CANTON — When Troy Lint made a ball change during Sunday’s match-play round at Strike Zone Lanes, he wanted it to do one thing — go weaker.
Instead, he got the opposite result which, as it turned out, was the best one possible.
Lint caught fire after Game 6, switching from one Roto Grip Rubicon UC2 to another with more surface, and went on to a 57-pin victory during the PBA50 Strike Zone Lanes Central Classic.
It marked the fourth PBA50 regional title for the 53-year-old Brandon, Pa., left-hander, a three-year pro with a nearly straight up and down backswing who used to hit 22 mph in his younger days.
“That’s one of things I’m working on these days. I’m trying to stay in the 16 to 16.5 (mph) range because it transitions better for me,” said Lint, who works as a juice company technician. “Short oil did a trick on me. They just hooked out of the building, and I had to throw it harder.
“I’ve tried to adapt, and I’m getting better at it all the time. I’m staying behind the ball longer because I can transition better.”
Lint finished with 4,982 total pinfall, with Ashtabula right-hander Dave Johnson taking second (4,925) and Middle Island, N.Y., right-hander Ray Edwards finishing third (4,896).
Qualifying leader Dean Billings, a 58-year-old Rootstown right-hander, finished fifth at 4,861.
Reading transitions of the pattern was the name of the game for Lint, who also captured a regional doubles title with Darryl Bower at Park Centre Lanes two years ago.
“I made a big ball change, going to something a little stronger. I thought it would go weaker, but it went stronger,” said Lint, who won $3,000. “It turned out to be the right ball going through the pins properly.
“I thought it was something that would labor more, but it didn’t. It’s my favorite ball.”
Following his 179, Lint didn’t lose another match the rest of the day except for a tie in his final regular match with Bill Watson. That gave him a 35-pin lead after rolling 277 and 270 during his previous two matches to move up the ladder into first place.
He then stopped Elizabethtown, Pa., right-hander Rick Graham 236-203 in his final position-round match for the final count.
“(Saturday) the lanes transitioned better for me. I could get the ball to react better on the backends,” said Lint, who was third after qualifying at 1,887 (235.88 average). “I didn’t expect the backends to be stronger, and they got tighter.
“I was expecting a little sharper turn on the backend. But it worked out.”
Lint actually lost two of his first three matches despite rolling 242 and 248, respectively. Edwards opened with 279 against him, and Johnson then threw the day’s high game of 299.
“I guess I have to wait until after Game 6 to get going,” Lint said, laughing. “But early when the backends got tighter, I couldn’t get the ball to face up properly so I struggled for a little bit. But having 279 and 299 thrown against you doesn’t help.”
Billings won his first five matches and held the lead through the first eight games of the 12-game match-play round.
“After the fifth game, they changed a little bit and I just didn’t adjust fast enough, and that’s on me,” Billings said. “I started off very well and had a good look, but when they changed, I didn’t.
“I was caught in between a few games and I could have done some different things. I’ll learn from it.”
Graham took the lead after Game 9 by 51 pins, but fell back the next game despite shooting 244 in a loss to Watkins. Lint then led the rest of the way.
“I’m always working,” said Lint, who plans to bowl the first three stops on the PBA50 Tour when it begins in Florida in April. “I would love to do more as my job permits, but we will see how it goes early on.”
NOTEBOOK
BOWEN MAKES CUT: Canton 52-year-old right-hander Jim Bowen made the cut in only his third PBA regional appearance, finishing 16th overall with 4,383 total pinfall and earning $700. “My goal was to throw good shots and hopefully cash. If I scored, I scored. If I didn’t, I didn’t,” said Bowen, a U.S. Postal Service employee who bowled in a doubles event at Clutch Lanes earlier this season and went 4-8 during match play. “I thought I threw the ball well at Clutch and that gave me more confidence. I didn’t throw many good shots today, but this was just gravy.”
IN AND OUT. Youngstown’s Bob Eckenrode, who left Saturday as the first alternate after his 17th place finish, found himself back in the field Sunday morning. “I got a call from Tony Varn saying he had to go to work in an emergency,” Eckenrode said. But Varn chose to bowl the first four games, with Eckenrode then taking over. The problem is that all bonus pins Varn received in match play wouldn’t be transferred. So Eckenrode entered in Game 5 in 16th place; he finished 13th with 4,600. “It was just a strange situation,” said Eckenrode, who split the money for 17th and 13th with Varn. “But I should have made the cut (Saturday). I missed five makables (spares) and missed by just three pins. That would have made it null and void.” Varn was 10th after qualifying with 1,824; Eckenrode had 1,791.
LACK OF SUPPORT. Strike Zone Lanes had to put up $7,000 to host the event. “I sent letters out to our vendors, other area businesses, trying to get some financial help and support,” Debbie Kasapis said. “But I didn’t get any responses. We brought 85 guys in here who stayed here and ate here to help local businesses. I just don’t understand it.”
NOTEBOOK. Jay Davis Jr., who rolled two 300 games Saturday en route to being runner-up in qualifying, finished 15th with 4,568 and a 3-8-1 match-play record. … Among other area players, North Canton’s Mike Spitale Jr. finished 18th with 1,790, missing the cut by just four pins. But he did get one of the cash spots. … It took a mark of 1,794 to make the cut for match play and 1,754 to gain one of the 29 cash spots. … The top five players received $1,000 or more in the prize fund, with the final spots receiving $250. … Among other area players, Uniontown’s Mark Suchan finished 38th (1,722), Akron’s Don Hogue was 40th (1,712), Canton’s Matt Coffelt was 60th (1,627), Alliance’s Brian Buehler was 67th (1,588), Canton’s Tony Johnson was 68th (1,586) and Canton’s David Welty was 84th after battling a back injury (1,468).
See complete final standings here: