand, up thirty pins in the eighth frame, but a Team USA double and an open in the ninth by the Philippines suddenly gave the Americans a chance.
If Butturff could strike on the first ball in the tenth, Team USA would grab an unlikely victory.
Unfortunately, Butturff’s pocket hit couldn’t shake the 7 pin, which allowed the Philippines to hang on for the Game 1 victory (200-192).
What was even more unfortunate was that Game 2 was never even close as Team USA just couldn’t seem to find its way, striking just three times and opening twice during an easy 203-169 Philippines victory that ended the match 2-0.
That left just one more bout for Team USA to fight on Day 1 of Team, and Puerto Rico was in the opposing corner.
Team USA came out swinging, going spare, double, spare before running out an eight-bagger to finish the game and collect a lopsided 267-214 victory.
The Americans would’ve liked to end the fight early by closing things out in Game 2, but it was destined to go all three rounds as poor ball reaction on the left lane had the Americans stuck in neutral while Puerto Rico was in cruise control.
After a double in frames three and four, Team USA only recorded two additional strikes during a an easy Puerto Rico victory (236-194).
Thankfully, the Americans’ collective ball reaction immediately looked better upon moving back to the right lane, where they put up 10 strikes just two games before.
The Americans began Game 3 strike, spare, strike, spare before starting to strike strikes yet again.
All four Team USA members struck in frames five through eight, and they weren’t content to stop there. Johnson tripped a 4 pin in the ninth, and Butturff doubled in the tenth to put the Americans back in the winner’s circle with a 258-204 match-clinching victory.
The win moved the men’s record to 5-2 for the day, which put them in third place at the end of Day 1 of Baker Team competition.
“I think we’re off to a pretty solid start halfway through this event,” Prather said. “Our communication was great, which made it easier for us to make adjustments quickly and play the lanes the way we needed to. We’ll just keep gathering information and learning as we go; we’re looking forward to the next couple of days.”
The men will be back on the lanes for one four-match block Friday afternoon and a final three-game set Saturday morning, at the end of which the field will be cut to the top eight teams.
Team USA Head Coach Bryan O’Keefe was pleased with the start that both of his teams got off to on Day 1 of Team.
“I thought today went well. We had a good gameplan, and both groups did a good job sticking with it and executing,” O’Keefe said. “It was a solid start for both teams, so we’ll just try to carry that into tomorrow.”
Queensland, Australia – Team USA’s men and women both got off to good starts during Thursday’s first day of Baker Team competition at the 2022 International Bowling Federation World Cup at Suncity Tenpin Bowl in Queensland, Australia.
The men’s team, which features Jakob Butturff, A.J. Johnson, Kris Prather and Kyle Troup, went 5-2 over the course of two sets of best-of-three matches, one in the early afternoon and the other in the evening.
The women’s team of Bryanna Coté, Danielle McEwan, Jordan Richard and Stefanie Johnson bowled only one four-match set, going 3-1.
Men’s Block 1
The men’s first block started slowly as they opened their first match with Germany leaving splits that led to opens in each of the first two frames.
Germany, meanwhile, doubled out of the gate and then used another double in the eighth and ninth frames to keep themselves out front and top Team USA, 205-192.
Because of the World Cup’s best-of-three format for Baker Team, play, the Americans found themselves facing a must-win situation in Game 2.
Things looked dicey for Team USA once again as the Germans struck in six of the first seven frames to start the second game.
However, the lone non-strike led to an open frame. The Americans, meanwhile, went spare, double, spare, four-bagger to keep themselves in the match.
Team USA narrowly avoided disaster in the ninth frame when Troup’s shot almost left a pocket 7-10. The 7 pin fell, however, and Troup easily converted the 10 pin.
That gave Johnson the chance to step up in the 10th frame to shut Germany out.
Proving once again that no moment is too big for him, the powerful right-hander delivered the strike Team USA needed, allowing the Americans to win the game (238-224) and send the match to a third game.
Both teams remained on point during Game 3 with Germany carding two doubles in the first seven frames and Team USA starting strike, spare, four-bagger.
Nevertheless, the Americans found themselves in jeopardy after Prather left a 4-6-7 split in the ninth frame.
That open gave Germany’s Tobias Börding the chance to step up in the 10th frame and shut the Americans out with a double.
That’s exactly what he did, delivering a solid strike in the tenth and then tripping a 6 pin on a slightly high shot in the eleventh to give Germany a 233-226 Game 3 win and the match victory.
Next, Team USA went up against the hosts from Australia.
Things looked good for the Americans early on, but three consecutive nine-spares in frames seven, eight and nine gave Australia’s Sam Cooley the chance to beat Team USA with a double in the 10th frame.
Cooley delivered the first hit, but the second left a 7 pin standing.
That meant that if Prather could convert a 10 pin, the Americans would take Game 1. He did, and Team USA opened the match with a 206-194 win.
The second game wasn’t nearly as exciting, at least not from a win-loss perspective.
After Johnson’s 4 pin in the first frame, the Americans rattled off the back 11 strikes. Australia, meanwhile, managed just one strike of its own, allowing Team USA to win Game 2 (290-179) and the match.
