LAWRENCE, Kan. (Nov. 2, 2019) – Sam Butler bowled three straight games of 200 or higher while Mitchell Leonard closed with four straight such games, leading Oklahoma Christian on Saturday on the first day of the Jayhawk Collegiate Classic at Royal Crest Lanes.

In the team race, OC stood fourth out of 19 teams with a score of 5,741 after six team games, putting the Eagles in strong position to earn one of the eight spots in the match-play portion of the tournament on Sunday. Those eight spots will be determined after the teams roll 16 Baker games, starting at 10 a.m. Sunday.

OC holds a 235-pin lead over the ninth-place team, Nebraska. Wichita State leads the tournament with a score of 6,245, followed by Midland (Neb.) at 6,167, Hastings (Neb.) at 5,874, OC and Newman (Kan.) at 5,721.

Butler, a sophomore from Texarkana, Texas, finished 11th in the individual race with a score of 1,228, rolling a 232 in game four, a 209 in game five and a 236 in game six.

Leonard, a freshman from St. Charles, Ill., started slow but closed with scores of 215, 221, 227 and 200 in his final four games, placing 14th at 1,216.

OC sophomore Jacob Hastings of McKinney, Texas, also rolled all six games for the Eagles, placing 35th at 1,152, with a top score of 239 in game two.

Alex Sorge of Wichita State topped the individual standings with a score of 1,358.