With help from the unique "endless 10th frame" and the only woman in the competition, Brunswick took the lead in the Manufacturers' Cup standings after the first two rounds of competition in the Professional Bowlers Association's GEICO Team Shootout hosted by Six Flags.

Team Brunswick - L-R Johnny Petraglia, Parker Bohn III, Sean Rash, Brad Angelo, Pro Tour Consultant Chuck Gardner with Carolyn Dorin-Ballard.

The first four of 12 Baker scoring system round-robin team matches aired Sunday, June 27, on ESPN.

In Baker team bowling, each member of a five-player team bowls two frames to complete a full game. In the GEICO Team Shootout, the "endless 10th frame" allows a team to extend its 10th frame as long as it can continue to throw strikes.

The entire series, consisting of six head-to-head matches between each team plus a three-match stepladder final, was conducted outdoors on specially-constructed lanes on the grounds of one of the Atlantic Coast region's most popular theme parks.

In the opening match of the GEICO Team Shootout, Ebonite International was the "home team" and selected the PBA Shark lane condition for its match with Brunswick. The decision backfired when Brunswick's Parker Bohn III, Johnny Petraglia and Sean Rash (right) – bowling in the second, third and fourth positions in the lineup – each threw two strikes to propel their team to victory.

Team Ebonite International - L-R Mike Fagan (Track), Jason Couch (Ebonite), Chris Barnes (Columbia 300), Mike Scroggins (Ebonite), Tommy Jones (Ebonite) and Bill O'Neill (Hammer).

In Match Two, Storm Products also selected the Shark pattern and rolled to a 213-183 win over 900 Global. A turkey on strikes by Pete Weber, Rhino Page and Jason Belmonte in the seventh, eighth and ninth frames proved to be the difference.

Brian Voss (pictured left)  threw three strikes in the 10th frame to give 900 Global the first "endless 10th frame" opportunity, but Michael Haugen Jr. was unable to extend the contest when he left the 6-7-10 on the next shot.

Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (right), however, did cash in on the opportunity in Match Three. Brunswick opted for the Scorpion lane condition against Ebonite International, but Ebonite gained a three-pin advantage heading into the 10th frame behind a string of strikes by Mike Fagan, Chris Barnes and Tommy Jones. Rash struck on all three shots in Brunswick's 10th to set up the "endless 10th frame."

Dorin-Ballard, the only woman in the competition, added another strike and Bohn ran the string to five to put Brunswick in the lead. Barnes answered with three strikes in the 10th for Ebonite, but Jones left the 1-2-4 on his "endless 10th" attempt to foil Ebonite's rally. Brunswick won the contest, 222-215, and improved its record to 2-0.

"I made a move on the lane for that shot," Dorin-Ballard said. "The lanes were breaking down and it just so happened that all the pins fell down. That's about all I can say. Those were probably the hardest frames I've ever bowled. Bowling in 100-degree heat and your hand sweating like crazy? It was really, really hard.

"But I had a blast," she added. "Bowling with that Brunswick team was, by far, one of my most memorable bowling moments. It was an honor bowling with those guys for two days."

Team 900 Global - L-R Steve Jaros, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Michael Haugen Jr. (AMF), Robert Smith and Brian Voss (AMF).

Bowling on the Viper pattern in Match Four, 900 Global got a perfect performance from seven-time PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr. (right) who rallied his team to a 218-213 victory over Storm Products. Storm got a string of four strikes from Page, Duke, Wes Malott and Weber to take a modest edge heading into the 10th frame. Williams followed Voss' strike in the ninth frame with three more in the 10th to put Global 900 in position for the come-from-behind win.

"But we still had to wait to see what Norm (Duke) did," Williams said. "I was really comfortable with the lane condition that day, and I threw some good shots and got some strikes. When I got the last one in the 10th, we were in position for the endless 10th frame, and we figured we'd need it. But Norm left the baby split after his first strike, so we didn't need to keep going."

After the opening series of telecasts, Brunswick held a 2-0 edge in the Manufacturers' Cup. Storm and 900 Global had 1-1 records while Ebonite was 0-2.

Team Storm - L-R Rhino Page (Storm), Jason Belmonte (Storm), Wes Malott (Roto Grip), Brian Kretzer (Roto Grip), Pete Weber (Storm) and Norm Duke (Storm).

The won-lost records at the conclusion of the round-robin matches will determine the seeding positions for the championship round. Ties will be broken by actual pinfall totals, not including "endless 10th frame" bonus pins.

GEICO Team Shootout telecasts will continue on ESPN on Saturday, July 3, at 2 p.m.; Sunday, July 4, at 1 p.m., and Sunday, July 11, at 1:30 p.m. All times are Eastern.

 

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GEICO PBA Team Shootout - Part One

Baker scoring system team competition; five bowlers bowl two frames each to complete one full game

Match One – Brunswick def. Ebonite International, 224-213
Match Two – Storm Products def. 900 Global, 213-183
Match Three – Brunswick def. Ebonite International, 222-215
Match Four – 900 Global def. Storm Products, 218-213

Manufacturers' Cup Standings
Brunswick, 2-0
Storm Products, 1-1
900 Global, 1-1
Ebonite International, 0-2