HOUSTON- The field is set for the semifinals at the Professional Bowlers Association/Professional Women’s Bowling Association Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles Tournament in Houston on Sunday, held at Copperfield Bowl.
Holding on to the overall lead from Friday is Colombia’s Juliana Botero and Alec Keplinger of Coldwater, Michigan, with a combined total of 3,205. Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Andrew Anderson of Holly, Michigan, are second with 3,160, while Karsyn Lukosius of Jackson, New Jersey, and Sean Riccardi of St. Petersburg, Florida, hold third with 3,142. All three duos bowled on B Squad on Friday.
Hope Gramly of Aubrey, Texas, and Kris Prather of Plainfield, Illinois (3,128) and Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady, New York, and Richard Teece of England (3,077) round out the top five.
Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova and England’s Dom Barrett (3,050); Jordan Richard of Tipton, Michigan, and Frank Snodgrass of Center Line, Michigan (3,048); Crystal Elliott of Palm Bay, Florida, and Francois Lavoie of Canada (3,046); Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, and Anthony Simonsen of Las Vegas (3,039); and Maria Bulanova of Russia and Brad Miller of Lees Summit, Missouri (3,034), close out the top 10.
The 40th and final team to advance to the semifinals was Marissa Allison and Casey Cohagan of Painesville, Ohio, knocking down 2,914 pins as a team and only two pins ahead of 41st.
Kuhlkin and Teece were Day 2 leaders with their 3,077 total, with Kuhlkin shooting a seven-game total of 1,509 and Teece adding 1,568. The duo wasn’t aware that they were squad and day leaders until scores were official.
“We were bowling good but we thought there were maybe two or three teams ahead of us,” said Kuhlkin.
Their chemistry and similar styles helped them stay out of trouble when other teams had a game that caused scores to drop.
“We worked pretty well together today,” said Teece. “(The lanes) were, I wouldn’t say tricky, but you could get into trouble real easy if you weren’t doing the right thing.”
Kuhlkin agreed.
“It’s a testament to our chemistry, we’ve bowled together for five or six years. I think it’s just the communication between each other and passing it along so they don’t do the same thing.”
They don’t see each other often, but when they come to bowl the SABC Mixed Doubles, they don’t miss a beat and enjoy the camaraderie this event brings.
“It’s like we’re lifelong friends. We made a pact that we will keep bowling together until we win, and even if we win, we’ll probably still bowl together,” said Teece.
That bond and chemistry will be key for them as they have their sights set on winning the tournament, which continues Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern for a four-game block in the semifinals.
The top 12 after will advance to the finals, which is 12 games of round-robin match play. Six games will be bowled at 12:30 p.m. Eastern before a break for lunch and the champions will be crowned after the last six games at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The semifinals and finals will be streamed live on BowlTV.
