Guerrero, Restrepo win doubles at 2016 PABCON Championships

Women's doubles results

CALI, Colombia - Colombia's Clara Guerrero was a little disappointed about falling short in her bid for a second consecutive singles title at the Pan American Bowling Confederation Championships, but she knows earning the silver medal against such a strong field is a special accomplishment.

Fast forward a day, and it was Guerrero's name atop the standings at the 2016 PABCON Adult Championships as she and fellow Professional Women's Bowling Association champion Rocio Restrepo claimed the gold medal in women's doubles at Bolera Departamental.

The two faced some struggles in the middle of the six-game block Tuesday morning, but good communication helped them average more than 251 for their final two games to claim the title with a 2,756 total, a 229.67 overall average on the 36-foot Beijing oil pattern.

Guerrero led the way with a 1,394 total for her six games, and Restrepo added 1,362.

"We felt like the lanes were a little different today, and we struggled early, but we had a talk and made some moves, and we were able to finish with two big games," Guerrero said. "We were relieved afterward and pleased with our overall performance."

Aruba's Kamilah Dammers (1,404) and Thashaina Seraus (1,312) claimed the silver medal for the second consecutive time with a 2,716 total, and Maria Rodriguez (1,359) and Juliana Franco (1,303) of Colombia earned the bronze medal with a 2,662 effort.

The bowlers from the United States struggled in the second event of the week but feel optimistic about trios and team, which will take place Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

CoteParkin2016PABCONDoublesForWeb250x140Singles medalists Missy Parkin (gold) and Bryanna Coté (bronze) led the way for Team USA in doubles Tuesday with a 2,592 total, good for a fourth-place finish. Coté set the pace with a 1,324 effort and Parkin contributed 1,268.

"Today, we had the same game plan as yesterday, but they transitioned a lot quicker, and we had to move left sooner," said Coté, who earned her first medal as a member of the adult Team USA. "I felt like we bowled just as well today and were very close to a couple big games, but the carry just wasn't on our side. Now, we realize they may be different from day to day, so we've talked about not hesitating to make changes quicker."

Team USA's Danielle McEwan (1,329) and Shannon O'Keefe (1,259) were close behind, finishing tied for fifth with a 2,588 total. Shannon Pluhowsky (1,202) and Josie Earnest (1,119) finished the day in 18th place with 2,321.

The last time the Team USA women didn't medal in PABCON doubles was at the 2012 event in Las Vegas.

As the singles and doubles medals are awarded Wednesday at Bolera Departamental between trios squads, Parkin and Guerrero will switch places from the last time the tournament was held in Cali.

At the same venue in 2014, Guerrero was the singles winner at the PABCON Women's Championships with a record 1,498 total, while Parkin and Kelly Kulick claimed the doubles crown with a 2,861 performance, also a tournament record.

Competition at the 2016 event will resume Wednesday with trios squads at 10 a.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. EDT. The tournament includes 79 women from 15 countries.

The teams for the United States are Parkin, McEwan and Coté on the early squad and Earnest, O'Keefe and Pluhowsky on the afternoon squad.

The 2016 PABCON Adult Championships includes more than a dozen countries, with more on the line than just gold medals.

The top eight men's teams and top eight women's teams qualify for the combined 2017 World Championships in Kuwait. This is determined by a combined total pinfall from the following categories in each division - top four singles scores, top two doubles scores, top trios set and pinfall in team competition.

The qualifying teams on the men's side were the United States, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

The women will have the same opportunity this week.

Additionally, the top two countries across the two-week stretch in Colombia will qualify for the World Games, which is held every fourth year and next will be contested in Wroclaw, Poland, in July 2017. This will be a combined pinfall total for the top two men and top two women for each country during the 24 games at the PABCON event.

The United States, Venezuela and Colombia previously qualified for the 2017 World Games through the PABCON Champion of Champions event in Mexico last April.