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BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania – Karsyn Lukosius of Jackson, New Jersey, climbed the ladder to win her second PWBA Regional tournament at the PWBA Eastern Pennsylvania Regional, which was contested at Steel City Bowl & Brews in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
Lukosius started off strong in qualifying before games of 169 and 153 in Games 4 and 5 put her out of the top four; however, she jumped back into the mix with 245 and 220 during her final two games of qualifying to claim the third seed in the stepladder finals with an eight-game total of 1,718.
“I made a good ball change after those two games,” Lukosius said. “I was a little stubborn at first, but I’m a good enough bowler to know that it’s not always me. I have nine bowling balls with me, and that change worked for me to bounce back in qualifying.”
Melia Mitskavich from DuBois, Pennsylvania, led the field after averaging 236 en route to an eight-game total of 1,888 Another Pennsylvania native, Stephanie Sheridan of Dalton, took the second seed by averaging over 228 with an 1,831 total.
Lukosius faced off against Haley Carroll of Williamsville, New York, in the first match. Carroll made a jump of her own in Game 8, shooting 259 to claim the fourth and final spot in the stepladder finals.
The match between Carroll and Lukosius was a close one throughout with neither bowler pulling away. Carroll converted a 4-7-9 split in the fourth frame to keep herself in the match, but Carroll opened the door for Lukosius with a washout miss in the ninth frame, which only allowed her to finish with a total of 191.
That meant that Lukosius only needed a mark to move on, and she got it by converting the 2-8 in the ninth frame to finish with a winning total of 202. Carroll earned $550 for her fourth-place finish.
Up next for Lukosius was Sheridan in the semifinal match, and, once again, neither bowler could pull away early.
Lukosius started the game with three-straight spares while Sheridan left two splits in the first four frames. Sheridan converted the second big split of the stepladder finals, however, picking up the 4-7-10 to not lose ground.
A ball change for Lukosius in the fourth frame led to a double in frames five and six while an open for Sheridan in the sixth frame could’ve ended the match early if Lukosius kept striking.
However, Lukosius left the 10 pin in frames six, eight and nine to give Sheridan some life as Sheridan struck in frames seven through nine to apply some pressure. Sheridan’s 10th frame was not her best though as the first shot went high, leaving the 3-6, which she converted, before going high again and ending the game with 189.
Lukosius needed only nine to move on, and a high-flush nine pin was enough for her to move on to the title match with another 202 game. Sheridan earned $650 for her third-place finish.
Waiting in the title match was Jacksonville State commit Mitskavich, who didn’t have a game below 212 during qualifying and entered the match looked to claim a PWBA Regional win before enrolling in college.
The title match became the Karsyn Lukosius show, however, as a second ball change to start the match proved to be the deciding factor for her. Two early opens by Mitskavich in the second and fourth frames sunk her chances of a win.
Lukosius, meanwhile, could not miss, striking 10 times in 12 shots to finish with 259 over Mitskavich’s 195. Mitskavich earned $800 for her runner-up finish.
Lukosius finished her run up the stepladder with 30 clean frames on the 44-foot oil pattern, earning $1,600 for the victory and another trophy to add to her bowling collection.
Her immediate family was there for this win after her dad was not able to make it to her Mrytle Beach victory.
“It means the world to me, the fact that both of my parents were here and took the time to fly up; it’s amazing,” Lukosius said.
Lukosius will be at the next regional stop on the PWBA Regional Tour, which is the PWBA Rhode Island Regional in East Providence, Rhode Island, which will be held at East Providence Lanes on April 20.
CLICK HERE to learn more about PWBA Regional competition and to view the 2024 schedule.