By BILL SNIER
AKRON — Bryce Frantz had no plans to bowl at Station 300 this week.
“I’ve been to Cleveland once, but I’ve never been here,” the former University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) player said. “But a friend of mine told me last Monday that he was coming up and wanted me to go. He finally convinced me on Friday, so we jumped in the car and here we are.”
The 25-year-old Louisville, Ky., two-handed right-hander averaged 258.3 over his six-game qualifying block and will lead 55 players into Sunday’s Cashers’ Round of the seventh edition of the reincarnated Akron Open scratch singles.
The top 55 out of the original 276-player field will bowl five games beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday with all pinfalls carrying over. From there, the field will be cut again to the top 24 for five more games before the final cut to the top five for the stepladder finals.
Frantz shot 774 over his final three games on B squad to pull ahead of A squad leader Zack McSwain, a 28-year-old Cowpens, S.C., right-hander, and hold the overall lead with 1,550 total pinfall after Saturday’s qualifying. McSwain was just 20 pins behind (1,530) after leading A squad by 64 pins.
Despite shooting 269 in Game 1, Frantz decided to make a ball change from the DV8 Severe Collision to the Track Theorem Solid in Game 2.
“I trusted myself and stuck with it. I chased it as far as I could left and kind of stuck with the game plan and didn’t panic,” said Frantz, who works in patient rehabilitation at Jewish Hospital in Louisville.
“That was the big thing. Sometimes, I panic in that situation. But I trusted myself a little more today and let the ball do its job and didn’t overforce or overthink anything. I just kept my head in it, stayed down and did what I was supposed to do.”
McSwain, making his second Akron Open appearance, also made a ball change in Game 3 from a Storm Ion Pro to the Storm Equinox while shooting 793 over his final three games on A squad.
“That was the game plan … straight up and hard,” said McSwain, who won his first PBA regional title just a week ago in Asheville, N.C. “I just stayed on top of my moves and made shots when I needed to.”
Sitting in a tie for third – both off of the B squad — were the unlikely duo of 42-year-old Jackson Township right-hander T.J. Charles and 18-year-old Indiana Tech (Ind.) sophomore two-handed righty Tuna Boncu, a native of Turkey. They tied at 1,510 (251.6 average) to finish 40 pins behind Frantz.
Also in the top five are Austin Robison (1,506) and Quentin Collins (1,487), with the former holding the lead after Game 5 of B squad, respectively.
CHARLES STARTS STRONG
Charles, who was cleared about six weeks ago to return to bowling after battling knee pain and a meniscus problem, came out of the gates with just the second 300 of the tournament in Game 1. He led B squad after Games 1, 2 and 4.
“I just had a ball that wasn’t overreacting and was keeping me in play,” Charles said. “I could miss right and it came back and I could tug it and it would hold. I started out kind of fluffing it … soft at the bottom. But as I went on I got strong with it and moved further left.”
Charles, who started with the Track Sensor Solid his first three games and finished with the Track Stealth Mode, had a 7-10 split in the first frame of Game 2 interrupt his run before he ran off seven more strikes. He had 266 his final game, despite leaving another 7-10 split, following a 211 in Game 5 to jump up the standings.
“I think I moved four boards all six games. The lanes were pretty consistent for me,” said Charles, who has made the cut in only one previous Akron Open appearance — in 2003 when it still was held at the former Colonial Village Lanes.
“There was one pair (Lanes 11-12) where the left lane had a hold, wiggle spot. I’ve missed the cut by three, four and six pins so this feels good … going against these talented two-handed kids it feels great to go out there and compete, especially for an old man like me.”
FROM TURKEY TO INDIANA
Boncu, who teamed with Batu Pinar to finish fourth during Friday’s doubles sweeper, said he was able to use what he had learned.
“I shot 289 in Game 1 Friday with the front 10 and just kind of kept that going,” said Boncu, whose first name is common in his native country. “Today, most of it was trying to find something after the first couple of games.
“With how fast I was throwing it, I really didn’t have to move that much. Friday, I just kept moving my feet one board each game and took that into today. There really wasn’t much transition for me … I think by the time I got to the sixth game, I was two boards left of where I started, I just kept my speed up and stayed behind the ball.”
Boncu, who went with the Black Hammer 78 urethane all day, made the decision Friday that the Hammer Purple was not going to work.
“I just saw way to much friction in practice Friday and I knew I needed something to blend out the friction and give me some hold,” said Boncu, whose country only has about 500 bowlers.
What prompted his choice of Indiana Tech?
“Our economic state was not that good and we needed a school that was affordable, had a decent bowling team and still had good academics so I could balance college life,” said Boncu, who has now been in the United States just two years. “I’ve been bowling about 14 years now, but coming here, with all the leagues and tournaments … I’ve devoted my life to bowling and I’ll drive anywhere close to Indiana to bowl tournaments. This is another step along my journey.”
And the journey continues for the final 55 players Sunday — all looking at similar game plans to Saturday.
“I just have to stick with the game plan and come in and see what we have,” McSwain said. “Just make good shots and stay clean.”
“I have to just keep my head down, go with what I know and what I can trust and hope it gets me to where I need to go,” Frantz added.
For Charles, its both the game plan and his physical shape.
“I just have to keep it in front of me and don’t give away any pins,” Charles said. “I’m hoping that 4 1/2 months of physical therapy will pay off.”
NOTEBOOK: After Dell Ray Jr. had the lone 300 of the opening shift, Charles and Tyler Ring had 300s the first two games of B shift. … Don Hipkiss earned the final cut spot with 1,361, despite going just 173 and 214 his final two games. Earl Anthony (1360), former Tuslaw High School left-hander Cameron Kilgore (1,356) and Plain Township right-hander Keith Zeigler (1,352) fell just short. Darrel Ratliff, who won this event at Colonial Village, missed the cut by 10 pins. Kilgore also attends Indiana Tech. … Among those making the cut is two-time defending champion Cassidy Schaub, who finished 30th with 1,397. … Both halves of Friday’s doubles sweeper winner — Andre Gonzalez (10th, 1,454) and AJ Rice (50th, 1,365) — also made the cut. … Of the 55 players making the cut, 33 came off of A squad with 22 on B squad. But seven of the top 10 were from the second shift.
