Here are the highlights from last week’s ten-pin bowling leagues at good old Orchard Lanes up on the Heights in Hood River. If you don’t know where the Heights are, you better find out because it’s where the action is.
In the feisty TUESDAY NITE MIXED league, team Nishi (Jeff Hasegawa, Janet Kawachi, Stuart Kawachi and Joey Sheirbon) clinched first place in the second round of the league. Nishi has an insurmountable 7.5 point lead with only one week left in the round. They can’t lose because only four points are available to win in a match. By winning the second half of the Mixed, they earned the right to bowl against the first half winner and previous league champion, Who Gives a Split (Kristyn Fix, Patty Morrissey, Bill Morrissey, and Patrick Olson) in a three game roll-off for this season’s league championship. The roll-off will be conducted in two weeks. Currently, team Nishi lines up with 156 pins of handicap per game whereas Who Gives A Split has 221 per game. That’d a big advantage to Who Gives A Split but team Nishi is always dangerous in crunch time. Who do you think will win the crown? Should be a dandy match. Come on up and watch it on Tuesday, Feb. 21, starting at 7 p.m.
Three game series scratch scores:
In the INDUSTRIAL LEAGUE, team G.B. (Klayton Benefield, Hayden King and Jayton Muenzer) is currently in first place in the third round with 53 points but things have tightened up considerably. The Lustre Kings (Spencer Munoz, Justin Holtmann and Thomas Houle) moved into second place, just four points back.
Big shooters in the Industrial league last week were Randy Nieto and Joey Sheirbon. Both tossed 674 sets, which was good enough to make the hot-shot Team of the Week. Randy can boast like Reggie Jackson that he was “the stick that stirred the drink” last week as he led his Randy’s Painting trio to a 22-3 point crunching of the Cereal Bowlers. Randy finished up 101 pins over his average as he painted the pins like Leroy Nieman did of Earl Anthony’s famous million dollar strike.
And, in a clash between the first two round winners in the Industrial league, prominent local orchardist Joey Sheirbon keyed his Pat’s Pro Shop trio to a difficult 14-11 point win over the always resilient MTS squad. MTS’s Mike Bosse was the spark plug who made it tough on the Pro Shop as he fashioned an unflappable 633 series, which was 102 pins over his average. A match like this one is what competitive league bowling is all about.
Chad Mason was the individual leader in the TUESDAY NITE MIXED league last week as he unleashed that buzzsaw ball of his on the brand new but unsuspecting pins and turned them into sawdust, tallying a lofty 727 three game series. That classy effort earned him another nod on the Team of the Week and raised his gaudy all-star average to a magical 220 pins per game. It’s rather amazing considering Chad doesn’t practice and only bowls three games per week, all in this league. To carry a high average like Chad does, you not only have to string piles of strikes, but you’ve got to be a very good spare shooter.
In the same session, super sub, Zach Farra played a starring role on the Double A Orchards crew, pounding the pins to an outstanding 674 series that boosted his team to a 4-0 sweep over past league champion Are You Splitting Me. Obviously 674 was a popular score last week, as it also put Zach on the coveted Team of the Week.
In the SENIOR COLTS AND FILLIES LEAGUE, Cousins (Joella Dethman, Margaret Godard, Robert Godard, and Paul Dethman) snuck into the second half lead by one game. It’s going to be nip and tuck like this for the socializing seniors all the way to the last week.
In the FRATERNAL LEAGUE, Hood River Athletic Club (Bernie Keys, Ken Kramer, and Josh Worth) increased their stranglehold on first place in the third round with 70 points. They are currently leading by a wide margin of 17 points.
Josh, Levi Phelps, and Albert Frelix tore up the sticks in the Fraternal last week. Josh Worth could be a double for Clark Kent. He is so quiet and mild mannered you hardly know he’s there, but the long time Orchard Lanes staffer turns into Superman on the lanes. He’s become nearly automatic in the Fraternal league as he raised his average to 215 pins per game after logging an excellent 662 series last week, which was just one pin shy of his set last time out. He and teammate Albert Frelix, who shined in a sub role, powered their third round leading Hood River Athletic Club trio to a second consecutive 23-2 point night as they wiped out the MB trio this time. Albert rolled his first 600 series of the season, a mighty fine 653 that was highlighted by an awesome eight strike 269 game. He beat his average by 119 pins, which was the most pins over average effort by all bowlers in all leagues at Orchard lanes last week.
Bam! To paraphrase a famous TV chef, that’s what Levi Phelps did to the pins in the Fraternal. He kicked it up another notch as he cooked up a nifty 682 series which raised his average to 216 pins per game. His pin busting talents keyed his past multiple league champion MWB boys to a 20-5 point waxing of the BB’s and it also put him on the vaunted Team of the Week for the umpteenth time. Clearly, Levi has become a bonafide star on the lanes.
In the scrappy COUNTY LEAGUE, things got a bit tighter this past week as the first half winners, the BS-ers team (Mike Allen, John Griebling and Mike Schroeder) moved 1 game ahead of THE MUNSONS (Dane Backman, Tommy Hood, and Jay Slack) for first place in the second half.
TOP SCRATCH SCORES IN LEAGUES LAST WEEK:
Industrial League (Monday 7:00 pm):
Tuesday Nite Mixed League (7:00 pm):
Senior Colts & Fillies League (Wednesday 1:30 pm):
Fraternal League (Wednesday 7:30 pm):
Patrick Olson: 247,246,235, 728
County League (Thursday 5:00 pm):
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