By NOLAN HUGHES
PBA Communications
PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Lumberjacks returned to Bayside Bowl aiming for a PBA League three-peat.
After defeating the PBR Milwaukee Pounders in the Anthony Division Finals, they will have that opportunity on Sunday afternoon.
Portland earned the top seed for the Anthony Division Finals after leading qualifying on Wednesday afternoon.
In the opening match, Motown rode a hot start to the win. NYC came back to force Motown to mark in the 10th frame, but Anthony Simonsen’s strike sealed the victory.
In the next match, L.A. X sliced a 41-pin deficit to just one entering the 10th frame. L.A.’s Jason Belmonte struck on his first shot, then missed outside and left the 1-2-4-8. Needing just a mark, Simonsen shredded the rack to put Motown in the semifinals.
Transition caught up to Motown in the semifinal. A pair of early opens handed the Muscle their first deficit of the night. A slew of nine-spares brought the match close, but Ryan Ciminelli avenged his earlier mistake and sent the Pounders to the Anthony Division Finals.
The top-seeded Portland Lumberjacks, looking to earn their third consecutive Elias Cup title, awaited in the championship match.
A lineup change did not pay off for the Pounders, as a pair of open frames put them in a hole. Portland almost squandered the early lead with Wes Malott’s 2-4-10 leave in the fifth frame. But the two-time Mark Roth MVP’s conversion nearly brought the house down.
when a match is on the line, the Lumberjacks place their trust in Malott, the two-time Mark Roth PBA League MVP and latest inductee to the PBA Hall of Fame.
“I’m very humbled to hear stuff like that,” Malott said. “I’ve had a lot of success here in this league. For me, I’m a team player. I want to do it for everybody else. I don’t know if it causes me to focus a little bit more and really try and make a better shot, but I thrive in these events and this environment.”
A trifecta of corner pin from the Lumberjacks gave the Pounders an opportunity. A devastating stone-8 leave from AJ Chapman in the eighth frame stalled their momentum.
Kris Prather’s strike in the ninth frame ensured Malott only needed a strike for the win. The Hall of Famer delivered two, and Portland advanced to the Elias Cup Finals on Sunday.
Earlier in the match, Malott had a message for his team: “Set me up, and I’ll bring us home.”
“In this environment, this place, this building, this crowd, it takes a special human to be there,” Lumberjacks manager Tim Mack said. “That’s why we call them ‘The Franchise.’ ”
Regardless of who the Lumberjacks face, Mack knows PBA history will be at stake. A third Elias Cup victory would tie Portland with Silver Lake for the most in PBA League history. A three-peat has never been done before.
“I used to say there’s no nothing more important than winning — except breathing, because if you don’t breathe, you can’t win,” Mack said. “I’m hoping we can take a couple more breaths and get a chance to win on Sunday.”
MATCH SCORES
Match 1: Motown defeated NYC, 247-235
Match 2: Motown defeated L.A., 239-224
Match 3: PBR Milwaukee defeated Motown, 189-185
Match 4: Portland defeated PBR Milwaukee, 223-172