WOOSTER — Prior to the 10th frame of the semifinal match of the PBA50 J.D. Producing Inc.-Triway Lanes Central Open, Jeff Johnson’s wife said something quietly to herself.
“How bad do you want it?” she said Sunday at Triway Lanes, just one week prior to their 30th wedding anniversary.
Johnson showed how much.
He gave his wife a little more shopping money as an early present, striking out in the 10th frame to stop No, 3-seeded Michael Haggitt and then running off the first nine strikes in the title match to defeat top-seeded Dean Mueller 279-207 to claim his fifth PBA regional title.
“Wins are always great. Winning now when you get older means a lot,” the 55-year-old right-hander said, “You just don’t know when the next one is coming.”
Johnson, who is proprietor at 4 Seasons Bowling Center in Freeport, Ill., was making a rare appearance in the Central Region. He currently is third in the Midwest Region points standings with four cashes in seven events.
The No. 2 seed, Johnson stopped good friend Haggitt, a 52-year-old left-hander who tops the PBA50 Central Region points list. The former had strikes on eight of his final nine shots to stop the latter 231-226 to reach the finale.
Johnson had four strikes in a row after leaving a 2-4-6 split in the third. But he also left an 8-10 split in the eighth to give Haggitt an opening.
“In our first practice (prior to the stepladder), the lanes didn’t start at all like we did all week,” Johnson said, “I rifled through a bunch of balls just to try to get some shape.
“When we got down here (for the semifinal), they were starting to develop, but it still didn’t look great. But it was manageable. It was more like controlling the pocket against Michael.
“On the 7-10 I just felt like I had room to the right, but I never had a chance to test it. That was the test, but I think it just burnt itself up before it got there. I hit the pocket, but it just didn’t go through the pins well. It happens sometimes.”
Needing at least a double in the 10th frame to earn the win after Haggitt left a 10-pin, Johnson got a break when a messenger took out the 9-pin late on his second shot after a strike.
“Fortunately, I struck when I needed to in the 10th, and I might have found a little in,” said Johnson, who went with his Radical Bigfoot ball, one he had used much of the weekend, but wasn’t expecting to use Sunday during match play.
Haggitt, after running off five strikes in a row early, left a pocket 7-10 split in the seventh frame and a 2-pin spare in the ninth. With a chance to close out Johnson, he left a 10-pin on his second shot in the 10th frame, barely avoiding a second 7-10 split.
But Johnson saw the need to adjust again for the title match against Mueller, who had beaten him 278-197 in the fourth match of the day and 255-214 in the final position-round match leading into the stepladder finals to determine the No. 1 seed.
“Dean had 10 shots and they changed the lanes again. He went to a bigger ball, so I made a 2 and 1 (board) move to test,” Johnson said. “Fortunately, that was a pretty good guess.”
While Johnson was running off the first nine strikes, Mueller left a 2-4-5-8 bucket in the third frame after a double. That was compounded by leaving 4-9 and 8-10 splits in the fourth and seventh frames, respectively.
“The one in the third was not so good, but the ones in the fourth and seventh, I liked those shots,” said Mueller, a 58-year-old sales tax operations specialist from Arlington Heights, Ill., who was seeking his second regional title.
“The funny thing is, the ball I used was the first time I had used it all day. Those lanes had sat all day and were real tight. They opened up little bit with the other two matches.”
Mueller, who used a RotoGrip Gem, felt he had “plenty of ball.”
“I liked the two shots that I threw, but they just didn’t carry,” said Mueller, who threw three strikes in a row after the 8-10 split. “But there’s nothing you can do.
“The last game in position round got me to the point where the worst you could finish was second, and I will take that any day of the week.”
Having a shot at 300 in the 10th frame, Johnson left a 10-pin on his first shot before covering the spare and striking for the title. High game of the weekend was 287.
“To win this in the Central where I haven’t won is a kicker,” said Johnson, who earned $1,500 for the victory. “It keeps a good year going.”
In the opening match, Haggitt struck in seven of eight frames after opening with a 4-9 split to stop No. 4 seed Charles (Butch) Ferrell, a 52-year-old Painesville right-hander, 235-193. Ferrell, a nonmember bowling in only his second PBA50 event, was the qualifying leader Saturday.
Haggitt and Johnson will be among pros in the field for the PBA50-60 Doubles-Park Centre Open on Sept. 23 through 25 at Park Centre Lanes in North Canton.
PBA50 J.D. PRODUCING INC.-TRIWAY LANES OPEN
Stepladder finals
Match 1: Michael Haggitt d. Charles Ferrell 235-193; Ferrell wins $800.
Match 2: Jeff Johnson d. Haggitt 231-226; Haggitt wins $900.
Championship: Johnson d. Dean Mueller 279-207; Johnson wins $1,500; Muller wins $1,000.