Hong Kong was the next opponent standing opposite the Team USA men.
The opening game of the match was all even heading into the 10th frame, but after Hong Kong’s anchor bowler failed to strike on his first ball, Johnson once again found himself in position to throw a strike to give Team USA a win.
Just as he had earlier against Germany, Johnson delivered in the clutch to give the Americans a 213-203 victory.
Team USA looked good early on in Game 2, going double, spare, turkey to jump out ahead of Hong Kong, which was playing from behind after a split led to an open in the fourth frame.
But things got a whole lot closer after Prather left a 3-4-6-7 split of his own and opened in the ninth.
Thankfully, Troup was there to pick up his teammate. Needing a 19-pin fill in the 10th frame to secure the win, Troup struck out, giving Team USA a 224-212 win and the match sweep.
The Americans’ final opponent of the first block was New Zealand, who came into the match sporting a 1-2 record on the day compared to the 2-1 mark of Team USA.
The Americans had Game 1 wrapped up well before the 10th frame rolled around as New Zealand split four times in the first six frames.
Team USA, on the other hand, was locked in early, going strike, spare, five-bagger to coast to the 235-179 win.
Game 2 brought more of the same as early opens by New Zealand and early strikes from the Americans led to another comfortable win for Team USA, this one by a final of 238-198.
The victory put the Americans at 3-1 for the round and in a tie for second place in the overall Team standings after Block 1.
Although the set wasn’t perfect, Butturff was pleased with the way that he and his teammates performed during the opening block, and he thinks that the close bond between men’s team members definitely played a role in that.
“We have pretty good chemistry between me, Kyle, Kris and A.J., and I think that helped us out there today,” Butturff said. “We all trust one another, so everyone feels comfortable just going out there and bowling their own game. That’s when we’re at our best, and I think that showed by the way we bowled that round.”
Women’s Block 1
After cheering on the men throughout the opening set, it was time for Coté, McEwan, Richard and Stefanie Johnson to open play in the Women’s Baker Team competition.
Unlike the men, the ladies would only have one four-match block to bowl on Thursday; their double set will come on Friday.
The Team USA quartet opened their night battling Malaysia, which had earned the No. 2 seed after qualifying; Team USA came in No. 1.
If the Malaysians were intimidated, it didn’t show as they opened the first game with the front six strikes against Team USA.
The Americans hung tough, staying clean early and recording a four-bagger in frames four through seven to stay tight on Malaysia’s heels.
However, the early string of strikes put Malaysia too far ahead, and when Coté split (3-4-6-7-10) on her first ball in the tenth, Game 1 officially went to Malaysia, 244-214.
Game 2 began in very much the same fashion as Malaysia opened with a five-bagger to immediately apply pressure to Team USA.
The Americans opened with a double of their own, but things slowed down from there as pair of opens halted Team USA’s momentum and allowed Malaysia to run away and hide.
When all was said and done, Malaysia rolled to a 228-195 victory and the 2-0 match sweep.
Match 2 saw Team USA take on Sweden.
Like the Malaysians had the match before, the Swedes jumped out quickly on the Americans, starting with a turkey to grab the early lead.
Team USA stayed calm and stayed clean, which allowed it to stay within striking distance as the game went to the 10th frame.
Sweden had the chance to lock the Americans out with a double, but it wasn’t mean to be as the second shot in the tenth left a 10 pin.
That gave Richard the chance to step up and play hero for Team USA, which she did by striking on all three shots in the 10th frame to lift the Americans to a 217-215 win. Richard struck on all five shots she threw in the game.
Strikes grew tough for Team USA to come by during the early stages of Game 2, and that allowed Sweden to jump out to the lead thanks to runs of strikes in the third, fourth and fifth and again in the eighth, ninth and first ball in the tenth.
That first strike meant that Sweden just needed to fill the remainder of the frame to win the game and even the match.
It was not meant to be though as Sweden’s next shot resulted in a disastrous 3-4-6-7-10 split.
After the conversion attempt only got the Swedes three more pins, Team USA’s Stefanie Johnson, who had struck on the first two shots in the 10th frame, stepped up needing seven pins for a tie or eight or better for the win.
Her pocket shot resulted in a 10 pin, but it was more than enough to give the Americans another 217-215 victory over Sweden and the match win.
The next matchup pitted Team USA against New Zealand.
The Kiwis led the Americans for most the opening game, but it appeared as if Team USA might be on the verge of completing a comeback when New Zealand left a 1-2-4-10 washout in the ninth frame.
The challenging spare was converted, however, and when Coté caught the business end of a pocket 7-10 in the 10th frame, it was over; New Zealand took Game 1 by a final margin of 186-174.
Even though they were bowling New Zealand, Team USA went Dutch to start Game 2, alternating strikes and spares during the first five frames.
Still, it was enough to get the Americans out to the lead as the Kiwis had just one strike and an open over the same span of frames.
Team USA heated up down the stretch, however, as Stefanie Johnson, Richard and McEwan combined to throw five out of the last six strikes to down New Zealand 227-171.
