Storm Wins Manufacturer’s Cup
In the first season of the PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands presented by Beatbox, Storm brought home the Manufacturer’s Cup.
Storm earned the top seed in the regular season, propelling past Motiv in the regular season finale on the backs of Jesper Svensson.
Svensson again powered Storm to an early lead against Motiv in the Race-to-Two championship match, which featured the baker format. The Swede struck three times in the 10th frame to clinch a Game 1 victory.
François Lavoie, Kyle Troup, Chris Via, captain Jason Belmonte and Svensson each struck to start Game 2, opening up an insurmountable lead.
Belmonte put a stamp on Storm’s victory with his ninth frame strike. Belmonte dedicated Storm’s win to Bill Chrisman, the powerful co-founder of Storm who passed away in Sept. 2023.
“There's an emotional attachment to this,” Belmonte said. “The founder and owner of this company passed away, and since his passing, with everything we ever do we try to live up to what he did for this company. Winning today, he would have been in the front row. This would have been one of the happiest days for him, watching his Storm company and the boys that represent the company, get out there and throw as many strikes as we did. For Bill, for Barbara, and for all those at Storm — not just those that throw the balls, but those that make it, those that sell it, those that promote it, those that want it and love it — this is for everyone that loves Storm, and most importantly, for Bill Chrisman.”
Chrisman and his wife, Barb, were inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2024.
Motiv defeated Brunswick in the semifinal match, 213-185. Brunswick led for much of the match, but splits in the eighth and ninth frame cost the team.
Brunswick defeated 900 Global, who advanced out of Saturday’s prelims round, in the opening match.
More information on the PBA Elite League: Battle of the Brands is available here.
Championship Round Scores
Match One: No. 3 Brunswick def. No. 4 900 Global, 233-218
Match Two: No. 2 Motiv def. No. 3 Brunswick, 213-185
Race-to-Two Championship: No. 1 Storm def. No. 2 Motiv, 2-0 (189-186, 275-181)
Final Standings
- Storm, $100,000
- Motiv, $75,000
- Brunswick, $50,000
- 900 Global, $45,000
- Hammer, $40,000
- Roto Grip, $35,000
- Ebonite, $30,000
- DV8, $25,000