PBA Delaware Classic

S. Samek

The PPBA Delaware Classic is in full swing. The Qualifying rounds are finished, and we have moved on to the top 24 making the single elimination bracket. The top eight received byes into the round of 16.

Tim Foy Jr, Nate Stubler, Nathan Bohr, Tommy Jones,Tom Smallwood, Jason Belmonte, Bill O’Neill and Kevin Mccune each won their round of 24 match to advance to round of 16.

The round of 16 were best of seven game matches. Foy Jr. took number one seed Andrew Anderson to the seventh game. Foy Jr won the last game 209-176 to move on to the top eight and send the top seed of the tournament home title less.

Stubler bested Jason Sterner in a match that went the distance. Stubler shot a 259 to Sterners 212 in the deciding game.

O’Neill made easy work of Chris Via, sweeping him in four games. O’Neill averaged 262 for the four games, shooting a 288 in game one and a 279 in game two.

Dom Barrett best McCune in four games as well to move on to the round of eight. Smallwood would also be swept by Tomas Kayhko.

Belmonte got the best of Kyle Troup in a match that went five games to advance, giving us a new title winner this week.

David Krol took Jones to seven games in order to defeat him and advance. EJ Tackett then bested Bohr in a six-game series to fill the last spot in the round of eight. The win earned Tackett a spot on the show. This is because of the format for the stepladder that sees the four match winners in the round of eight plus the highest qualifier among the losers in the round of eight making the show. Tackett qualified in second for the elimination round.

Kayhko would become the first person to get a spot in the stepladder as he swept Belmonte in the round of eight.

O’Neill would earn another stepladder finals birth with a six-game series win over Barrett.

Tackett and Krol went back and forth in their match going to the seventh game tied 3-3. Krol then saved the best for last firing a 277 game to best Tackett and earn a spot in the stepladder.

Foy Jr was up 2-0 on Stubler before dropping the next two games to even up the series. Foy Jr rebounded to take game five, before laying in egg in game six with a 140 game, that allowed Stubler to even the series at three games apiece. However, Foy Jr. bounced back winning 203-191 in the final game to get into the stepladder.

Kayhko will be the one seed, Krol the two seed, O’Neill the third seed, Foy Jr the fourth seed, and Tackett rounds out the list as the fifth seed.

The stepladder finals are Sunday. Who will take the title?