With each team having won a game, the match would be decided by Game 3.
That didn’t bode well for Team USA after they split and opened in each of the first two frames of the final game.
New Zealand couldn’t take advantage though, and that allowed the Americans to use a turkey in the sixth through eighth frames to jump on top and go on to a 196-182 victory.
Team USA’s final opponent of the day was the Philippines, which entered the contest still in search of its first match win of the block.
The Americans weren’t in the mood to let them find it.
After spares in the first two frames, Team USA ran off six strikes in a row before the streak came to an end with an open in the ninth frame. It was of little consequence, however, as the Philippines couldn’t string enough strikes together to close the gap, allowing the Americans to emerge with a relatively stress free 232-195 win in Game 1.
Things got closer during Game 2, but the outcome was the same as Team USA closed with strikes on five of their final six shots to win the game 245-213 and claim the match 2-0.
That moved the Team USA women to 3-1 for the day and earned them a share of first place with Germany and Singapore.
The set was not without its ups and downs, but the Team USA ladies are never ones to shy away from a battle.
“We’re a team that grinds and just tries to find a way to win,” Coté said. “Whether it’s shooting lights out or just making spares and staying patient, we’re always fighting. I think we stayed patient tonight, and that’s when we’re at our best.”
The ladies will roll a three-game block of matches early Friday afternoon and then a four-game set later that night after the men’s lone four-game session of the day is completed.
Men’s Block 2
Once the women’s block was completed, it was time for the Team USA men to take their cheerleading caps off and get back on the lanes for a three-game block of matches to close out Thursday night’s action.
Singapore was the first team standing in Team USA’s path as the evening block commenced.
The Americans came out strong and grabbed the lead with an early four-bagger, but Singapore hung tough, and when the Americans opened after splitting in the seventh frame, the lead changed hands.
But it would be handed back just moments later when Singapore left a split and opened the ninth. That’s when Team USA stepped up and slammed the door on a 221-216 win.
The action really heated up in Game 2 as both teams stayed clean and logged five-baggers to set up an exciting, high-scoring finish.
Troup had a chance to close Singapore out with a strike on his first ball in the 10th frame, but the shot crept high and left a 4 pin.
That allowed Singapore to double to win the game and extend that match, and that’s precisely what they did, downing the Americans 248-245 to force a deciding game.
The scoring pace came down during Game 3, but the excitement did not as it was another battle that went right down to the wire.
Thankfully, this one went the way of Team USA as after Singapore’s anchor bowler failed to strike on his first ball in the tenth, Kris Prather was able to count 20 pins in his final frame to give the Americans the 219-207 win and the match.
Match 2 was Team USA versus the Philippines, and the opening game was a wild one.
The Philippines looked to have the game well in hand, up thirty pins in the eighth frame, but a Team USA double and an open in the ninth by the Philippines suddenly gave the Americans a chance.
If Butturff could strike on the first ball in the tenth, Team USA would grab an unlikely victory.
Unfortunately, Butturff’s pocket hit couldn’t shake the 7 pin, which allowed the Philippines to hang on for the Game 1 victory (200-192).
What was even more unfortunate was that Game 2 was never even close as Team USA just couldn’t seem to find its way, striking just three times and opening twice during an easy 203-169 Philippines victory that ended the match 2-0.
That left just one more bout for Team USA to fight on Day 1 of Team, and Puerto Rico was in the opposing corner.
Team USA came out swinging, going spare, double, spare before running out an eight-bagger to finish the game and collect a lopsided 267-214 victory.
The Americans would’ve liked to end the fight early by closing things out in Game 2, but it was destined to go all three rounds as poor ball reaction on the left lane had the Americans stuck in neutral while Puerto Rico was in cruise control.
After a double in frames three and four, Team USA only recorded two additional strikes during a an easy Puerto Rico victory (236-194).
Thankfully, the Americans’ collective ball reaction immediately looked better upon moving back to the right lane, where they put up 10 strikes just two games before.
The Americans began Game 3 strike, spare, strike, spare before starting to strike strikes yet again.
All four Team USA members struck in frames five through eight, and they weren’t content to stop there. Johnson tripped a 4 pin in the ninth, and Butturff doubled in the tenth to put the Americans back in the winner’s circle with a 258-204 match-clinching victory.
The win moved the men’s record to 5-2 for the day, which put them in third place at the end of Day 1 of Baker Team competition.
“I think we’re off to a pretty solid start halfway through this event,” Prather said. “Our communication was great, which made it easier for us to make adjustments quickly and play the lanes the way we needed to. We’ll just keep gathering information and learning as we go; we’re looking forward to the next couple of days.”
The men will be back on the lanes for one four-match block Friday afternoon and a final three-game set Saturday morning, at the end of which the field will be cut to the top eight teams.
Team USA Head Coach Bryan O’Keefe was pleased with the start that both of his teams got off to on Day 1 of Team.
“I thought today went well. We had a good gameplan, and both groups did a good job sticking with it and executing,” O’Keefe said. “It was a solid start for both teams, so we’ll just try to carry that into tomorrow.”