With the PBA50 Tour season now in the record books, Xtra Frame, the PBA's online bowling channel, will turn its attention to PBA Regional competition in the weeks ahead.

Next up is the PBA Bowlerama Lanes Midwest Region Open from Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 23-24, which will include coverage of the first of three PBA Women's Regional competitions in the Midwest Region.

On the September calendar will include the PBA Grand Hotel, Casino and Resort Southwest Regional Invitational from Shawnee, Okla., Sept. 5-7, and the Diamond Jo's Casino Midwest Open at Cherry Lanes in Dubuque, Iowa, Sept. 13-14. The Dubuque event will be the second of three PBA Women's Regional events in the Midwest Region.

To sign up, click on the Xtra Frame link.

 

Another 15 minutes of fame for PBA50 Tour titlist Mike Pullin

Mike Pullin of Rochelle, Ill., the 1999 PBA50 Rookie of the Year and 2000 PBA50 Hammond (Ind.) Open winner, was featured as the No. 2 star of ESPN Sports Center's Top 10 Plays of the Day on Tuesday, Aug. 12…but it had nothing to do with his bowling skills.

Pullin, now 65 and retired, put his long-time softball skills to play by rising to his feet and catching a long home run hit by Milwaukee Brewers' slugger Mark Reynolds at Wrigley Field in Chicago before it disappeared over the left field wall onto Waveland Avenue.

Pullin, who then pulled the old "switcheroo," saved the ball he caught and retrieved an old ball out of pouch he carried along, throwing it back into the Chicago Cubs' outfield. The entire episode, and more, became a hit not only on ESPN, but on Chicago television stations.

 

PBA Regional Summary: Sean Lavery, Clara Guerrero shine in Killeen Southwest event

Sean Lavery of Pasadena, Texas, defeated five-time PBA Killeen Southwest Open winner Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, 259-237, to win his first PBA Regional title Sunday in the 18th annual PBA Killeen Southwest Open at Hallmark Lanes in Killeen, Texas.

Lavery, 23, rebounded from an early open frame with a string of strikes, clinching the title in the 10th frame with his eighth strike in a row. Lavery started his road to victory by eliminating last week's Fort Sill, Okla. champion, Anthony Simonsen of Mesquite, Texas, 2-1 in the opening round of the best two-of-three matches.

He then defeated former U.S. Open champion Robert Lawrence of Del Valle, Texas, in the Round of 12, 2-0; Shawn Maldonado from Houston, Texas, 2-0, in the round of 8, and three-time PBA Tour titlist Michael Haugen Jr. of Phoenix, Ariz., in the semifinal round.

In the first of three Southwest Region Women's Series events, Colombia native Clara Guerrero (left) of Pflugerville, Texas, grabbed the points lead with a third-place overall finish. Fellow Colombian Maria Rodriguez (right) of Austin, Texas, the 2014 USBC Queens champion, was the next of five women, cashing in at 17th place.

Bill O'Neill of Langhorne, Pa., clinched his 12th PBA Regional title with a 259-171 win over Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., in the final match of the PBA Brighton Construction South Classic at Waccamaw Lanes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Sunday.

O'Neill (right), holding onto a 58-pin lead going into the position round, finished with a 25-game total of 5,650 pins and a 146-pin margin of victory over Jones to claim $2,500 for the win. Jones, who bowled the only 300 game in the tournament, earned $1,300 for his 5,504 pinfall total.

The Myrtle Beach tournament was the second PBA South Region Women's Regional. Amateur Melia Bennett of South Charleston, W.Va., was the highest-finishing women in the event, finishing out of the money in 32nd place with an eight-game total of 1,590 pins, but earning a $250 prize as the top woman in the field. Crystal Hall of St. Pauls, N.C., was the highest-placing woman PBA member in the field, finishing 37th.

Anthony Pepe (pictured with proprietor Bill Brenneman, right) of Elmhurst, N.Y., defeated Travis Celmer of Wernersville, Pa., 278-246, to win the PBA Bowlers Supply/Storm Products Eastern Open at Colony Park North Lanes Sunday in York, Pa.

Pepe and Celmer each started the championship match with strings of strikes. Celmer broke off after five and missed a single pin spare. Pepe had the first six strikes, converted a split in the seventh frame before striking out to close out the match. Pepe earned $3,100 and his first PBA Regional title for the win while Celmer earned $1,600 as the runner-up.

Pepe had competed in several PBA regional events as a non-member – winning twice – prior to joining the PBA before the 2013 PBA World Series of Bowling. His win came in his fourth PBA East Regional event as a member while Celmer finished second in the York event for the third time in the last four years.

Ron Mohr (right) of Las Vegas picked up $1,700 and his 13th career PBA Regional title when he defeated traveling roommate Darron Peters of Temecula, Calif., 211-167, to win the PBA50 Beverly Lanes Midwest/Central Open in Arlington Heights, Ill., on Aug. 3.

The Aug. 15-17 PBA Regional calendar includes the Emerald Bowl Southwest Challenge presented by Bowling Dynamix, for non-champions, in Houston, Texas; the Dave Husted Northwest Open presented by Dexter at Husted's Milwaukie Bowl in Milwaukie, Ore.; the Bethmann Russell Syracuse Eastern Open presented by Radical (a PBA Women's Regional points event) at Flamingo Bowl in Liverpool, N.Y., and the Lefeld Implement Central Classic (a PBA Women's Regional points event) at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater, Ohio.

The Aug. 22-24 regional schedule includes the Fayetteville South Open (a PBA Women's Regional points event) at Lafayette Lanes in Fayetteville, N.C.; the Mil-Ray Foods East Open presented by Columbia 300 at Brunswick Zone in Deptford, N.J. (a PBA Women's Regional event); the PBA and PBA50 Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes Capital City West/Northwest Opens presented by DV8 (a PBA Women's West and Northwest Region points event) in Citrus Heights, Calif.; the Greenville Southwest Open presented by allbowling.com (a PBA Women's Regional points event) at Shenaniganz in Greenville, Texas, and the Bowlerama Lanes Midwest Open presented by Radical (a live Xtra Frame event and a PBA Women's Regional points event) in Des Moines, Iowa.

The extended Labor Day weekend includes another full schedule of events, including the PBA50 Wilson & Sons Termite Pest Control Super Senior Open (for players 60 and older) followed by the PBA50 Mooresville South Open at George Pappas' Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C.; the Tony Reyes Memorial Member/Non-Member Doubles presented by Brunswick at Fourth Street Bowl in San Jose, Calif., and the BOWLSTRONG Midwest/Central Challenge (for non-winners) plus the BOWLSTRONG Midwest/Central Tournament of Champions (for PBA title winners) at King Pin Lanes in Springfield, Ill.

Kicking off the September schedule will be the PBA50 Kingsport Super Senior South Open for players 60 and older at Warpath Lanes in Kingsport, Tenn., Sept. 2-4, followed by Sept. 5-7 weekend events including the Moon City Central Classic presented by Roto Grip at Astro Lanes in Wapakoneta, Ohio; the Grand Hotel, Casino & Resort Southwest Invitational at Firelake Bowling Center in Shawnee, Okla. (featuring live Xtra Frame coverage); the PBA50 Howell Lanes East Open in Howell, N.J.; the Rufus West Open presented by Columbia 300 at FlipSide Lanes in Gilbert, Ariz., and a pair of one-day PBA50 events presented by Ebonite at Illinois Valley Super Bowl in Peru, Ill.

For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, click here.

 

Quick Notes

Prior to the season-ending PBA50 Treasure Island Resort & Casino Open presented by Hammer in Welch, Minn., Pete Weber (left) and KARE-TV 11 sports director Eric Perkins took part in the Treasure Island Resort & Casino Bowl Down Cancer charity event that raised more than $8,000 for the USBC Minnesota State Bowling Association Cancer Fund.

Donations were raised through pledges-per-pin during the challenge two-game match between Weber and Perkins, matching donations by Treasure Island Resort & Casino, and bowling shirt and ball donated by Weber for auction. The top individual fund raiser – 11-year-old Zach Medin – also had the opportunity to compete against Weber in a one-game match.

Bryan Goebel (right) of Shawnee, Kan., is the 41st member of the PBA Millionaire's Club, surpassing the milestone in PBA career earnings with his Round of 16 finish in the PBA50 South Shore Open in Hammond, Ind., last week. Goebel, 52, started his PBA Tour career in 1981 and has bowled in just over 510 PBA events across the years.

 

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