Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer Norm Duke of Clermont, Fla., used a near-perfect 299 game to retain in contention for the bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout title at Bayside Bowl Tuesday, advancing to Wednesday’s final best-of-three-game elimination rounds along with 19-year-old Texas two-handed star Anthony Simonsen, who is trying to become the first three-time titlist of the 2016 PBA Tour season.

Duke (pictured above), a 38-time PBA Tour title winner, eliminated Colombia’s Andres Gomez after losing the first game, 224-213. Duke escaped with a 239-234 win in game two and then ran away from Gomez in game three, 299-234, missing a perfect game when the 10 pin stood on his final shot.

Simonsen (left), who became the youngest player ever to win a PBA major title when he won the United States Bowling Congress Masters in February, is trying for his third career title.

The Princeton, Texas, resident won his first PBA Tour title in January when he teamed with North Carolina’s Connor Pickford to win the Mark Roth/Marshall Holman PBA Doubles Championship.

Tuesday, he swept PBA Tour veteran Tom Daugherty (right), 2-0, in the opening Round and ran away from three-time PBA winner Scott Norton in the Round of 32, 2-0.

Defending champion Josh Blanchard (left) of Mesa, Ariz., made it through the opening round with a 2-1 win over Sweden’s Martin Larsen, but then was eliminated by Tom Smallwood of Saginaw, Mich., 2-0, in the Round of 32.

In a marque opening-round match between two future PBA Hall of Famers, 16-time PBA Tour champion Tommy Jones of Simpsonville, S.C., eliminated two-time PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte of Australia, in a thriller.

Belmonte won game one, 258-203. Jones (right) tied the match with a 236-227 win in game two and then nipped Belmonte in game three, 209-208. Jones then ousted North Carolina’s Kyle Troup in the second round, 2-0.

Maine’s final hope, amateur Jimmy Clark from Topsham, upset PBA Tour veteran John Szczerbinski of North Tonawanda, N.Y., 2-1, in the Round of 64, before losing an intense 2-1 battle with 10-time PBA Tour champion Wes Malott in the Round of 32.

Clark won the first game, 235-181, but Malott (left) out-struck him in game two, 266-261, and threw the first two strikes in the 10th frame to win, 235-223, after Clark left a 2-10 split on his second shot in the 10th frame.

The bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout, presented by Xtra Frame, is the first of 10 PBA Tour Xtra Frame events scheduled for 2016. The tournament began with a field of 64 players and concludes Wednesday with best-of-three-game single elimination rounds beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. The championship match to determine the winner of the $10,000 first prize and a PBA Tour title begins at 7:30 p.m. ET.

All of the competition will be covered live on PBA’s exclusive online bowling channel, Xtra Frame.

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bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout – Round of 64

Best of three games, losers eliminated; n-denotes non-PBA member

Wes Malott, Pflugerville, Texas, def. n-Robert Gotchall, Lincoln, Neb., 2-1
(214-226, 268-222, 290-223)
n-Jimmy Clark, Topsham, Maine, def. John Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y., 2-1
(230-236, 257-249, 229-203)
Osku Palermaa, Finland, def. Joseph Hanussak Jr., Hamilton, N.J., 2-0
(259-205, 192-169)
Walter Ray Williams Jr., Oxford, Fla., def. Bryon Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 2-0
(224-192, 237-235)
Shawn Maldonado, Houston, def. n-Charlie Mitchell, Portland, Maine, 2-0
(222-158, 204-138)
Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, def. n-Scott Moore, Lewiston, Maine, 2-0
(231-230, 232-193)
Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga, N.Y., def. Michael Markis, Tafton, Pa., 2-1
(205-256, 190-154, 248-204)
Ronnie Russell, Marion, Ind., def. n-Alex Aguiar, N. Dartmouth, Mass., 2-1
(213-214, 215-154, 300
-189)

Kyle Troup, Taylorsville, N.C., def. Brett Spangler, Niles, Ohio, 2-0
(193-180, 202-149)
Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., def. Jason Belmonte, Australia, 2-1
(203-258, 236-227, 209-208)
Anthony Simonsen, Princeton, Texas, def. Tom Daugherty, Riverview, Fla., 2-0
(222-203, 286-212)
Scott Norton, Mission Viejo, Calif., def. Stephen Pavlinko Jr., Sewell, N.J., 2-0
(232-208, 223-202)
Andres Gomez, Colombia, def. Greg Ostrander, Freehold, N.J., 2-0
(277-183, 237-202)
Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., def. n-James Goulding, Lewiston, Maine, 2-0
(267-184, 216-187)
Stuart Williams, England, def. Rhino Page, Orlando, Fla., 2-1
(204-203, 192-216, 247-214)
Dave Wodka, Beavercreek, Ohio, def. Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2-0
(224-177, 205-188)

