AKRON — It’s been a period of change for Samuel DeWitt III over the past month.
The 34-year-old Pittsburgh right-hander has made pitch changes in his bowling equipment, adding more reverse, brought his thumb back to zero and is trying to keep his ball speed and revolutions “close to each other.”
“I was losing the feeling later in tournaments,” DeWitt said. “I brought the thumb back to zero so I could stay in it a little longer. I needed to lower my speed to keep my revs at least close.”
It all paid off during Squad A of the fourth annual Akron Open Singles on Saturday at Stonehedge Family Fun Center.
After rolling 300 in Game 3 of the six-game block for an 813 series to take the tournament lead, DeWitt was able to hang on and finish with 1,591 total pinfall to top the squad.
Squad B was scheduled for 4 p.m. with another projected 132 players seeking spots in Sunday’s five-game casher’s round. The cut for the combined two squads is projected at 53 players.
Dewitt was followed by Urbana left-hander Graham Fach, who has five Professional Bowlers Association Central Region titles this season, with 1,544 after shooting 791 through his first three games.
The remainder of the top five includes Parma right-hander Patrick Dombrowsk (1,486), Ashland two-handed lefty Cassidy Schaub (1,485), Flint, Mich., two-handed lefty Andre Gonzales, who captured The Big Event singles title Aug. 13 in Wickliffe, and two-handed righty Justin Godley (1,458) despite a 204 in Game 1.
Dewitt closed Saturday’s qualifying with 290 in Game 6. His low game was 236.
“I was in the right ball and not the A bowler on the pair,” said DeWitt, who used the RotoGrip RST x3 for all six games. “I had the assistance of the bowlers ahead of me to tell me how much the lanes had changed between pairs.”
The former junior college All-American, who bowled for two years in Europe, has cashed in PBA regional events, but has no titles. He missed the cut in this event a year ago.
Fach has been on a roll this season with five regional wins, 10 cashes in 11 events and topping the Central Region in earnings.
“A lot of things went right. The pins were falling, I was throwing good shots, and the carry seemed a lot more manageable than in previous tournaments,” Fach said. “I also had more lefties on my pair so I was able to see how they were breaking down the pair, and was able to incorporate my own game into it.”
Dombrowski, who was 11th following Game 5, shot 267 in Game 6 on the same pair with Dewitt to jump into third place by just one pin over Schaub.
“The first four frames were not fun out there. I missed a 4-pin after slipping on the approach,” said the 44-year-old Dombrowski, who stands second in the PBA Central Region in earnings with one title this season. “I started out strike, split, split, switched balls and got the last eight to save me.
“I switched balls to the (RotoGrip Hustle) PBR the last five games. I was frustrated, but it was just move on … it was a house shot. You just have to play the lanes no matter what is out there.”
Dombrowski made the title match two years ago before losing to Kyle Mayberry in the finals. He didn’t bowl last year due to a PBA regional conflict.
Gonzales has been on a tear after defending his title in The Big Event. A ball change also led to the two-hander’s surge after a 216 in Game 1.
“I saw another lefty throw the Purple (Hammer) and saw his look. It was the first time I threw it,” the 26-year-old Gonzales said. “(Friday during the doubles) I didn’t have a look with it. Today, I really had to throw it to the left because it was already hooking.
“As long as I got the ball over the fronts, I was fine.”
Gonzales came back with 299 and 290 for 805 after the ball change. After struggling with 202 in Game 4, he shot a pair of 220s during his final two games.
“When I came down the low end, it didn’t hook as much on the fronts,” Gonzales said, “but I didn’t want to change. It would have put me in a whole new zone because they were already hooking.”
NOTEBOOK: There were two no-shows in the 132-player field in Squad A, with Jordan Hornes also withdrawing in Game 4. Tournament host Jody Boyd took one of the no-show spots and was sitting 19th with 1,419 total pinfall. … In addition to DeWitt, LeAndre Thomas and Nick Christy had 300 games in Game 4, and Korbin Wilson added 299. … Only 22 players averaged less than 200 on the house oil pattern during the opening shift. … Following doubles play Friday night there were numerous “action” matches rolled between competitors, with play concluding at 2 a.m. … Co-sponsors for the singles event are House of LaRose and John Poling Painting. The champion will earn $4,000.
