By Jill Winters

Fort Myers, Florida  – After putting himself in eight match play appearances in 2021, Brad Angelo is now a champion on the PBA50 Tour.

The New York native is quickly following up his successful rookie season by defeating current PBA50 rookie Dino Castillo Thursday at the PBA50 Lightning Strikes Lanes Open.

Both players started out with doubles and 9-spare. Castillo put together a three-bagger to take the lead before leaving the 3-4-6-7 split on the left lane.

“That was the turning point in the match,” Angelo said of Castillo’s split. “It hit that friction spot that had developed in the previous game and took off. That is why I was playing the left lane quite a bit deeper and I had to be slower to get the ball in the pocket to where it would not flat-10.”

Angelo initially thought Castillo was going to convert the split when the ball left his hand, but Castillo only got one pin to open up the match.

After leaving a weak 10-pin and a ringing 10-pin on the right lane, on which Angelo felt like “the rack was a little off,” he decided to make a subtle move with his feet and his eyes, while also changing his hand a little bit to get better deflection through the pins to carry the 10-pin. Those moves resulted in six straight strikes and nine on his final ball to win, 258-203.

“For me, my bread and butter is to be able to roll it really slow and when I can do that I feel most comfortable,” Angelo said. “It’s great to be called a PBA50 champion.”

Castillo, who was especially animated in his first match against Barnes, was a familiar sight to Angelo.

“I have bowled against Dino Castillo now for over 30 years and that is Dino Castillo’s MO,” Angelo said about his friend. “He throws his hands all over the place and looks like there is an earthquake every time he throws the ball, so I was fully prepared for all of that stuff. He bowled great.”

In the first match, Walter Ray Williams Jr. defeated Jon Rakoski 269-267. Williams struggled to carry in match two as Chris Barnes started with eight in a row for the 279-188 win.

Match three between fellow Texans Barnes and Castillo included nine strikes by Castillo as he won, 279-245.

View the full PBA50 Lightning Strikes Lanes Open standings: PBA50 Lightning Strikes Lanes Open | PBA

PBA50 LIGHTNING STRIKES LANES OPEN FINAL STANDINGS:

1. Brad Angelo $7,500

2. Dino Castillo $4,000

3. Chris Barnes $3,000

4. Walter Ray Williams Jr. $2,500

5. Jon Rakoski $2,000

MATCH SCORES

Match 1 – Williams Jr. def. Rakoski 269-267

Match 2 – Barnes def. Williams Jr. 279-188

Match 3 – Castillo def. Barnes 279-245

Championship match – Angelo def. Castillo 258-203