By BILL SNIER
PARMA — A year ago, Trisha Reid walked out of North Woods Lanes in Macedonia with a $2,500 first-place check.
Saturday, in qualifying for the same annual event, Reid found herself leading the way in her quest to defend her title.
The 39-year-old Columbus left-hander averaged 231 during the eight-game qualifying block to lead 12 bowlers into today’s cashers’ round of the second annual Hit Dem Pockets Queens scratch tournament at Rollhouse Parma.
Reid, who claimed the inaugural title in the event with a 281-259 win over Amherst right-hander Amanda Morrow in June 2023, finished with 1,848 total pinfall, just five pins ahead of good friend Jen Higgins (1,843). Morrow sits third with 1,806.
The top 12 qualifier in the 40-player field will return at 10 a.m. Sunday for four more games with Saturday’s pinfalls carrying over. After that, the field again will be cut to the top six for a round of two-game match play, with the three winners then bowling in the stepladder finals.
“It seemed like the lanes played a lot harder here. I had to play a different part of the lanes, using different types of balls and different projections to the lanes,” said Reid, who bowled on the Kegel Challenge Beaten Path oil condition this weekend as opposed to Kegel Stone Street in 2023 at North Woods.
“Everything played completely different.”
Reid shot the tournament’s high game of 267 in Game 1 of the first qualifying block. Only one other bowler broke 260 (Stacey Timmer 263) all day.
“I bowled really good in Game 1, but, of course, we had 10 minutes of practice on the pair and I was able to break it down really well,” Reid said. “But the last two games of that block I went two-teens, two-teens (215, 212) so I kind of knew going through the games they were getting tighter.”
That prepared Reid, who used a Brunswick Knockout as her main ball and went to a DV8 pin-up Collision when she found tighter pairs, for the second shift.
“I knew that the second shift was going to be tighter when I left a couple of flat 7-pins early,” added Reid, who shot just 203 in Game 5. “I had to slow my speed down. I played that block like the back games of the first block.”
Higgins, a 42-year-old right-hander and former Canton resident, felt the lanes were “a bit touchier” during Saturday’s second shift.
“I was bouncing back and forth between balls. The balls picked up a little sooner and I definitely had to tweak the angles a little better,” said Higgins, who is employed by CleanEatz. “So I kind of struggled a little more.
“But as for last year and this year, we both did well last year so I didn’t see much of an issue.”
Reid earned the qualifying lead when Higgins missed a one-pin spare in the 10th frame of Game 8. The former shot 229 to her friend’s 224 after the two were tied heading into Game 8.
“Certain pairs were a little different, but it was nothing that I couldn’t figure out,” said Higgins, a PWBA Tour player, who used the Brunswick Defender Hybrid and the Hammer Scorpion Hybrid. “I felt comfortable today so we’ll stay with the same two balls, stay from 15 (board) to 10 and chase it from there if I need to.”
First-round qualifying leader Kelsey Cummings, a 20-year-old University of Pikeville (Ky.) graduate student, shot just 813 in the second session after 936 in the morning to drop to fourth with 1,750.
Reid’s game plan for Sunday is simple: watch her speed.
“When I tried to get it out and make it strike, that’s when I got into trouble,” Reid said. “I have to try to stay in my zone and work on my ball speed.”
NOTEBOOK: The cut to the top 12 came at 1,624, with Lexi Cloud earning the final spot, finishing 34 pins ahead of Angel West. … Janet Hill, who was on the cut line after seven games, shot 256 in Game 8 to jump to eighth. … Tabitha Schlupe, who started the second block with 173 and 149, shot 234 and 224 the final two games to qualify fifth. … All of the bowlers in the top 12 averaged at least 200. … First place Sunday will pay $2,000, with $1,000 for second. …. Ohio Queens champion Melissa Voytko finished 10th to make the cut with 1,641.
