CANTON — Eric Randazzo had drilled up a new ball during the day before bowling the Thursday night Northeast Ohio Traveling League at Eastbury Bowling Center.
He decided to give it a try that night for the first time.
“I was really shocked by how it reacted. It hooked way more than I thought it would,” the 31-year-old Parma Heights right-hander said of his new Track Sensor. “I tried it in practice and wasn’t even going to throw it.
“But it was like I just drilled it and wanted to see now it rolls. Then with the reaction I was getting, I decided I’ll just stick with it and see how it goes.”
It went very well.
Randazzo had games of 279, 264 and 290 for an 833 series, his 30th 800 to go along with 38 300 games. Then, just over a week later at Kent Lanes, the ball produced again with an 834 series, including a 300 game.
Randazzo, who throws without his thumb in the ball, took the summer off and admittedly had a “rough” start to the 2022-23 season.
“I worked on some stuff and now I’m back to form,” Randazzo said. “It’s my approach mainly and timing. It was off after taking off the summer. It was either I was grabbing (the ball) or not grabbing it enough.”
He doesn’t remember what he left in Game 1 at Eastbury, but was on pace for 280 in Game 2 before leaving a washout on his second shot in the 10th frame. Game 3 was spoiled by a first-frame 10-pin.
Then at Kent, his 275 came after leaving a five-count on his fill ball in the 10th frame of Game1.
“Game 2 I had two stoned 7-pins before the 300,” Randazzo said. “The left lane was hooking al little more than the right so I played them a little different.
“I just stayed there and focused on accuracy.”
Those adjustments since the start of the season along with a new weapon have led to solid improvement for Randazzo, who is averaging 227 and 223 in his two leagues.
“Things are going good right now,” Randazzo added, “better than last year.”