Progress on the lanes didn’t translate into victory for Aberdeen’s bowlers on Wednesday.

More experienced Olympia downed the Bobcats, 5-0, in Aberdeen’s home debut at Rainier Lanes.

The Bears downed the Bobcats, 654-608 and 671-634, in two standard games. Olympia then registered 126-122 and 115-98 victories under the Baker format, in which the five varsity team members alternate frames.

Aberdeen’s total was actually one pin shy of its previous best this season. Considering that the Bobcats were missing two starters due to illness, head coach David Bruncke wasn’t disappointed.

“I looked over the scores from today and Monday and most girls did improve in the games, nicely,” Bruncke said. “Our Baker games are what brought us down 50 pins today.”

Bailee Green, who rolled three straight strikes (or a turkey) in the second game, was high for the Bobcats during the first two games with a 138-140 — 278 total. Meghan Howell threw four strikes in her two games en route to a 273 series.

Annabelle Micheau, a hard-throwing southpaw, rebounded from a rocky start to roll Aberdeen’s high game for the day, a 163 in the second stanza. Micheau also struck in both her frames during the first Baker game.

Bruncke also cited the performance of Iliana Mercado-George, one of the players promoted from the junior varsity.

Olympia’s Justina Dizon was the top scorer with a 300 two-game set.

The Bobcats were frustratingly close to victories in every game but the first.

Recording 10 consecutive marks (either strikes or spares), they led in the second game before faltering in the final frames. They also owned a narrow lead until the final two frames of the second Baker game.

Aberdeen would have won the first Baker game except for a freak incident. Green struck in the ninth frame, but the shot was not recorded due to an extra pin being on the lane. Forced to re-do the ninth, she suffered an open frame on her next two shots.

“The girls are working hard in practice,” Bruncke concluded. “They are focused practice machines.”

The Bobcats competed in a four-school meet Friday at Olympia.

Olympia — Zoe Christensen 133-126 — 259, Justina Dizon 141-159 — 300, Teal Fleming 114-104 — 218, Sam Nurmi 105-148 — 253, Jessie Jewell 161-134 — 295.

Aberdeen — Iliana Mercado-George 132-116 — 248, Annabelle Micheau 91-163 — 254, Molly Scroggs 100-89 — 189, Bailee Green 138-140 — 278, Meghan Howell 147-126 — 273.