AKRON — It was a college bowling reunion during Sunday’s title match during the Akron Sweeper Doubles monthly series at Spins Bowl Akron.
On one side were former Notre Dame College teammates Dan Marriott, a 23-year-old Cleveland right-hander, and Ryan Liederbach, a 25-year-old Northfield two-handed left-hander. On the other were another NDC alumnus Dean Vargo, a 23-year-old Cleveland area righty, and a former challenger to NDC, Robert Morris alumnus Jon Kleer and Pittsburgh resident, another 23-year-old lefty.
In the battle of ex-college stars, experience on the title pair won out.
Marriott and Liederbach, bowling their third match on the title pair as the No. 3 seed, struck early and often to stop top-seeded Vargo and Kleer 501-393 to claim the top prize.
Marriott and Liederbach combined to strike on 14 of their 18 first shots in the title match as they shot 236 and 265, respectively.
Meanwhile, Vargo struggled after shooting 1,007 during the four-game qualifier while Kleer was able to strike on six of his first eight shots. Kleer shot 212 in the final; Vargo had 181 with an open frame and a split.
“Both the lanes were different, I had the right lane about three (boards) different at the start and it was maybe five on the left lane. I just never found it,” Vargo said. “When you have only two balls on each lane to figure it out it’s tough, but that’s the way it is.
“Sometimes, you don’t find it immediately, and that’s not a good place to be in a title match.”
Vargo and Kleer, who topped qualifying with 1,912 total pinfall, had bowled in singles sweepers together. But this is the first time they had teamed up for doubles.
“I actually asked him on Facebook,” said Kleer, who shot 905 during qualifying. “We were good friends from college bowling and we connected well.
“We bowled great as a team even though we struggled a little bit with pin carry. But we grinded through, and he carried me all day. Thank God, I’m light.”
Marriott didn’t start well in the quarterfinal match against DJ Assaf and Eric Bator. He crossed over on his first shot, made the spare, and then left a 4-6-7-10 split in the second frame.
But from there, he struck out en route to 264 as the pair topped Assaf and Bator 471-429.
“I knew I had a decent look and had the right ball in my hand. It was just a matter of throwing good shots and carry at that point,” Marriott said. “When you have that, if gives you all the confidence in the world.”
Liederbach, who shot 207 in the opening match, also admitted it was difficult to get a read on the lanes after just two practice balls.
“It was not what I thought in practice. They tightened up a little,” Liederbach said. “Luckily he carried me. I just kept moving left until I found a spot.”
Liederbach also tweaked his ankle in the 10th frame of the opening match, which changed his approach.
“It forced me to slow everything down and focus more on shotmaking instead of overpowering the shot,” Liederbach added. “I had to go further left and make shots.”
After Marriott started with five strikes in a row during the semifinal match against No. 2 seed Ray Cook and Steve Waters, Liederbach took over, striking on eight of his first nine shots as the pair rolled to a 483-378 win.
Both Marriott and Liederbach agreed having two matches on the title pair was an advantage.
“I was glad we were in the first match. It gave us an indication of what the pair was going to be like,” Marriott said. “After that, it was a cakewalk. We had a whole game on that pair before the two higher seeds so we knew what to do.”
Liederbach agreed, adding he prefers to be a lower seed in the stepladder format.
“It gives you more of an opportunity to read the lanes,” he added. “You can easily get confused with just a couple of practice shots.”
Liederbach had his share of carry problems in qualifying, leaving a pair of pocket 7-10 splits and six solid 8-pins. But that mattered little as it turned out.
“I lost probably about 100 pins there and we easily would have been the top seed,” Liederbach said. “But it doesn’t matter how we got here. It’s that we got here and we won.”
And one victory for the two ex-Falcons over a former teammate.
NOTEBOOK: The event drew 24 teams, the biggest turnout of the season, according to tournament director Frank Dallas. … It took 1,888 total pinfall to reach the stepladder finals and 1,869 to cash. First place paid $644, with $420 going to the runners-up. … A pair of seniors topped the individuals with 53-year-old Cook having the high game of 299 and 50-year-old Rob Sample turning in the top series with 1,015. Cook has thrown three 800 series this season and three separate houses. … The next doubles sweeper is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at Spins Bowl. Entry fee is $100 per team.
FINAL RESULTS
Match 1: Dan Marriott-Ryan Liederbach d. DJ Assaf-Eric Bator 471-429. Assaf-Bator win $160.
Match 2: Marriott-Liederbach d. Ray Cook-Steve Waters 483-379. Cook-Waters win $340.
Championship: Marriott-Liederbach d. Jon Kleer-Dean Vargo 501-393. Marriott-Liederbach win $644; Kleer-Vargo win $420.
Other cashers
5, (tie) Vincent Ludwig-Victor Varner and Tyler Meredith-Rob Sample 1,869, $130.