By BILL SNIER
CANTON — The 800 series for members of the Northeast Ohio Travel League continue to pile up as the 2024-25 fall-winter season winds down.
Not all of them came in the NEOTL.
But the latest pair from Scott Vandegrift, a 36-year-old Perry Township right-hander, and Brett McCourry, a 32-year-old Canton righty, came at Eastbury Bowling Center — one in the NEOTL and the other in the Friday Liberty Vending league.
Here’s a look at both.
NO. 3 FOR McCOURRY
McCourry now has three 800s on the season, including a high of 827 also at Eastbury.
This series had games of 276, 278 and 247 for 801 using a Storm PhysiX Blackout for all three games.
“We’re a part of the Storm staff now, so they are releasing a lot of new stuff every three weeks,” McCourry said. “So when the new stuff comes out, my bag is constantly changing.
“I have to throw all the new stuff so the pressure is on because you have to keep scoring also.”
McCourry’s McCarry Properties team also has been lighting up the Liberty Vending at Eastbury with four 3,000 scratch series so far this season, the latest being 3,068. Other members of the team are Brett’s brother Alex McCourry, Marcus Marcelli and Ryan Trowbridge.
In the latest series, Brett finished with 797.
“The scores that night were just ungodly high. I guess I was the only one who was able to finish it out,” McCourry said about his 801. “I think we had three 300s that night also.”
McCourry started with the front nine strikes in Game 1 before a 10-pin ended his run. He got in another run in Game 2, but fell short.
“Brett just doesn’t shoot 300 or 279 anymore,” said McCourry, who operates his own property and landscape business along with working part-time at Cutting Edge Pro Shop in Akron.
He finished with the 247, but admitted he liked the way he threw the ball that game.
“We threw it great the last game … probably better than the first two,” McCourry said.
TWO BALLS FOR 800
Vandegrift, who works in the insurance business, had his 800 the same night as Jim Fellows shot his second 800 of the season (813) in the NEOTL.
The difference was Vandegrift had to go 300 the final game to reach his 802 for his 23rd career 800 to now go with 40 300 games.
“I’ve had a pair of 300s this season along with the 800 so I can’t complain,” said Vandegrift, who used two different balls on his pair of lanes. “I knew what Jim was doing, so I had to make sure he knew we were splitting the 800 pot.”
Vandegrift used the Motiv Sky Raptor 6 on one lane and the Raptor Rush on the other.
“I used the Rush on Lane 5 and the Raptor 6 on Lane 6. It just seemed like the one was hooking up more, and the each lane was different,” Vandegrift said. “The other ball got better on the other lane so I stuck with that plan and it was just as I had hoped for.”
Vandegrift bowls in two leagues, including the NEOTL, averaging 223 and 221, respectively..
“It’s been a pretty good season. I’ve been pretty consistent in both leagues,” Vandegrift said.
And the run of 800s for NEOTL members continues with one month to go in the season.