By BILL SNIER
AKRON — Ball reaction problems proved to be the downfall of at least two stepladder finalists during Sunday’s stepladder finals of the Akron Open at Station 300.
Simon Mote, a 22-year-old Dayton two-handed left-hander, and 46-year-old Parma right-hander Patrick Dombrowski couldn’t overcome early problems during losses to eventual champion Cassidy Schaub, a 40-year-old Greenwich two-handed lefty.
Schaub, the No. 4 seed, stopped another two-handed lefty and Alabama native AJ Rice 258-225 in the opening stepladder match as Rice, who scrambled to a 202 his final cashers’ round game to earn the No. 5 seed by just 12 pins over four-time PBA Central Region winner Ryan Liederbach, had a costly open in the ninth frame.
Rice failed to convert a 3-5 spare after leaving a 3-pin spare in his previous frame. He was unavailable for comment following the match.
But against No. 3 seed Mote, who advanced to the second cut of the sixth annual event for the first time, Schaub piled up strikes — throwing nine in a.row.
Meanwhile, Mote, who had averaged 244 over 16 games and turned in the high five-game series of the second cashers’ round (1,244), was unable to strike on the right lane until the ninth frame while not missing on the left until his first ball in the 10th frame for a 276-195 loss.
“It took a ball I hadn’t thrown all tournament to get a strike on it,” said Mote of his change to a Roto Grip TNT Infused on the right lane. “You really can’t do anything about it when your opponent throws 276 against you.”
Mote had used the Hammer Hazmat and Roto Grip Optimum Idol to that point.
“It’s been a pretty shitty summer for me, so this was a good way to end it,” Mote said. “Making it past the first cut for the first time and there’s nothing better than getting to the stepladder.”
Dombrowski, the two-time PBA Regional Players Invitational champion, decided to add surface to his Roto Grip Hustle RAP before the stepladder. It proved to be a mistake.
“What are you going to do? I had bad reaction at the start, and then switched balls and had better reaction,” said Dombrowski, who went to a Storm Tropical Surge after just one strike and two splits, including a 2-10 that he converted, during the first four frames. To add to his misfortune, he fouled on his first ball in the fifth, which would have been a strike otherwise.
“I just rushed the shot … it was all on me. I knew I was out of it and there was no reason for that,” said Dombrowskii, who also finished second previously to Kyle Mayberry in this event.
He managed to strike on six of his next seven shots in a 247-206 loss while Schaub struck on seven of his first eight shots, including the front five.
“I just didn’t see (the change). I saw it, but I just couldn’t get it to fit, Dombrowski said. “It was an all right weekend, but it is what it is. There were some things I never should have missed, but that’s bowling. I’ll take a few weeks off and prepare for my next regional.”
SECOND CASHERS’ ROUND: Mote, who led for one game of the round after standing fourth following the opening round, had the high pinfall of the round with 1,244. Brandon White and Dombrowski returned to 1-2 in the standings, with the latter shooting 266 his final game to move up. Rice shot 202 his final game to edge four-time PBA Central Region winner Ryan Liederbach by 12 pins. Liederbach shot just 191 his final game after moving up from 10th during the round. Rice, who finished with 1,151 in the round, replaced Branden McVicker among the top five from the opening round. Bryce Oliver made the biggest leap, going from 20th to eighth after shooting 256 and 277 his final two games. He fell 52 pins short of the cut. Quentin Collins, who finished seventh overall and missed the cut by 23 pins, had the lone 300 of the round in Game 3 and Liederbach added 290.
OPENING CASHERS’ ROUND: B squad qualifying leader Dombrowski led this opening round with 1,274 total pinfall, finishing 17 pins ahead of qualifying leader White (1,257). Andrew Smith shot 289 his final game to jump from 34th to 16th, while Steve Pennington went from the cut line after four to 13th. Jeffery Scott, who teamed to win Friday’s doubles event, had 815 his first three games, including the shift’s lone 300 in Game 3. The cut line was at 1,136, with Tim Jones shooting 233 his final game to gain the position by 11 pins over Michael Mossbarger. Among those who were out of the top 24 after qualifying and jumping in were Scott, Smith, Trent Marner, Pennington, Daniel Bright (who moved from 44th to 11th by shooting 1,222) and Caden Millisor, who was the qualifying cut at 1,347. He shot 1,185 to move up to 22nd after the round.
NOTEBOOK: The tourney drew 250 total players over two squads Saturday. … The cut to make the top 49 for Sunday’s cashers’ rounds was at 1,347, with Millisor, a 2022 Marion Harding High School graduate, earning the final spot by just five pins over Jake Monto and 10 over Jason Bowles. … There was just one 300 game thrown Saturday by Sam DeWitt (Squad A) after four were rolled during the Friday night doubles event. Both tourneys were bowled on the house oil pattern. AJ Bigelow had the high game of B Squad with 290. … The top 49 included 28 right-handers and 21 lefties, with the breakdown being 12 and 12, respectively, for the top 24. … Tournament promotor Jody Boyd said Station 300 again has agreed to host the seventh annual event Aug. 23-24, 2025. … DeWitt bowled the PBA Tour Trials in Chicago and then returned to bowl A squad Saturday. He then made the cut and finished 37th overall Sunday. … Our thanks to tournament director Dawn Altimore-Eckenrode, Kim Hogue, Renae Shafer and McKenna Boyd along with Jody Boyd for their assistance in covering this event. … Lanes 33 and 34 had mechanical difficulties in the first cashers’ round, with players on those lanes having to move to Lanes 33 and 34 for Games 3 through 5. … Among past champions, Michael Martell finished 76th to miss the cut. Darrel Ratliff, who was an Akron Open champion at its former home at Colonial Village Lanes prior to the current six-year run, finished 127. … There were seven women in the field, with the high finishers being Lydia Stephens (99th) and Lexi Cloud (100th). … Players bowled on the burn for all 10 cashers’ round games. But the lanes were fresh oiled for the stepladder finals.
