Lazarchick Wins #5 and Williamson Wins #2 at Berks Major

The PJBT continued its 18th Season with our 9th Major Event of the Year.  Majors are always great events because the Payouts are Extra….the Shots are Challenging….and the Turnouts are typically strong.  This event was no exception!  This year’s event saw 84 athletes, including 58 Scratch Bowlers and 26 Handicap Bowlers Take to the Lanes.  This year’s 9th Major was Conducted on the WTBA Atlanta Pattern.  It played challenging for our athletes as scores were lower than normal….but it created exciting matches and finish!  The format for this major was 6 games qualifying, top 40% bowled 3 more games of match play….and the top 6 advanced to our Major Final.  Major Final was 2 4-Bowler Eliminators and a Title Match to determine our winner.

On this day we saw 2 Bowlers, who once again reside outside of PA, take home the titles.

In Scratch, Andrew Lazarchick of Brick, NJ, became our first 5-Time Winner of the Season.  Lazarchick brought home the title.  His qualifying block had 4 of 6 good games…he shot 174, 223, 236, 225, 160, and 226 for 1244 or +44.  Lazarchick was the leader and was 1 of only 2 bowlers of 58 that were plus.  Scores were at a premium!  Our first 24th place cut was -94.  In Match Play, Lazarchick went 2-1 with games of 191, 176, and 197.  Despite his scores not sounding high….it didn’t take high scores to maintain your position.  Lazarchick held onto the tournament lead entering the finals.  In the finals, Lazarchick received a bye in Round 1 of Eliminator Final.  He and #2 seed Brian Kennedy got the bye.  They joined the finalists in Eliminator #2.  At this point, there were 4 bowlers remaining.  It was Lazarchick/Kennedy & #3 seed Alexis Neuer & #4 seed Amber MacLeod.  The top 2 scores of 4 would advance to the title match.  This match was a battle for all 4 bowlers.  In the end, Lazarchick and Kennedy survived….with games of 185-178.  MacLeod was eliminated (156) with Neuer (154).  The title match saw one final stepladder….Lazarchick vs Kennedy.  Lazarchick got off to a big lead and never looked back.  The match was over early as Lazarchick strung six strikes in a row while Kennedy struggled to post a double.  Lazarchick took the title match 257-142 to take home the Major Title and $300 scholarship prize.

In Handicap, Wren Williamson of Hamilton, NJ, captured her 2nd PJBT title of the year.  She won her first a couple of weeks ago at Jay Lanes.  Wren is just 8 years old and averages 86 in her league.  Over the years, we have seen that sport shots typically in Handicap favor the lower average bowler slightly because bowlers like Wren are not really affected as much by the lane condition.  They make sure the ball is on a straight line toward the pocket!  Well that explains Wren!  She started the day by not bowling a double digit score….she had scratch games of 100, 129, 144, 158, 145, and 146.  After qualifying, she had a dominate lead at 1434 or +234.  She continued her strong day with 3 wins in match play….shooting games of 115, 120, and 118.  Wren had a 173 pin lead on the field entering the finals.  Similar to Lazarchick….Williamson got a bye thru Eliminator 1 and entered the finals in Eliminator 2.  It was #1 seed Williamson, #2 seed Sydney Bohn, #3 seed Dylan Piccioni, and #6 seed Caitlin Mattingly.   In this eliminator, Bohn ended up with the top score of 238 to advance.  Williamson was the other bowler shooting 208 with handicap.  They both moved on as Mattingly (198) and Piccioni (186) were eliminated.  The title match was Williamson & Bohn.  This match was close to the end.  Williamson converted three spares late and locked out Bohn for the title.  Williamson defeated Bohn in the title match 165-141 to take home the win and the $300 top scholarship prize.

Congrats also to Alexis Neuer $50 and Amber MacLeod $30 for being our top 2 girls after qualifying….earning bonus scholarships.

We had no honor scores on this day so $27 300 Pot carries over to next week.

Next week:  PJBT travels back to the Northern Cold Regions of PA.  We are off to Wilkes-Barre PA and Stanton Lanes for the Final Adult Junior of our Regular Season.  Event is Sunday April 30 at 10:30am.  Entries are still coming in online so sign up or walk in!