CANTON — Mark Sullivan would like to have his one shot in the eighth frame back.
The 58-year-old Franklin, Ind., semi-retired pro shop owner held the lead on Brad Angelo during the semifinal match of the PBA50 Strike Zone Lanes Central Classic on Sunday at Strike Zone.
But disaster struck in the eighth frame when he left a 3-6 — and chopped the spare.
“The ball in the previous frame (when he left a 7-pin spare following four strikes in a row) that I didn’t strike on was a really good shot,” said Sullivan, a former PBA50 Dick Weber Sportsmanship Award winner. “If that strikes on the right lane, I probably don’t make that bad shot on the left.
“It was my only bad shot the whole game, but then I missed the spare, and that’s shame on me. You can’t do this at this level. These guys are too good and they’re not going to give you an opening like that.”
Sullivan, who still is looking for his first PBA title, struck out for 236. But Angelo ran off seven in a row for 256 and the win.
Despite finishing in the top 30 in the PBA50 Tour’s points list a year ago, Sullivan never felt like he bowled well.
“I feel like my game is turning around. This weekend is a real confidence boost,” said Sullivan, who’s carries the nickname “Gilligan” on tour. “I had a 180 game earlier today, but it was a solid game. It was my only sub-200 game all weekend.”
The nickname came from Bill Hall, a former PBA player services director and coach.
“I was having a ball drilled in the trailer, and we wrote our names on the tops of the boxes. If you scribble my last name is looks like Gilligan,” Sullivan said. “So I’m ready to walk out the door and Hall yells out, ‘Who in the heck is Gilligan?’
“I said my name was Sullivan, but his response was ‘not anymore.” It has stuck with me for 40 years.”
LEFTY FALLS SHORT
In the opening stepladder match, lefty John Marshall, a 60-year-old St. Louis retiree, had just one strike in the first four frames to fall to Angelo 267-204. Angelo also ran off seven straight strikes in that match.
“That pair had been sitting for awhile and kind of flattened out a bit,” said Marshall, who owns two PBA50 and four regional titles. “I just didn’t make good shots. When he starts with the front seven, it’s kind of hard to chase him from behind.”
Marsalla struck on his final four shots after just having two strikes through eight frames.
“I really haven’t bowled that much. It was a long day, but a profitable one,” Marsalla said. “I’m happy with the way I bowled.”
GOING TO RIVIERA
Angelo, despite being eligible with his two career PBA Tour titles, considered not bowling in the PBA Tournament of Champions at AMF Riviera Lanes in two weeks.
“I told my wife that I just don’t feel like I can win out there and I just didn’t want to go as as token,” Angelo said.
His wife changed his mind. It helped that Angelo won at Strike Zone with a 280-209 victory over Eugene McCune, who also will be at AMF Riviera.
“She looked at me and said, that’s the one tournament that you dream about,” Angelo said. “And she’s right. When you are a little kid, you dream about needing a double to win the Firestone Tournament of Champions. She said you’ve earned the right to bowl. Bowl good, or bowl bad, but go there and do your best.”
COMING UP
Several of the players will partner up with their junior counterparts for the PBA-PBA50 Doubles Clutch Lanes Central Open on Saturday and Sunday at Clutch Lanes in Cuyahoga Falls.
Sullivan will partner with Jean Perez, who has quite a history the past year in Ohio events.
“He’s been like a human ATM for big bucks tournaments here,” Sullivan said of Perez.
Marsala also is teaming with AJ Chapman while Eugene McCune is with his son, Kevin. Other big names in the field include Walter Ray Williams Jr., Parker Bohn III, Chris Barnes, Tommy Jones, EJ Tackett, Pete Weber,, Ronnie Russell and Graham Fach.
Admission is free for the tournament, with qualifying rounds set for 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. March 11 and round-robin match play for the top 12 teams starting at 8 a.m. March 12.
NOTEBOOK: The tournament ended up with a 99-player field, with three withdrawals during qualifying. … It took an average of 216.50 to make the cut to the top 33 for Sunday’s opening cashers round, with Steve Kenyon earning the final spot by 19 pins over Larry Verble. … Wadsworth’s Dale Csuhta was the qualifying leader, averaging 243.13 for his opening eight games. He finished eighth overall, averaging 221.71 for 17 games. … This year’s event featured a different format following the eight qualifying games. The field was cut to one-third (33 bowlers) for a four-game cashers round Sunday. Following those four games, a second cut was made to the top 16 for three more games. Another cut was then made to the top eight for two more games before the top four reached the stepladder finals. … Defending champion Troy Lint finished 11th overall, with North Olmsted’s Michael Clark Jr. finishing 16th and Rootstown’s Dean Billings finishing 14th. … Akron’s Don Hogue made it to the cashers round, finishing 30th overall. … Strike Zone owner Debbie Kasapis said that, although the center is for sale, she plans on honoring the PBA contract to return next season. Kasapis has owned the center since 2015.