Bill O’Neill, Langhorne, Pa., def. n-Brian Owoc, Portland, Maine, 2-0
(247-174, 259-167)
Dom Barrett, England, def. Gary Faulkner Jr., Memphis, Tenn., 2-0
(234-224, 235-190)
Jason Sterner, Cocoa, Fla., def. Jesper Svensson, Sweden, 2-0
(226-184, 268-188)
Marshall Kent, Yakima, Wash., def. Patrick Allen, Mt. Kisco, N.Y. 2-0
(226-181, 227-227, 10-9 in one-ball roll-off)
Jon Van Hees, Charlestown, R.I., def. n-Sarah Pelletier, Lewiston, Maine, 2-0
(214-190, 236-209)
Tim Gillick, Milford, Conn., def. Sammy Ventura, Syracuse, N.Y., 2-1
(157-237, 216-215, 290-214)
Sean Rash, Montgomery, Ill., def. Dick Allen, Columbia, S.C., 2-0
(245-227, 211-181)
E.J. Tackett, Huntington, Ind., def. B.J. Moore III, Apex, N.C., 2-0
(258-205, 256-233)

Joe Paluszek, Bensalem, Pa., def. Andrew Cain, Phoenix, 2-1
(188-237, 256-220, 221-189)
Dan Buchman, Maple Shade, N.J., def. n-Joseph Colcord, Portland, Maine, 2-1
(190-184, 202-144, 191-186)
Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., def. n-Tony Fernandez, Gorham, Maine, 2-1
(163-151, 190-191, 266-235)
Tim Mack, Indianapolis, def. Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2-1
(208-184, 190-249, 235-192)
Josh Blanchard, Mesa, Ariz., def. Martin Larsen, Sweden, 2-1
(256-234, 189-257, 216-196)
Tom Smallwood, Saginaw, Mich., def. n-Terrence Robinson, Gray, Maine, 2-0
(216-183, 217-189)
Ryan Graywacz, Feeding Hills, Mass., def. Liz Johnson, Cheektowaga, N.Y., 2-1
(224-224, 10-9 in one-ball roll-off; 212-219, 204-191)

Jeremy Domingo, Sewell, N.J., def. n-Michael Klosin, Windham, N.H., 2-0
(223-146, 230-230, 10-10, 10-9 in two-shot roll-off)

300 Game: Ronnie Russell.

bowlingball.com PBA Maine Shootout – Round of 32

Best of three games, losers eliminated, earn $1,000; n-denotes non-PBA member

Jones def. Troup, 2-0 (246-225, 194-151)
Simonsen def. Norton, 2-0 (242-207, 236-210)
Duke def. Gomez, 2-1 (213-225, 239-234, 299-234)
Wodka def. S. Williams, 2-0 (246-235, 258-248)

Paluszek def. Buchman, 2-1 (228-205, 220-223, 207-202)
Mack def. McEwan, 2-1 (218-237, 244-219, 200-195)
Smallwood def. Blanchard, 2-0 (268-247, 259-199)
Graywacz def. Domingo, 2-0 (245-191, 254-232)

Malott def. Clark, 2-1 (181-235, 266-261, 235-223)
WR Williams def. Palermaa, 2-0 (212-207, 223-220)
Maldonado def. Loschetter, 2-0 (218-201, 276-148)
Ciminelli def. Russell, 2-0 (236-150, 236-228)

Barrett def. O’Neill, 2-1 (206-289, 228-192, 234-228)
Sterner def. Kent, 2-1 (224-218, 175-232, 237-210)
Gillick def. Van Hees, 2-0 (247-212, 243-202)
Tackett def. Rash, 2-1 (227-204, 210-222, 247-246)

Wednesday, April 5, 2016 Schedule

All matches are best of three games

9:30 a.m. – Round of 16 (winners advance to Round of 8)
Jones vs. Simonsen
Duke vs. Wodka
Paluszek vs. Mack
Smallwood vs. Graywacz

11:30 a.m. – Round of 16 (winners advance to Round of 8)
Malott vs. WR Williams
Maldonado vs. Ciminelli
Barrett vs. Sterner
Gillick vs. Tackett

2 p.m. – Round of 8 (winners advance to semifinal round)
6 p.m. – Semifinal Round (winners advance to championship match)
7:30 p.m. – Championship match