ADDISON — The Firebirds bowling team traveled to compete in the 18th Annual Storm Baker Challenge, an all-Baker game tournament featuring 24 Baker games on day one and 16 Baker games on day two. After 40 games, the top four teams advanced to Baker Matchplay, where the first team to win three out of five Baker games progressed to the next round.

After day one, the Firebirds sat in fourth place with a 197-pin lead over fifth-place Augustana (Ill.) in a field of eight teams. Freshman Airie Frost and senior Jessica Rosa stood out with strong performances.

On day two, Carthage maintained its fourth-place position, increasing its lead over Augustana (Ill.) to 303 pins and securing a spot in the Baker Matchplay round. The Firebirds faced top-seeded Judson in a hard-fought semifinal matchup.

Game one saw Carthage narrowly fall by 20 pins, 186-166, after four missed spares. In game two, senior Jessica Rosa delivered in the clutch, rolling two strikes and a nine-count in the 10th frame to edge Judson 202-201 and even the match at one game apiece.

Despite battling to the final frame, the Firebirds dropped games three and four by razor-thin margins, losing four pins and five pins, respectively. While the weekend ended in a semifinal exit, the team gained valuable experience and showed continued improvement in the Baker Matchplay format.

The Firebirds will look to build on this momentum next weekend as they head to Lansing, Michigan, for the inaugural Division III Invitational.