IT'S A CASE OF DEJA VU all over again for last season's "Dynamic Duo" at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.
Chris Bardol and Greg Lund, teammates on the G&W Vending Triples League, combined for three 800 series and a couple of 300 games while both averaged over 225 in 2015-16, and they're at it again early in the 2016-17 campaign.
Bardol, a 28-year-old right-hander and owner of North Pole Restaurant in Batavia, came within a pin of tying the Genesee Region USBC three-game series record on Sept. 20 when he fired an 846 series on lanes 5-6, and Lund, a 67-year-old righty, registered his second perfect game in six months when he posted 300 on lanes 1-2 earlier this week.
The fact that he came so close to the association record of 847 (held by Lima residents Scott Culp and Craig Royce) came as a surprise, Bardol said.
"I had no idea (what the record was) or even what I bowled until I was all done and someone told me (the score)," said Bardol, who used a Hammer Black Widow Red Legend to notch 32 out of a possible 36 strikes. "I just had a feeling that they were going to fall once I got going."
Bardol started with 10 strikes in the first game before leaving the 2-4-5; sandwiched nine strikes between solid 10-pins in the second game, and finished with 10 strikes after leaving a solid 9-pin in the second frame of the third game.
He followed that up with a 751 series this week, edging Lund by eight pins for top honors that night. But it was Lund who added to his honor score total with the 300 in the second game.
Lund said he got a fortunate break in the sixth frame en route to his fifth perfect game.
"There was a pin standing and another pin rolled across the deck and knocked it down," said Lund, who was using a Storm Crux. "I thought this might be the break I need."
He started the night with a 217 game and finished with 226 for a 743 total.
At Mount Morris Lanes, which put in synthetic lanes this year, 49-year-old left-hander Dave DiSalvo is finding the new lanes to his liking as he rolled an 815 series with games of 279, 258 and 278 in the Saturday Night Mixed League on Sept. 17.
"I used a new ball, the Radical Primo Pearl, which clears the heads nicely as the lanes hook a lot," said DiSalvo, who works for Procair medical home equipment supply. "So far, the lanes have been excellent as I shot 680, 800 and 690 in the first three weeks."
DiSalvo's games were 279-258-278 on lanes 5-6. He now has two 800 series to go along with his four perfect games.
MARCO ... POLO ... GEICO TO SPONSOR WSOB VIII
MARCO POLO won't be one of the competitors but, citing the hilarious TV commercial, "It's not surprising" that GEICO has signed on for another year as the main sponsor of the Professional Bowlers Assocation World Series of Bowling VIII in Reno, Nev., Nov. 27-Dec. 11. This year marks the 14th straight year that GEICO has backed the PBA, with the last four as headline sponsor of the WSOB.
The World Series of Bowling packs five tournaments in a two-week span, capped off by the live telecast of the PBA World Championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 on ESPN. The finals of the other events -- PBA Cheetah, Viper, Chameleon and Shark Championships -- will be shown on a tape-delayed basis at dates to be announced.
All of the action leading up to the finals of the WSOB tournaments is available to pro bowling fans via PBA's online bowling channel, Xtra Frame.
GEICO Marketing VP Ted Ward gave "props" to the PBA, noting its higher TV viewer ratings.
“We really like being a part of the PBA World Series of Bowling,” Ward told PBA publicists. “It’s such a popular sporting event and it brings out such great fans. We’re happy we can support them.”
WSOB VIII will award more than $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest event in professional bowling. Bowlers representing around 20 different countries are expected this year.
TACKETT WINS, SZCZERBINSKI THIRD IN PBA BEAR OPEN
IN THE SECOND of five telecasts from the PBA Fall Swing in Allen Park, Mich., earlier this month, EJ Tackett of Huntington, Ind., struck twice in the 10th frame to defeat Sweden’s Jesper Svensson, 212-199, to win the PBA Bear Open. The finals aired Wednesday night on CBS Sports Network.
Tackett, the 2013 PBA Rookie of the Year, now has three career PBA titles, with two of them coming this year.
No. 4 qualifier John Szczerbinski of North Tonawanda won his first match, 207-183 over Jon Van Hees of Charlestown, R.I., 207-183, and followed that with a 232-184 victory over Josh Blanchard of Mesa, Ariz., 232-184. He lost to Tackett in the semifinals, however, 193-183.
Tackett earned $10,000, Svennson $5,000 and Szczerbinski $4,000.
CBS Sports Network will televise three more finals from the Fall Swing -- the Badger Open on Oct. 5, the Detroit Open on Oct. 12 and the King of the Swing special event on Oct. 19. All shows air at 9 p.m. ET.
NEWS AND NOTES AROUND THE GENESEE REGION
RANDY HANKS, proprietor of Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion, reports that he has gained about 25 new USBC-certified league bowlers this season. This continues an upward trend for Hanks, who took over the 18-lane center about 11 years ago with about 150 league bowlers. Today, close to 400 men, women and children are enjoying the sport at the family-run establishment in the Orleans County village. When it was mentioned to him that he must be doing something right, all he said was "we're trying."
Genesee Region USBC President Tom Fluker is scrambling a bit to put this year's GR Youth Travel League together. The every-other-Sunday afternoon league will get under way at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 16 at Mancuso Bowling Center, but as of press time, the number of teams and full schedule were undetermined.
Scopano's Lanes in Oakfield lost a couple adult leagues this season -- bowlers from the Sloat Tire Tuesday and the Sunday Morning Scratch leagues have gone elsewhere -- but it continues to field a strong Saturday morning youth program thanks to some fine work by Carrie Monachino and Jared Allen. Monachino, parent of a youth bowler, conducted sign-ups over two weeks and is working with Allen, bowling center employee, to draw up teams for this Saturday's opening session. Monachino reported that 60 kids have registered to participate -- 20 on the 9 a.m. squad and 40 on the 10:30 a.m. squad. And that's a few more than they had last year.
An "Early Season" handicap no-tap tournament at Medina Lanes apparently was a bit too early for most bowlers as only 10 teams participated. Nevertheless, the trio of Chris Bacon of Medina, and the husband-wife duo of Rob and Jeanette Sease of Brockport bowled well enough to pocket the guaranteed $750 top prize. Mancuso Bowling Center will host a "Start of the Season" three-person handicap no-tap event on Oct. 29 with first place, based on 48 teams, set at $750.
The tournament committee of the GRUSBC will be meeting this Sunday to finalize entry forms for the local association's tournaments this season. Fluker said bowlers can expect to see the entry forms on the GRUSBC website -- www.bowlgr.com -- within the next two weeks. The association's first tournament is an Adult-Junior event on Oct. 29 at Legion Lanes in Le Roy. Fluker also announced that the association will be raising funds for its youth program through four MOTIV bowling ball giveaways starting next week at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, Mount Morris Lanes, Medina Lanes and Oak Orchard Bowl in Albion.
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With today's column, we welcome a new sponsor: The Hidden Door, located at 202 East Main St., Batavia. The Hidden Door is a quaint home decor and gift store specializing in unique products and, in the interest of full disclosure, is owned by my daughter, Leanna DiRisio.
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(Mike Pettinella’s Pin Points column appears every other Thursday on The Batavian, the region’s No. 1 source for online news. To advertise on this page, contact Mike at mikepett2002@yahoo.com).
