Mike Pettinella, left, and Tom Rohl, first- and second-place bowlers at Saturday’s Genesee Region USBC Senior Masters at Mount Morris Lanes. (Submitted photo).
Press release:
Batavia’s Mike Pettinella became the first three-time champion of the Genesee Region USBC Senior Masters Tournament on Saturday, defeating fellow GRUSBC Hall of Famer Tom Rohl of Le Roy, 237-160, in the title match at Mount Morris Lanes.
The victory was worth $360 plus a free entry into next month’s GRUSBC Scratch Memorial Tournament for the 69-year-old right-hander, who also is the oldest competitor to win the event.
Pettinella now has five Senior Masters’ titles – two in the Batavia Bowling Association (2003, 2005) and three in the GRUSBC (2009, 2011, 2024) – along with three second-place finishes.
After starting with 193 and 189 in the three-game qualifying round, it didn’t look like Pettinella, local journalist and bowling columnist, would make it to the next round. It took a 268 third game, including a closing string of seven strikes, to hit a 650 total – just enough for him to advance.
A member of the MOTIV Bowling team, he said a switch to the MOTIV Crimson Jackal to begin the third game of qualifying was a turning point in the tournament.
“That ball gave me enough angle on the back end to carry the corner pins and put some strikes together,” said Pettinella, who had finished in second place the week before in the 60-and-Over Tour event at Mancuso Bowling Center. “I went with that ball in the stepladder finals, which enabled me to stay in the track area between the second and third arrows.”
In the two-game quarterfinals, Pettinella’s 430 was good for the fifth spot – with the top six advancing – and in the one-game semifinals, his 247 tied with Rohl to put him in the three-person stepladder finals along with Rob Manners of Rochester, who posted 234.
Pettinella defeated Manners, a 52-year-old righty, 216-160, before facing the 51-year-old left-hander Rohl for the title.
Rohl, who was looking to join Batavians Paul Spiotta and Fred Gravanda as the only bowlers to win a regular Masters and Senior Masters, earned $250, while Manners pocketed $150.
Bowlers advancing to the semifinals, winning $120 each, were defending champion Rob Gustke of Rochester, Paul Bacon of Lockport and Kevin Gray Sr. of Honeoye Falls.
Gustke led the qualifying round with a sparkling 809 series, highlighted by a 299 third game (see video below).
Eight bowlers eliminated in the quarterfinals earned $70 each. They were Don Parrott and Brian Weber of Perry, Pat Donaghue of Pittsford, Gregg Wolff and Spiotta of Batavia, Reid Cole and Tim Talbot of Albion and Jim Hunt of Piffard. Parrott rolled 749 and Donaghue registered 716 in the qualifying round.
The tournament drew 47 entrants.