AUBURN - Jeff Matty gasped for air as he entered the tournament office at Falcon Lanes.
It was long day, and moments earlier Matty had shouted at the bowling pins after his delivery, hoping to carry that one strike that would advance him in the men's field of The Citizen Masters.
He came up short, but it was all in an exhausting day's work.
“You throw the ball, make good shots and hope for the best,” said Matty, who lost his opening match last week before posting five straight wins in the losers' bracket.
Matty's bid ended in a loss to Lee Burnett, 598-578, in his final match Sunday. So it was Burnett, on a run of five straight wins himself, who moved on as one of eight finalists.
Derek Locastro, after a night working the graveyard shift at Nucor Steel, won three matches Sunday to join Burnett for finals weekend. Locastro defeated Pete Bommersbach (608-606), Greg Walczyk (646-566) and Geary Gioia (611-517).
In the winners' bracket, Gary Sutton fired a 257 last game at Mike Sheehan to erase a 41-pin deficit and emerge victorious, 647-620. Mike Ryan and Jamie Mills stood one pin apart after two games. Ryan prevailed 194-169 in the finale to win the match, 639-615.
“Jamie really tested me,” Ryan, the 2006 champion, said. “The match wasn't decided until the end.”
Despite his enviable position, Ryan won't get too far ahead of himself when talk of another title comes up.
“In this tournament, I focus on each frame, trying to throw a strike every time,” he said. “The pressure's off for me to win again. I'm much more relaxed now. But, winning it a second time would be a heck of a feat.”
Also in the winners' bracket, Kevin Mead survived a 135 his third game to hold on against Jim Locastro, 553-544. And Dan Guzalak opened with 245 en route to a 614-594 victory over J.T. Locastro.
For Saturday's winners' bracket matches at Cedar House Lanes, Sutton takes on Guzalak, while Ryan squares off against Mead.
In the losers' bracket, Derek Locastro faces Burnett. with Jim Locastro meeting Sheehan.
It was a trying day all around. Sheehan had the high score, shooting 711 against J.T. Locastro (619) to reach the finals. Jim Locastro rolled 690 in defeating Mills' 519 to advance. Otherwise, it was a round of tight matches and a measure of anxiety.
Matty, who led Lou Tabone by just nine pins after two games, won the finale 236-176 to momentarily keep his chances alive. Walczyk, moving gingerly while nursing a bad back, managed a 495-494 victory over Joe Chehansky.
Burnett won his first two matches over John Ashby Jr. (695-669) and Brian Parry (621-581), and admitted to simply “grinding it out.”
“In my last match, it felt like the ball was 20 pounds,” he said. “When you're fresh, you don't think about execution. But when you're tired, you worry about things like dumping your shoulder and getting the proper release.
“It was a tough day.”
Tough, yes. But he still has a chance to win it all.
Men's Citizen Masters
Falcon Lanes
11 a.m. Sunday
Losers' Bracket
Jeff Matty 643 def. Gary Fedigan 551
Lou Tabone 645 def. Dan Pilat 549
Brian Parry 636 def. Bill Gentilcore 606
Lee Burnett 695 def. John Ashby Jr. 669
Derek Locastro 608 def. Pete Bommersbach 606
Greg Walczyk 495 def. Joe Chekansky 494
Mike Crowley 581 def. Mike Prior 545
Geary Gioia 560 def. Joe Bennett 489
12:30 p.m.
Winners' Bracket
Mike Ryan 639 def. Jamie Mills 615
Kevin Mead 553 def. Jim Locastro 544
Gary Sutton 647 def. Mike Sheehan 620
Dan Guzalak 614 def. J.T. Locastro 594
12:30 p.m.
Losers' Bracket
Derek Locastro 646 def. Greg Walczyk 566
Geary Gioia 556 def. Mike Crowley 531
Jeff Matty 641 def. Lou Tabone 572
Lee Burnett 621 def. Brian Parry 581
2 p.m.
Losers' Bracket
Jim Locastro 691 def. Jamie Mills 519
Mike Sheehan 711 def. J.T. Locastro 619
Derek Locastro 611 def. Geary Gioia 517
Lee Burnett 598 def. Jeff Matty 578
Cedar House Lanes
Noon Saturday
Winners' Bracket
Mike Ryan vs. Kevin Mead
Gary Sutton vs. Dan Guzalak
Losers' Bracket
Derek Locastro vs. Lee Burnett
Jim Locastro vs. Mike Sheehan
(Losers' Bracket squad follows at 1:30 p.m.)
