PERRY TWP. — After finishing as the OHSAA Division I state runner-up as a Louisville High School senior, 19-year-old Chase Barstow has put himself in position to win adult titles on a few occasions during the 2021-22 season.
“I feel like I deserve to be on top. I felt like I proved myself after coming out of high school, that I started being fair competition for adults,” said Barstow, a soon-to-be sophomore member of Walsh University’s bowling team and an Alliance resident, said.
The breakthrough came Thursday when Barstow, the No. 1 seed following the four-game qualifier, topped Eric Long 191-169 to claim the first Hall of Fame Summer Series event at AMF Hall of Fame Lanes for his first adult victory.
This was no ordinary house oil pattern for the players — and the scores showed it. The Summer Series, which will use a different sport shot oil pattern each week during its six-event run, employed the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships doubles and singles pattern for its inaugural event.
The results? The high game was 230 in the 23-player field, only seven 200 games were rolled (two by Barstow during qualifying, both 201) and only one 200 (by Long) came during the five-man stepladder finals.
“It was very rough. If you missed right, it doesn’t hook, and if you missed left, it hooked,” said Long, a 52-year-old Akron right-hander and by far the oldest competitor in the stepladder finals. “You had to have the right ball in your hand and you had to make good shots. Spares are always at a premium, but especially tonight.”
Barstow, a two-handed right-hander, had made several stepladder finals during his first year as an adult player. His high finish was second in an event at Wabash Lanes in Dover, where he fell to sophomore Walsh teammate Robert Wilson of Tallmadge in the title match.
“It just feels great to finally come out on top after giving myself a chance so many times,” Barstow said. “To start off, the lanes were really touchy. And then, when we went to the fresh pair for the stepladder, they were even touchier.”
For Long, reaching the title match was an accomplishment in itself after a difficult season. He contracted COVID-19 in December and was put on a ventilator for about six weeks, being given about a 10 percent chance to live.
His health improved, but he also was hit with a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis, which is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred.
“The doctors told me that it is usually a death sentence, and they were hoping it was not progressive,” Long said. “But it was not and they said that would add a few more years.
“So I’m just out here having fun and trying to beat the youngsters. It is what it is.”
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Long, the No. 4 seed, started the championship round with a 187-171 win over the No. 5 seed, 21-year-old Jackson Township right-hander Bryan Hastler. Long had one double early in the match with one spare miss while Hastler had four strikes overall, but missed 6-10 and 10-pin spares along with a pocket 8-10 split on his second ball in the 10th frame.
In the quarterfinal match, Long fell behind 21-year-old Plain Township right-hander Branden Ball early after Ball doubled in the second and third frames and the former left a 4-6-7 split in the fifth. Ball also covered a 3-4-6-10 split in the fifth.
But things changed late as Long struck on three straight shots, including a pair of crossover hits, while Ball missed 6-10 and 10-pin spares in the eighth and ninth frames, respectively. Long advanced with a 188-172 win despite missing a 2-4-5-8 spare in the 10th frame.
“I have always prided myself on being a good spare shooter,” Long said. “My dad told me years ago that anyone can throw strikes, but spare shooting is like putting in golf. That’s where the money is. I get mad at myself when I miss makable spares.”
In the semifinals against 31-year-old Louisville right-hander Adam Kutz, Long had a string of four strikes late, again including two Brooklyn hits, to go along with a double en route to a 224-179 win. He struck six times in seven shots at one point while Kutz started with a 2-8 spare miss in the first frame and was unable to string any strikes until finishing with three in the 10th frame.
FINDING HIS GAME
Barstow started the title match with a double to take the early lead. But Long failed to convert a 1-8-9 spare in the second frame and was unable to strike until the fifth.
“I just ran out of gas after what I’ve been through,” Long said. “Eight games is a lot for a 50-year-old.”
“I started out OK, but the lanes started doing sport-shot kind of stuff,” Barstow said. “I’ve been going between different approaches because I’ve been struggling with a lot of physical stuff lately and that affects your confidence a lot.
“It just seemed like whatever I did, I just couldn’t get comfortable enough to repeat consistent shots, be it speed-wise or location.”
Barstow, who was bowling just about every day during the college season, cut back to two days a week “trying to give myself a break.” It had its effect on his game.
“It’s caused a lot of lackadaisical stuff, so I’m trying to get back in the swing of it to get back into the season and secure my (college) spot.”
After Barstow left a 2-4-8-10 split in the seventh frame to reduce his lead to 11 pins, Long failed to convert a 1-2-4-8 spare in the ninth to end his quest.
“I decided to go back to what I’m comfortable with and see if that works. I was able to move left and swing it, which is part of my comfort zone,” Barstow said. “I was able to grind it out. I knew 180s, 200s would be enough and that it was only going to get tougher.”
Which is what the the field discovered during the qualifying round, moving pairs of lanes following each game. But for Barstow, it’s a start.
“It just feels really great,” Barstow added, “to finally put a win on my resume.”
NOTEBOOK: It took 713 for four games, an average of 178.2, to make the cut for the stepladder finals. Hastler, who sat 11th after Game 3, shot the tourney’s high game of 233 in Game 4 to earn the No. 5 seed by 11 pins over Alex Lincoln. … There were 16 games under 130 shot during the event, with a low of 96. … The next Summer Series event is at 6:15 p.m. June 9, with the 2021 USBC Open Championships team event oil pattern being used. Entry fee is $40. … First place paid $240, with $4 from each entry going to the end-of-season tournament prize fund. To qualify for that event, which will be bowled on the lowest-scoring pattern following the six regular events, bowlers must bowl in at least three events or win one. Bowlers will earn points in each event to qualify for the finale. … In preparation for each event, practice sessions will be held the Tuesday before to give players an opportunity to sample the oil pattern. … For event information, search for Hall of Fane Summer Series on Facebook or email TJOWENS1992@gmail.com.
HALL OF FAME SUMMER SERIES NO. 1
(At AMF Hall of Fame Lanes)
Match 1: Eric Long (Akron) d. Bryan Hastler (Jackson Twp.) 187-171. Hastler wins $60
Match 2: Long d. Branden Ball (Plain Twp.) 188-172. Ball wins $62
Match 3: Long d. Adam Kutz (Louisville) 224-179. Kutz wins $70
Championship: Chase Barstow (Alliance) d. Long 191-169. Barstow wins $240; Long wins $120.