Elysia Current (pictured left with the trophy) of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, took advantage of great ball reaction in the stepladder finals and rolled to the title Saturday at the Professional Women's Bowling Association Storm Sacramento Open.

Current defeated top seed Kristina Wendell (right) of Kingston, New York, 246-194, in the championship match before a standing-room only crowd at Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes.

The PWBA Storm Sacramento Open was the first regular-season event on the PWBA Tour in more than a dozen years. The PWBA Tour ceased operations in 2003 and has been rejuvenated this year thanks to the support from the bowling industry.

"This is really amazing because the PWBA Tour folded when I graduated high school and everything I had looked forward to I had to put on hold," Current said. "To come out here and win on the PWBA Tour is seriously a dream come true."

Current entered the stepladder finals as the No. 2 seed and took advantage of her unbeatable ball reaction in the finals. She knocked off Missy Parkin (left) of Laguna Hills, California, 248-233, before defeating Wendell in the championship.

"All I have been working on this week was my mental game because physically I have been throwing the ball well," Current said. "Finally, it all started to click together."

In the opening match of the stepladder finals, Parkin defeated Rocio Restrepo (right), a Colombian native who lives in Louisville, Ohio, 216-202.

Current earned $12,000 for the title and a spot in the season-ending PWBA Tour Championship, which will be contested in Arlington, Texas, in September.

 

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PWBA Storm Sacramento Open - Stepladder Finals

Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, Calif., United States (July 9-11, 2015)

Championship Round:
1, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 494 (two games), $12,000
2, Kristina Wendell, Kingston, N.Y., 194 (one game), $6,000
3, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 449 (two games), $4,500
4, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 202 (one game) $3,500

Playoff Results:
Match One: Parkin def. Restrepo, 216-202
Match Two: Current def. Parkin, 248-233
Championship: Current def. Wendell, 246-194

 

PWBA Storm Sacramento Open - Match Play Results

Players with position, hometown, 28-game total and 16-game match play record; 30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie, top four advance to the stepladder finals; places 5-16 show earnings

1, Kristina Wendell, Kingston, N.Y., 11-5-0, 6,586
2, Elysia Current, Ephrata, Pa., 9-7-0, 6,364
3, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 10-6-0, 6,278
4, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 10-6-0, 6,227

Missed Cut:
5, Samantha Schaden, Baltimore, Md., 9-7-0, 6,202, $2,500
6, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Austin, Texas, 9-7-0, 6,126, $2,400
7, Bryanna Caldwell, Red Rock, Ariz., 11-5-0, 6,114, $2,300
8, Stefanie Johnson, Grand Prairie, Texas, 6-10-0, 6,087, $2,200
9, Anne Marie Duggan, Edmond, Okla., 8-8-0, 6,060, $2,100
10, April Murphy, Wichita, Kan., 9-7-0, 6,014, $2,000
11, Tnia Falbo, Greensburg, Pa., 7-9-0, 5,948, $1,750
12, Natalie Cortese, Hoffman Estates, Ill., 7-9-0, 5,923, $1,700
13, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, Ill., 7-9-0, 5,907, $1,650
14, Kerry Smith, Lititz, Pa., 6-10-0, 5,785, $1,600
15, Kimberly Power, San Leandro, Calif., 4-12-0, 5,776, $1,550
16, Megan Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, 5-11-0, 5,762, $1,500