RENO, Nev. - After almost a week without a perfect game at the USBC Open Championships, the drought ended with a pair of 300s at the National Bowling Stadium.

Richard Jenkins of Las Vegas got the job done earlier in the week, while Dan Lemiesz of Machesney Park, Ill., and James Lord of Fort Mill, S.C., notched the 34th and 35th perfect games of the 2011 Open Championships on Saturday.

Lemiesz made his way to the Open Championships as a last minute substitute and quickly made his presence felt at the Stadium. It was his first appearance on the championship lanes.

The 19-year-old right-hander fired 12 consecutive strikes during his second game of doubles and bookended it with games of 213 and 205 for a 718 series.

"This feels like the best 300 I've ever shot," said Lemiesz, who hones his skills at Don Carter Lanes in Rockford, Ill. "After I threw the second shot of that game, something clicked, and I just knew I was going to shoot 300, although, it was the most nervous I've ever been when attempting to shoot 300."

Lemiesz bowls collegiately at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where he recently completed his sophomore campaign. He is an advocate of USBC Sport Bowling and feels it really has helped him progress on the lanes.

"Sport Bowling forces you to rise to the occasion," Lemiesz said. "You can really tell the difference when you practice and compete on Sport patterns. This condition was tough, and bowling collegiately has definitely helped me."

Lemiesz added 724 in team and 713 in singles for a 2,155 all-events total, which puts him just outside of the top 10. Matt Weggen leads both Regular Singles and Regular All-Events with 826 and 2,268, respectively.

"My goal coming in was to shoot 1,950," Lemiesz said. "I wanted to shoot 650 and cash in every event. I never expected to shoot 2,155, but, for the most part, I was pretty relaxed. I was nervous during the first game of doubles because I knew if I could shoot 750 or better twice, I could give it a run with the start I had in team."

Lord also was a last-minute entry into the 2011 Open Championships and wasn't even scheduled to bowl until just over a week ago. He, too, made the most of the opportunity.

"At the end of doubles, I saw that the bowlers on the pair we were following were playing farther outside than I was," said Lord, who made his 13th Open Championships appearance. "When I moved to that pair, I immediately moved farther out, and all of a sudden, I had a good shot and good carry."

The 46-year-old left-hander started his singles event with 224 and 225 before closing with 300 for a 749 series, the highest set of his tournament career.

"I got the 11th shot inside my target just a bit, but I managed to trip the 6 pin," Lord said. "That relaxed me for the last shot, which I really felt I threw well. I've had 300 games before, but to shoot one here at the Open Championships is definitely a highlight for me. I really appreciate the prestige of the tournament, and to shoot it at the National Bowling Stadium is really exciting. I'm so excited knowing that from now on, I'll have my name announced in the squad room every year."

The group Lord bowled with this week was made up of bowlers from his league at George Pappas' Park Lanes. They needed a bowler at the last minute, and he had no trouble finding a reasonable flight to Reno. He also had a bit of a surprise when he landed and had a message from his wife telling him to stay at the airport because she found a cheap fare and was about two hours behind him.

"She wasn't going to come," said Lord, who added 622 in team and 555 in doubles for a career-best 1,926 all-events total. "She really surprised me. I'm so glad she was able to be here to see the 300 game. That just made it extra special for me." 

On Sunday morning, Richard Oswald of Mesa, Ariz., made his own run at perfection before a 4 pin left him with the 16th 299 game of this year's tournament. The near-perfect effort came between games of 223 and 225 for a 747 singles series.

"All I had to do was stay focused, and things seemed to be going my way," said Oswald, a 44-year-old right-hander and first-time participant. "On the 11th shot, I just took a deep breath to loosen myself up. I've had a few 300s, but I still felt some pressure. I thought the last shot was a good one, and I'm not upset. There's always next time."

He added 638 in team and 572 in doubles for a 1,957 all-events total.

Click here to watch video highlights from the 2011 Open Championships.

Presenting sponsors for the 2011 USBC Open Championships are Circus Circus, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno. Other sponsors include Sands Regency Casino Hotel, official brackets sponsor, Kegel, official lane maintenance provider, Humana, official registration sponsor, US Steltronic, official scoring system, and supporting sponsors Storm Bowling Products, UPS, Nationwide Insurance, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Harrah's Reno Casino and Hotel and Peppermill Hotel Casino.