USBC Communications
RENO, Nev. – A big second game and clutch finish helped American Fleet Inc. # ONE of Springfield, Missouri, take over the top spot in Regular Team at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships on Monday.
The team – featuring Tony Yarbrough, Tom Bohannon, Craig Hendrick, Ben Scroggins, Blake Demore – posted games of 1,008, 1,256 and 1,108 at the National Bowling Stadium to finish with 3,372, just seven pins ahead of the score rolled by Ohio’s FOF/KPT on March 31 (3,365).
The 1,256 in Game 2 sits as the highest team game so far at the 2026 event. There have been a total of four 1,200s this year at the NBS, all in Game 2.
Scroggins led the team with a 734 series, and his four teammates were within 16 pins of each other. Yarbrough had 664, Hendrick and Demore finished with 663 and Bohannon closed with 648.
The big effort in Game 2 also was led by Scroggins (278). He was followed by Bohannon (268), Yarbrough (244), Hendrick (237) and Demore (229).
In Game 3, the pressure in the final frame turned to Scroggins and Demore to deliver after a split (4-10) and open frame from Hendrick. Scroggins rolled three strikes, giving Demore the opportunity to mark for the chance at the lead.
Demore left a 4-8 on his first offering and converted the spare, and he finished with a strike to secure the top spot.
The teammates were back on the lanes Tuesday at 10 a.m.looking to track down the lead in Team All-Events, too. FOF/KPT holds the lead with 10,120.
STANDARD RECORD SET
Meanwhile, the members of Expensive Practice of Albuquerque, N.M., posted the top team series in the young history of the Standard Division on Monday to take the lead with a 3,196 total.
The group – featuring Jason Silva, Eric Espinda Sr., Walter Espinda, David Williamson and Brian Skidmore – connected for games of 962, 1,157 and 1,077 at the National Bowling Stadium. The 1,157 showing in Game 2 also sits second for a team game in the Standard Division.
The previous record for the division belonged to 2022 champion JW’s All Stars of Wellington, Fla., with 3,132. The highest team game in the Standard Division was recorded by Irvine Team 1 of Corona, Calif., on the way to victory in 2023.
Smash and Dash of Chula Vista, Calif., had taken the lead Friday at the 2026 USBC Open Championships with 3,088.
The Standard Division is celebrating its ninth year as part of the Open Championships in 2026 after debuting in 2017.
Skidmore led the team’s performance Monday with a 696 series. Silva had 641, while Eric Espinda Sr. – the owner of the tournament’s triplicate record with three 279s for an 837 series during the team event in 2013 at the NBS – posted 629. Walter Espinda connected for 619, and Williamson finished with 611.
Staying on top of the ever-changing condition was key for the group, highlighted by two runs at perfection. Skidmore started Game 2 with nine in a row on the way to 264, while Williamson began Game 3 with nine strikes for 263.
“We really made some good adjustments,” Eric Espinda Sr. said. “Brian made a great adjustment to get the front nine in the second game. He found some hold in the middle and was able to move to that hold and continue to strike. David made a great ball change on the fill shot of the second game and just continued to parlay that into the front nine for the third game.
“We did a good job of breaking the lanes down and playing together. We continued to talk to each other and move with each other.”
The chemistry the group shares is easy to see. They also rallied around each other as the strikes started to add up Monday in Reno.
“My dad (Walter) has been doing this for 26 years, and I’ve been at it for 20 years,” Eric Espinda Sr. said. “To be able to be on the leaderboard, whether it sticks or not, with my dad means the world to me. Jason was the best man at my wedding, and Brian’s my cousin.
“This group has so much chemistry. We work off each other so well and feed off each other’s energy. That’s a big factor. When Brian kept stringing them in the second game, we all got fired up. When David started stringing them in the third game, we all got fired up. We knew we had to have a big finish, and that’s exactly what we did.”
With one record already attached to his name, adding a second for Espinda would mean an Eagle would be coming home with the group, too.
“In our division, that’s a tough number to beat – these lanes are not easy by any stretch,” Eric Espinda Sr. said. “I do think we put up a very competitive number.
“The Eagle will be sweeter for sure. I have the triplicate record here, but to be able to win an Eagle with some of my best friends and dad … that’d be the icing on the cake. That’s something I can take home and tell my kids and wife about. It’s something that would stick forever.”
Standard Team includes five-player groups with combined entering averages of 801-905.
FIRST 800 FOR BOWLER
In his tournament debut, Gael Egana of Chula Vista, Calif., connected for an 801 series in singles.
The 22-year-old right-hander rolled games of 277, 245 and 279 on Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium, and the performance also helped him take over third place in Regular Singles.
Robert Oakleaf Jr. of Louisville, Ky., leads with 816.
Making the turn at 522, Egana started Game 3 with a spare. He followed with eight strikes in a row to reach the final frame. Egana still needed the first hit in the 10th to keep his hopes for the honor score intact and delivered. A nine count on his second shot (10 pin) secured it, and he closed with the spare conversion.
In all, Egana rolled 27 strikes in 34 opportunities during the set.
His overall performance also helped him move into seventh for Regular All-Events with 2,123. Ryan Bertrand of Syracuse, New York, took the lead Saturday with 2,197.
Egana had 669 in doubles and 653 in team, which also included a run at 300 in Game 2. He started with 10 strikes, before settling for 289.
Egana advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Intercollegiate Singles Championships during his senior season at the Savannah College of Art and Design-Savannah, and he’s also been part of Team Mexico.
The Open Championships is celebrating its 122nd edition in 2026 and making its 15th trip to Reno, Nevada. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 55,000 bowlers and 11,000 five-player teams competing across 128 consecutive days at the National Bowling Stadium.