Maryland-Eastern Shore capped off a memorable day of comebacks by defeating Arkansas State, 4-2, in the best-of-7 Baker championship match Saturday at the 2008 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship at Thunder Alley.

"After last year, I felt we were contending for a championship," said Maryland-Eastern Shore head coach Sharon Brummell, who led the Hawks to a national runner-up finish a year ago. "These young ladies came out today and fought."

Photo by Craig Hacker/Getty Images.

The national title is the second in the school's history, and first since the Hawks won the 1963 NAIA outdoor track and field championship.

It almost never came to be without the heroics of senior Jessica Worsley, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, after the Hawks fell behind, 3-0, to defending champion Vanderbilt in the semifinals preceding the championship.

After shaving one game off the deficit, Worsley kept the Hawks alive in dramatic fashion by converting the 2-10 spilt in the 10th frame - giving Maryland-Shore a 194-190 of Game 5 victory and rolling to win the next two to cap the improbable comeback.

"The 'Big Four' is still my favorite split," said Worsley, referring to her 4-6-7-10 split conversion on Friday. "Knowing that could be my last shot and needing that conversion to stay alive, there was no way in my mind I was missing that."

Maryland-Eastern Shore, ranked No. 2 among NCAA schools, fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 to Arkansas State in the championship match.

As they've shown they can do, the Hawks rallied to win the final three games - getting a pair of strikes from freshman Kristina Frahm in Game 4, two from junior Laura Zanrucha in Game 5 and two more from Worsley in a 174-170 title-clinching victory in Game 6.

"When we were down 3-0 to Vanderbilt, it got a little scary," Brummell said. "That split conversion changed the whole momentum for us and it carried into the championship. We didn't have anything to lose."

The Hawks will have an opportunity to win an unprecedented two national titles in one season next week when they compete at the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships in Wichita, Kan.

Arkansas State, in its first trip to the NCAA National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship, advanced to the championship match with a semifinal comeback of its own, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to defeat New Jersey City, 4-3.

Joining Worsley on the All-Tournament Team was teammate Maria Rodriguez, Arkansas State's Maggie Adams, Vanderbilt's Brittany Garcia and New Jersey City's Vicki Spratford.

The championship match will be replayed at 7 p.m. EDT Monday on ESPN2.