WICKLIFFE — After 15 games of The Big — and long — Event, first place came down to one shot in the 10th frame of the three-way title match Saturday.
Andres Gonzales, a 26-year-old Flint, Mich., two-handed lefty and the defending champion of the two-year-old event, had run away from the field during the eight-game qualifier at Wickliffe Lanes.
“It really wasn’t a whole lot different than a year ago,” Gonzales, who travels from tourney to tourney as an amateur player, said. “I think it was a little more tighter than last year. As I moved to the high end, the lanes got tighter while the low end was more open.”
So finishing with the title match on Lanes 1 and 2 against fellow two-handed lefties No. 3 seed Derrick Norman and top-seeded Bryce Oliver was just what the doctor ordered.
Gonzales, making a ball change to start the title match, ran off the first nine strikes before leaving a 2-5-6 spare on his first ball in the 10th frame. He covered the spare and struck for 277.
But with that shot in the leadoff spot, he gave boyhood friend and Saginaw, Mich., resident Norman a chance to pull out a win. Norman had left a 7-pin spare in the fifth frame, but also had struck on every other shot through nine frames.
With a chance to stop Gonzales’ quest by striking out in the 10th frame, which would have given him a two-pin win, Norman left a solid 7-pin on his first shot in the 10th to fall short, finishing with 246. Oliver also had 199.
“I knew that I needed to give myself a chance in the 10th frame to make him think about it,” said Norman, who added “Andre is like my brother.”
“But he do what Gonzo do that game … strike.”
Of the final shot in the 10th, the 25-year-old Norman, an Amazon employee, added, “I think I threw it well … maybe I was just a little fast, I don’t know. He just seems to beat me.”
Gonzales and Norman were second and third after 10 games, including their first two-game round following the cut to the top 24.
In the semifinals, Gonzales stopped Jean Perez 468-347 while Norman threw a pair of 238 games to stop George Gohagen III 476-460 in two all-lefty battles. Perez and Gohagen had teamed up in June to capture the doubles title at the MEGA tournament in Columbus.
The third member of the title match trio — Oliver — had zoomed to the top-seeded position by rolling 578 in the two-game round of 12, including the tournament’s lone 300 game. The 20-year-old Cuyahoga Falls two-hander and University of Pikeville player now has 20 career 300s, including three as an adult.
But while his two competitors bowled the two-game semifinals, Oliver just threw a couple of shots on a practice pair in preparation for the title match. None of the competitors threw a practice ball on the title pair, which had fresh oil and had not been touched since qualifying.
In a vote of the three competitors, the original two-game finale was reduced to one game, according to tournament director Joseph Jankowski.
“I threw some shots to keep my body going, but I was expecting a warmup of some type. My competitors had two games and two minutes while I sat around,” Oliver said. “It was unfortunate, but it happens.
“I never thought I would get the No. 1 seed. Andre just pulled away so fast, especially in games five through eight.”
About his 578 in the Round of 12, Oliver said “I just found pin carry for the first time all day.”
“I played the zone I was supposed to hit, and in the 300, I leveled every one of those shots. Those were 12 of the best shots I’ve thrown in a long, long time.”
But the title match was a different matter as Oliver had just four strikes and one double.
Gonzales, who switched early from the Purple Hammer he used exclusively a year ago to the Radical Double Cross, went with that ball for the title match despite it being on fresh oil.
“It seemed like when I moved right with the Purple I had to slow it down and it was wiggling or hooking,” Gonzales said. “But the Double Cross goes straighter and also hooks on the back end. When I saw that, I kind of liked that one. Last year, the Purple never hooked, so I had to change.”
Repeating at Wickliffe always was in the back of Gonzales’ mind as he traveled the country.
“I really wanted this … I was waiting for this event,” said the champion, who plans to make regional appearances although he has yet to join the Professional Bowlers Association.
But how about continuing his win streak against his boyhood friend?
“I told him I gave it to him in the 10th frame,” Gonzales smiled, “but he didn’t take it.”
NOTEBOOK: The tourney drew a field of 83 players, with the Kegel Element Challenge Mercury 40-foot oil pattern used for the event. Lanes were re-oiled following qualifying for the start of the round of 24. . … The cut remained at 24 players, but in keeping with his 1-in-5 payouts, Jankowski paid only the top 16 after two games in the round of 24. … It took 1,697 total pinfall to make the cut, with Adam Barta gaining the final spot by eight pins over Philip Toth. … After 10 games, it took 2,154 total pinfall to earn a cash spot among the top 16, with the final one going to Dean Vargo. … After two more games, the cut to the top five was at 2,781, with MEGA singles champion Mykel Holliman missing by 31 pins. … Of the final 12 competitors, there were nine lefties, including five two-handers, and three right-handers, including one two-hander. Two-hander Tim Jones was the top righty, finishing seventh. … First place paid $3,500 with the adjusted payouts, with 15th and 16th receiving $150. … Qualifying for the event began at 10:30 a.m., with the final ball of the championship finale being thrown at 9:45 p.m.
SECOND ANNUAL BIG EVENT
(At Wickliffe Lanes, Wickliffe)
Championship: Andre Gonzales 277, Derrick Norman 246, Bryce Oliver 199. Gonzales earns $3,500; Norman earns $1,500; Oliver earns $1,000.
Semifinals: Norman d. George Gohagen III 476-460 (Gohagen earns $500); Gonzales d. Jean Perez 468-347 (Perez earns $450).
Round of 12
(With 12-game pinfalls and earnings)
6, Myke Holliman 2,750, $350 earnings; 7, Tim Jones, 2,657, $250; 8, AJ Rice 2,647, $220; 9, Jonathan Kleer 2,644, $200; 10, Cam Crowe 2,631, $180; 11, Andrew Herbert, 2,575, $180; 12, Joe Justinger, 2,458, $180.
Round of 24
(With 10-game pinfalls and earnings, if any)
13, Ronnie Sparks III 2,187, $160; 14, Patrick Brick, 2,179, $160; 15, Ryan Speer 2,174, $#150; 16, Dean Vargo 2,154, $150; 17, Adam Barta 2,139; 18, Tommy Barna 2,135; 19, Kara Mangiola 2,127; 20, Vincent Beilar 2,125; 21, Simon Mote 2,110; 22, Jordan Hornes 2,107; 23, Sm Dewitt 2,087; 24, Vincent Ludwig 2,055.