April 22, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Four teams wrapped up their 2024 PBA Elite League presented by Snickers regular season on Monday night in Fairlawn, Ohio. 

Two of which, the Waco Wonders and GoBowling Dallas Strikers, saw their seasons come to a close. Both teams were eliminated from playoff contention as Lucky Strike L.A. X won their Round 13 match against Waco to secure the sixth and final postseason berth.

L.A. defeated Waco in consecutive games, 216-196, 230-170.

“We treated this one like a must-win, win it or go home,” player-manager Jason Belmonte said. “You don’t want to rely on other results. You want to take fate into your own hands and we did that tonight. The guys bowled with that type of pressure on their shoulders and made a lot of really good shots knowing what was at stake. In both matches, I didn’t need to do much at all in the 10th. That’s the true gameplan: the boys do enough where I just have to get up and stay behind the foul line.”

Belmonte said his team, which will be the No. 6 seed regardless of their Round 14 result against Portland, is not as well oiled as the other playoff teams.

“The good news for us is when we go to Portland, we've really got nothing to lose," Belmonte said. "I actually think that's what makes this team gel a little better together is being those underdogs. I'm hoping that's the narrative the other teams are thinking because that's just going to play right into my team's hands.”

The Las Vegas High Rollers, who defeated the New Jersey KingPins 2-0 in Round 13, secured the top seed and a bye into the semifinals. Andrew Anderson said practice did not go well for Las Vegas and they didn't have their lineup set until the last shot of practice.

“We've thrown every lineup at the wall and we've won with almost all of them,” Anderson said. “I told them, regardless of the look (Matt Russo) has, he was going to anchor. Let’s ride the high that he’s on and we did exactly that. Matt Ogle and Russo stepped up big in the ninth and 10th frames both games to seal the deal.”

Despite the stakes, Anderson said the team bowled without much pressure on them.

“We've felt pretty comfortable because we had so many things going on our side that we really felt like we were going to get a bye even if we possibly lost tonight,” Anderson said. “We're happy to get a bye. We're happy to be the No. 1 seed. Now we get another match on TV to enjoy on Saturday and get ready for Portland in a few months.”

Anderson and Sean Rash both gave a shout out to Thomas Larsen, who missed most of the season with a finger injury but returned in Round 10 and struck on all four of his shots in the team’s Round 11 match in Allen Park.

With the KingPins loss, Portland and Akron had an opportunity to take control of the No. 2 seed and a bye. Neither team took advantage: The Lumberjacks were swept by Motown, while the Atom Splitters lost to the Strikers in a roll-off.

Fortunately for both teams, the KingPins lost their Round 14 match to Waco. Portland, by virtue of their Round 3 and Round 10 wins over Akron, owns the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed.

The final two matches of the regular season will determine seeding for the postseason. The Lumberjacks can secure the No. 2 seed with a win over L.A. X, while the Atom Splitters will need a win over the High Rollers and the Lumberjacks to lose.

Both matches will take place Saturday, April 27 at 4 p.m. Eastern on FS1. Tickets are available for the show here.

More information on the PBA Elite League is available here.

Round 13 Results

Las Vegas def. New Jersey, 2-0 (216-212, 222-203)
Motown def. Portland, 2-0 (245-205, 222-215)
Dallas def. Akron, 2-1 (210-238, 213-187, 27-25)
L.A. X def. Waco, 2-0 (216-196, 230-170)

Round 14 Results
Motown def. Dallas, 2-0 (163-158, 210-174)
Waco def. New Jersey, 2-1 (223-162, 189-247, 30-28)

Standings

Team, Record, Pinfall

x - Las Vegas High Rollers, 10-3, 5,546
x - Portland Lumberjacks, 8-5, 5,653
x - Akron Atom Splitters, 8-5, 5,542
x - Motown Muscle, 8-6, 6,050
x - New Jersey KingPins, 8-6, 5,866
x - Lucky Strike L.A. X, 4-8, 5,470
e - GoBowling Dallas Strikers, 4-10, 5,860
e - Waco Wonders, 3-11, 5,649

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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