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Brett Lloyd holds the championship trophy after winning the Bowlerstore.com Classic at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater.
COLDWATER - When he rolled the second ball of the 10th frame, Brett Lloyd looked at the trajectory and before the ball hit the pins, shouted "Yes!"
Lloyd came back in the final five frames to defeat Zac Tackett 199-184 to win the PBA Central Region Bowlerstore.com Classic on Sunday at Pla-Mor Lanes in Coldwater, collecting the $10,000 first prize for his second career regional tour victory.
"Going into (Sunday), I wanted to build on (Saturday, where Lloyd was fourth heading into Sunday's rounds that trimmed the field from 32 to the final four)," said Lloyd. "Today I had to bowl a big game to make the stepladder at the end on a pair (of lanes) that was uncomfortable on. Every pair here is comfortable. It's a hard building to bowl at."
Lloyd started out strong in the stepladder, defeating fourth-seed Ric McCormick 216-183 to move up to the second match against Trae Henrichsmyer.
Early on, both struggled with splits and open frames. Henrichsmeyer completed his 10th frame first to finish with a 170. Lloyd rolled a nine on his first ball on the 10th and needed to pick up the spare to stay alive. The spare came through and then Lloyd needed to pick up eight pins on the final throw of the game to advance, getting nine to win 172-170 to advance to face Tackett, who was looking to join his brother EJ in winning a title in Coldwater after EJ Tackett won the 2014 tournament.
Lloyd's championship game started with a 2-4-10 split, which he only picked up one to have an open eight. Tackett spared his first two frames before Lloyd responded with a strike in the second and spare in the third. Tackett came back with three straight strikes while Lloyd went 7-1 in the fourth frame, then came up with a big shot to pick up a 3-6-7-10 split for a spare in the fifth.
The big pickup proved to be the spark Lloyd needed, rolling four straight spikes.
"There were times in the (final) I thought it was over for me," said Lloyd. "I kept getting a chance and taking advantage of it."
Tackett followed with an open nine and two spares, but in the ninth frame Tackett felt the affect of what has become known from bowlers competing at Pla-Mor as getting "Coldwatered" when he was left with a 4-6-7-10 split. Tackett got two of the four pins, then went nine-spare and strike in the 10th frame.
Lloyd needed at least eight pins in the 10th frame to secure the win. His first throw netted seven, leaving three pins together on the right side. The second throw was right on target, getting a spare to clinch the title. Lloyd's last ball went for an eight to seal the win.
"I thought Zac was going to run away with it," said Lloyd. "I knew I needed to make a ball change. Luckily, the (Motiv) Evoke rolled pretty well and gave me a good look. You've to get a little lucky to win out here. I definitely got a little lucky."
Ethan Fiore, center, poses with the owners of Community Lanes, Pla-Mor Lanes and Delphos Recreation Center and WCSM radio after winning the Brunswick Cup for best overall performance the past week at PBA tournaments in Minster, Delphos and Coldwater.
Ethan Fiore, who won the PBA Kremer Roofing Classic last Sunday in Minster, claimed the Brunswick Cup, an award for bowlers who competed at Minster, the midweek Dave and Diane Kill Classic in Delphos, and Coldwater. Fiore finished fifth at Delphos and eighth at Coldwater to earn enough points to earn him the $4,000 first prize for the cup, brining his total earnings for the week to $10,200.
