By BILL SNIER
NORTH CANTON — Sometimes, change can be good.
Especially when it comes to bowling equipment.
North Canton right-hander Wayne Lovelace and Akron righty Brian Reichard found that mixing in different bowling balls can be beneficial during Pizza Oven Classic league play at Park Centre Lanes.
For Lovelace, a 46-year-old Gionino’s Pizza manager, his decision came after opening with two tough games the previous week.
In Reichard’s case, the 45-year-old Cleveland Clinic senior financial analyst made a decision to return to reactive resin balls after a stretch that saw him roll three 800s in less than a year using urethane from 2021 into 2022.
Both managed another milestone before the end of the 2023-24 season. Here is a look at how they did it.
LOVELACE’S CHANGE
Lovelace admitted he wasn’t looking for much on that Wednesday night.
“I got a pair I don’t care for (lanes 13-14), and I had a bad night the previous Wednesday,” said Lovelace, who has nine career 800 series with a high of 835. “The third game, I switched to a ball that I hadn’t used in quite a while.”
He went to the 900 Global Wolverine to finish out the night. He then decided to stay with it the following Monday in the Honeymoon Grille league at Park Centre and shot 750.
“After that I decided to stay with it,” said Lovelace, who followed that with 278, 276 and 256 for 810 on Wednesday. “I used it for a little while last year during an eight-week stretch.
“It’s just something I go to here and there when I have trouble carrying. It’s the only symmetric ball I have.”
Lovelace, who primarily used the Storm Dark Code this season in his three Park Centre leagues, left a 10-pin in the second frame and another on the fill ball in the 10th frame in Game 1. In Game 2, he started with another 10-pin before running strikes to the 11th frame and leaving a 4-7-10 split.
Game 3, he left 4-pin and 10-pin spares in the ninth and 10th frames, respectively, after running the front eight strikes.
“I knew I had a pretty good shot at (800) after running the strikes,” Lovelace said. “I knew all I needed was good count in the 10th after that string.”
Lovelace purchased both the Wolverine and 900 Global Altered Reality at the same time a couple of seasons ago.
“But I just sort of set them aside until I needed something when I was struggling. I was having good success with the Dark Code,” said Lovelace, who averaged been 226 and 224 in his three leagues.
But that night after a night of struggling, the change made the difference.
FEELING NO PRESSURE
Reichard also made a decision recently to go away from his success with urethane the past two seasons and return to reactive resin.
“Things just seemed to be getting a bit draggy with the urethane,” said Reichard, who now owns six 800 series, with a high of 827. “I know I can throw resin. If I keep the speed up, I’m fine and I can play a very similar line.”
That night, using his Hammer 3D Offset — a ball he refers to as his “nostalgia ball” — Reichard had games of 279, 277 and 258 for 812.
“When I decided to got to resin again, that was the ball. I bought that ball because of nostalgia,” said Reichard, who also owns 16 300 games. “I shot my first 300 with the original of that ball.
“It really didn’t have many games on it. But that ball is a smoother resin ball for me.”
Reichard left a 10-pin on his first ball in the 10th during Game 1.
“I hung up in my thumb a little bit in the the ninth frame, and I was thinking about should I switch it out or not,” said Reichard, who uses an interchangeable thumb slug. “I guess I should have.
“It was a flat 10 but when I let it go, I was just hoping it would go really light.”
He followed with a 3-6-10 spare in the third frame of Game 2.
“I just threw it a hair slow,” Reichard added.
Game 3 he left a pair of 10-pins in the fifth and the 10th for the final tally.
He admitted the 800 was in his mind a little in Game 3, but it was not enough to cause stress.
“I don’t know, but it just didn’t feel like I was putting forth much effort that night,” Reichard said. “I was just locked in. The only big thing was the (first) 10-pin in the last game. That was really flush and just didn’t carry.
“I wanted that 300 more than anything. The last one I just didn’t didn’t hit it enough.”
Reichard moved “about a board and a half” all night and “just picked up speed as I moved along.”
“That was probably the least stressful 800 I’ve had,” Reichard said. “Everything just felt good.”
And having the right ball, at the right time, made the differences for both.”