ALLIANCE — Matt Bertolette grew up bowling in older wood-lane centers.
“I like the old wood … that’s what I remember as a kid,” the 38-year-old right-hander said. “Everything is synthetic now, but you have to make adjustments.”
So it was no surprise that Bertolette felt comfortable Sunday at Christopher Columbus Lanes — a 12-lane wood center with old-fashioned telescores, over the top ball returns and walls up to the approaches on the left side of Lane 1 and right side of Lane 12.
The Columbiana truck driver, who was sitting sixth after three games, shot a game-high 245 in Game 4 and added a pair of 243s during his final two qualifying games to earn the No. 2 seed for the finals of the ninth annual Ted Nagle Memorial Singles tournament at “The Christopher.”
Then, in a battle of the past two tourney runners-up, Bertolette stopped No. 1 seed Kevin Schott 214-210 in the title match for his sixth career singles win and first since the Struthers’ Willam Lovell Scholarship Tournament in 2021 at Holiday Bowl.
“It means a lot … the dedication and the work I’ve put in throughout my life,” said Bertolette, who finished second to Roger Adams in 2021 and also owns a third in the event.
“I’m 38 now and I started bowling when I was 4, but I’m still rolling. A lot of people ask me, ‘You drive a truck 12 hours a day and then bowl eight games, how do you do it?’ I stay active and don’t go home. I’m always moving.”
After closing qualifying with his 240 surge, he added another during the stepladder semifinals in defeating 49-year-old Alliance right-hander Chuck Stout Jr. 243-158.
Bertolette had strings of three and five strikes in that match and went big despite missing a 10-pin spare in the fifth frame. Stout, the No. 3 seed, had only two marks during the first five frames and finished with two splits and a washout.
This came after Stout had runs of three and four strikes in the quarterfinals against No. 4 seed Frank Testa, a 41-year-old Massillon right-hander, after leaving a 1-2-4-10 washout in the second frame of that match.
Testa, who stopped No. 5 seed Brett McCourry, a 31-year-old Canton right-hander, 198-187 in the opening match despite leaving three stoned 8-pins and a 3-4-6-7 split, had back-to-back 4-6-7 and 4-6-7-10 splits in the match against Stout.
But Bertolette left nothing but a pair of 10-pins through nine frames of the semifinal against Stout, missing one.
“Pretty much if you got the ball outside 10 (board) it was gone if I let it down early,” Bertolette said. “With so many right-handers out there, you just couldn’t get it out.
“I just kept the ball tight and carried. My carry has been borderline my last couple of outings. I was just hoping and praying. I’ve had a lot of nine-counts lately.”
SCHOTT ON TOP
Schott, a 25-year-old Alliance right-hander, took the lead after Game 2 of qualifying and was never out of the top spot until the final match. After shooting 278 and 277 his first two games — the second being the highest game in Game 2 — Schott finished with 1,434 total pinfall, averaging 239 for six games en route to the No. 1 seed.
“It was all about making good shots and keeping my composure,” said Schott, who finished second to Mike Emerick a year ago and also was second to Eric Long during the Alliance Masters in March.
“I knew I needed big games to make the stepladder.”
Overall, Schott finished 45 pins ahead of Bertolette to clinch the top seed for the finals.
TITLE MATCH
Bertolette went through a variety of balls during the day, mostly using a Black Widow 2.0 during his final three games, including the finals. He also used the Hammer Scorpion Sting and Ebonite Game Breaker.
“I just love the Widow 2.0. I have three of them and just throw the one that works for me,” Bertolette said.
Schott, using the Track Paragon Pearl, started with a strike, but then left a 6-7 split in the second frame of the title match. But he converted that split and then followed with three strikes.
“I was already five (boards) left of where I started Game 1 when I started and I had to keep moving left all day,” said Schott, who grew up bowling at “The Christopher.” “It was tough.”
Bertolette started with a solid 9-pin in the first, converted, doubled and then left a 7-pin spare in the fourth before another double.
But disaster hit Schott in the sixth frame when he left a 1-2-4-10 washout and got just two pins. He then followed that up by leaving a 4-9 split in the seventh and missed both pins.
“Two shots … that’s all it took. The lanes were breaking down, and I didn’t expect them to break down so fast,” Schott said. “I had the two opens and that 4-9 really cost me. I did it on two shots and it cost me everything.”
Meanwhile, Bertolette was able to convert a 2-6-10 spare in the seventh, strike in the eighth and convert a 10-pin spare in the ninth.
But Schott bounced back with four strikes in a row after a 6-10 spare conversion in the eighth.
“The four-bagger was about me making good shots and making him earn it,” Schott said.
Bertolette needed a mark in the 10th frame to clinch the win. To make sure, he checked with a reporter on his status.
“I just kept doing what I had been doing on that shot. I did get it out a bit early, but I was able to make the spare,” said Bertolette of converting the 6-10 spare in the 10th frame. “The nervous things don’t bother me anymore. It is what it is.”
Needing seven or better to clinch the win on his final ball, Bertolette closed with a strike.
“It’s the sixth win I’ve had,” Bertolette said. “A win is a win no matter where you get it.”
And bowling in a familiar environment with sentimental value — and his father witnessing his accomplishment — also didn’t hurt.
NOTEBOOK: The tourney drew 47 players, one short of capacity, and also had eight no-shows, according to tournament director Chris Miller. This came after drawing 35 a year ago. … First place paid $500. … McCourry earned the final stepladder spot by shooting a Game 6 high 255, finishing with 1,310 — just eight pins ahead of TJ Charles, who shot just 169 in Game 6. … The final cash spot (14th place) went to Ryan Huschka with 1,189, despite shooting just 152 in Game 6. He finished six pins ahead of Don Sprout, who shot 211. … Dexter Worthy had the high tourney game of 279 in Game 1 on the same pair as Schott’s 278. Worthy finished 11th overall. … There were only three left-handers in the field and none cashed. … Kara Kutz was the high woman, finishing with 1,125, 18th overall. … Defending champion Emerick, who has two wins in the event, finished 26th (1,112).
TED NAGLE MEMORIAL SINGLES
(Sunday, at Christopher Columbus Lanes, Alliance)
Stepladder finals
Match 1: Frank Testa d. Brett McCourry 198-187; McCourry wins $165
Match 2: Chuck Stout Jr. d. Testa 233-202; Testa wins $180
Match 3: Matt Bertolette d. Stout 243-158; Stout wins $230
Championship: Bertolette d. Kevin Schott 214-210; Bertolette wins $500, Schott wins $300.
Other cashers
(with six-game pinfalls)
6, TJ Charles 1,302, $145; 7, J.D. Jones 1,264, $115; 8, Brian Buehler 1,248, $110; 9, Tony Varn 1,235, $100; 10, Matt Coffelt 1,218, $90; 11, Dexter Worthy 1,211, $90; 12, Chase Barstow 1,207, $80; 13, Eric Long 1,206, $75; 14, Ryan Huschka 1,189, $75.