He came up short, but it was all in an exhausting day's work.
“You throw the ball, make good shots and hope for the best,” said Matty, who lost his opening match last week before posting five straight wins in the losers' bracket.
Matty's bid ended in a loss to Lee Burnett, 598-578, in his final match Sunday. So it was Burnett, on a run of five straight wins himself, who moved on as one of eight finalists.
Derek Locastro, after a night working the graveyard shift at Nucor Steel, won three matches Sunday to join Burnett for finals weekend. Locastro defeated Pete Bommersbach (608-606), Greg Walczyk (646-566) and Geary Gioia (611-517).
In the winners' bracket, Gary Sutton fired a 257 last game at Mike Sheehan to erase a 41-pin deficit and emerge victorious, 647-620. Mike Ryan and Jamie Mills stood one pin apart after two games. Ryan prevailed 194-169 in the finale to win the match, 639-615.
“Jamie really tested me,” Ryan, the 2006 champion, said. “The match wasn't decided until the end.”
Despite his enviable position, Ryan won't get too far ahead of himself when talk of another title comes up.
“In this tournament, I focus on each frame, trying to throw a strike every time,” he said. “The pressure's off for me to win again. I'm much more relaxed now. But, winning it a second time would be a heck of a feat.”
Also in the winners' bracket, Kevin Mead survived a 135 his third game to hold on against Jim Locastro, 553-544. And Dan Guzalak opened with 245 en route to a 614-594 victory over J.T. Locastro.
For Saturday's winners' bracket matches at Cedar House Lanes, Sutton takes on Guzalak, while Ryan squares off against Mead.
In the losers' bracket, Derek Locastro faces Burnett. with Jim Locastro meeting Sheehan.
It was a trying day all around. Sheehan had the high score, shooting 711 against J.T. Locastro (619) to reach the finals. Jim Locastro rolled 690 in defeating Mills' 519 to advance. Otherwise, it was a round of tight matches and a measure of anxiety.
Matty, who led Lou Tabone by just nine pins after two games, won the finale 236-176 to momentarily keep his chances alive. Walczyk, moving gingerly while nursing a bad back, managed a 495-494 victory over Joe Chehansky.
Burnett won his first two matches over John Ashby Jr. (695-669) and Brian Parry (621-581), and admitted to simply “grinding it out.”
“In my last match, it felt like the ball was 20 pounds,” he said. “When you're fresh, you don't think about execution. But when you're tired, you worry about things like dumping your shoulder and getting the proper release.
“It was a tough day.”
Tough, yes. But he still has a chance to win it all.
Men's Citizen Masters
Falcon Lanes
11 a.m. Sunday
Losers' Bracket
Jeff Matty 643 def. Gary Fedigan 551
Lou Tabone 645 def. Dan Pilat 549
Brian Parry 636 def. Bill Gentilcore 606
Lee Burnett 695 def. John Ashby Jr. 669
Derek Locastro 608 def. Pete Bommersbach 606
Greg Walczyk 495 def. Joe Chekansky 494
Mike Crowley 581 def. Mike Prior 545
Geary Gioia 560 def. Joe Bennett 489
12:30 p.m.
Winners' Bracket
Mike Ryan 639 def. Jamie Mills 615
Kevin Mead 553 def. Jim Locastro 544
Gary Sutton 647 def. Mike Sheehan 620
Dan Guzalak 614 def. J.T. Locastro 594
12:30 p.m.
Losers' Bracket
Derek Locastro 646 def. Greg Walczyk 566
Geary Gioia 556 def. Mike Crowley 531
Jeff Matty 641 def. Lou Tabone 572
Lee Burnett 621 def. Brian Parry 581
2 p.m.
Losers' Bracket
Jim Locastro 691 def. Jamie Mills 519
Mike Sheehan 711 def. J.T. Locastro 619
Derek Locastro 611 def. Geary Gioia 517
Lee Burnett 598 def. Jeff Matty 578
Cedar House Lanes
Noon Saturday
Winners' Bracket
Mike Ryan vs. Kevin Mead
Gary Sutton vs. Dan Guzalak
Losers' Bracket
Derek Locastro vs. Lee Burnett
Jim Locastro vs. Mike Sheehan
(Losers' Bracket squad follows at 1:30 p.m.)
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