Chris Loschetter (pictured left) of Avon, Ohio, trying for his first Professional Bowlers Association Tour title after nine years, held off PBA Hall of Famer Norm Duke (right) by two pins to earn the top stepladder berth for the June 1 Lucas Oil PBA Wolf Open finals at AMF West Lanes in Milwaukee, Wis., Friday night.

Loschetter, who has finished second four times in his career, led the tournament from the second game, fighting off challenges all day Friday and clinging to the No. 1 position when Duke left a solid 8 pin in the 10th frame of his final game.

Loschetter celebrated his 33rd birthday by finishing the Wolf Open, the second of four tournaments in the GEICO PBA Winter Swing presented by Lucas Oil with a 26-game total of 6,617 pins, including match play bonus pins, and a feeling that it's finally time to win his first PBA Tour title.

"I'm definitely due," he said. "I feel like I deserve a title more than anybody out here. I've worked hard. I deserve it. I hope this time it happens. I've had some horrible breaks on TV, but I think the time has come."

Loschetter will meet the winner of a stepladder field that includes Duke in second place; 20-year-old rookie E.J. Tackett (left) of Huntington, Ind., in third place with 6,554 pins; PBA Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., in fourth place with a 6,477 total, and Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa., in fifth with 6,436 pins.

As relieved as Loschetter was to hold onto the lead, Duke was stunned over his bad break.

"That ball could have struck," he said of the 8 pin that stood on a solid pocket hit. "Unbelievable. That was the third solid 8 pin I left in the last three games. They cost me 70 pins.

"Mentally I'm exhausted," he continued. "Physically I'm fine except my right thumb wants to fall off. I'm a little frustrated, but I'll tell you what, a lot of other guys are frustrated, too."

Missing the top position for the Wolf Open stepladder finals means there can't be a showdown match for the title between Duke and Weber (right), each of whom owns 37 PBA Tour titles, tied for third best in PBA history behind Walter Ray Williams Jr. (47) and Earl Anthony (43). But the two hall of famers could meet in the semifinal match.

"We haven't bowled each other on TV in a long time," Duke said, "but Pete and I have had some barn burners over the years. Pete's one of the best that ever lived. We're dear friends. We're both aware of where we are in our careers, and to be mentioned in the same breath with him is really special."

Tackett, a two-time member of Junior Team USA, will be making his first television appearance in the Wolf Open finals on Saturday, June 1, at 2:30 p.m. CT. O'Neill (left) is trying for his fifth PBA Tour title.

The GEICO PBA Summer Swing now moves to AMF Bowlero in nearby Wauwatosa for the Lucas Oil Bear Open. Following a day off on Saturday, players will bowl practice and pro-am events Sunday followed by two five-game qualifying rounds on Monday. The top 24 will then advance to two eight-game match play rounds on Tuesday.

The Bear Open is the final qualifying leg leading into the Lucas Oil Milwaukee Open which will be held Wednesday and Thursday, also at AMF Bowlero. The Milwaukee Open will feature the top 28 qualifiers based on total pinfall after 30 qualifying games from the Badger, Wolf and Bear "animal pattern" events. O'Neill leads the Milwaukee Open qualifying field after 20 games.

Stepladder finals for all four PBA Tour events, plus the GEICO Summer King of the Swing special event, will be taped over two days by the CBS Sports Network June 1-2 at Bowlero for airing on five consecutive Tuesdays at 7 p.m. ET beginning June 11.

The GEICO Summer King of the Swing will include the four Summer Swing event champions plus the next highest points leader who hasn't won a title. Those five will compete in a $25,000 stepladder final for a $10,000 first prize, concluding the summer series on June 2.

 

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PBA Wolf Open - Final Match Play Standings

Players with position, hometown and 26-game total including match play bonus pins. The top five advance to Wolf Open stepladder finals. Places 6-24 show earnings.

1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 8-7-1, 6,617
2, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 12-4, 6,615
3, E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., 11-5, 6,554
4, Pete Weber, St. Ann, Mo., 11-5, 6,477
5, Bill O'Neill, Langhorne, Pa., 8-8, 6,436

Missed Cut:
6, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 9-7, 6,391, $1,800
7, Michael Haugen Jr., Phoenix, 11-5, 6,345, $1,700
8, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 11-4-1, 6,319, $1,600
9, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 9-7, 6,314, $1,550
10, Eugene McCune, Munster, Ind., 8-7-1, 6,301, $1,500
11, Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill., 8-8, 6,264, $1,450
12, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 5-10-1, 6,216, $1,400
13, Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 10-6, 6,175, $1,350
14, Patrick Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 6-9-1, 6,170, $1,300
15, Osku Palermaa, Finland, 8-8, 6,145, $1,250
16, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 7-8-1, 6,112, $1,200
17, Mike Fagan, Dallas, 7-9, 6,068, $1,150
18, Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., 7-9, 6,013, $1,100
19, Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind., 5-11, 6,001, $1,050
20, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 7-9, 5,988, $1,000
21, Kenneth Kempf, Appleton, Wis., 8-8, 5,940, $950
22, Andres Gomez, Colombia, 7-9-0, 5,761, $900
23, Dan MacLelland, Canada, 4-12, 5,736, $850
24, William Guszczo, Orland Park, Ill., 2-14, 5,384, $800

300 Games: Mike Wolfe