RENO, Nev. - After recording just one double during his first two games at the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday, Paul Rumbaugh of Stafford, Va., made a ball change and found his way to a perfect finish with the 20th 300 game of the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships.

The 53-year-old right-hander started his team event with games of 204 and 181 before stringing 12 consecutive strikes for a 685 series.

Despite not being able to carry, the Greater Fredericksburg USBC Hall of Famer stayed clean through his first 19 frames. His plan was to make a ball change on his fill ball at the end of the second game, but he left a 2-4-10 split and failed to convert it. Rumbaugh made the change at the start of the finale, anyway, and saw the reaction and carry he desired.

"I wasn't carrying very well," said Rumbaugh, who made his 17th USBC Open Championships appearance. "I thought if I could get a fill ball, I was going to switch balls, but I opened. I didn't have anything to lose at that point, so I made the ball change. I moved in a bit and began to carry a lot better."

Rumbaugh has delivered in the final frame countless times throughout his bowling career, but he found himself especially nervous as all eyes at the NBS turned their attention his way. He always wished he could be in that position on bowling's biggest stage, and he didn't shy away from the moment.

"It was nerve-wracking," Rumbaugh said. "I've stepped up in the 10th in that situation a lot of times in the past but never under the pressure I had here. I just wanted to make quality shots. The first one crept up a little bit, but I threw it where I wanted to. I might have gotten it a tad slow, but it carried. The second and third shots were pretty solid. I always said I'd like to bowl a 300 out here sometime, and to accomplish that was a pretty awesome experience."

Rumbaugh, who served 21 years in the United States Air Force, said many of his previous perfect games have come on birthdays or other special occasions, and his 300 on Saturday happened to come on Armed Forces Day.

The two-team group Rumbaugh bowls with at the Open Championships features nine retired members of the U.S. Air Force. The members of Mel's Air Force Retirees and Canyon Bait House of Albuquerque, N.M., served their country for more than 230 combined years and have made 194 appearances on the championship lanes.

Armed Forces Day traditionally is celebrated on the third Saturday of May and honors those serving in the military. Although the team members now live across the country, the time they spend at the Open Championships is a chance to reunite as well as compete.

"It kind of fell into place this year, since we've been bowling around this time for a while," said Ronne Mercer, who made his 34th tournament appearance and served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 37 years. "It's a unique situation, since nine out of the 10 of us had extensive time in the armed forces. The military background and associations draw people together in the first place. Bowling is a team sport, and that furthers that to a great degree. We've all retired and gone on to different lives, but bowling has become the thing that keeps us connected."

On the lanes, Rumbaugh paced Canyon Bait House, and he was joined by Anthony Wiggins (581), Ron Benz (557), David Hoff (511) and Dean LaBonte (484) for a 2,818 team series. Michael Eggleston Sr. led Mel's Air Force Retirees with a 605 series and was joined by Bruce Michaelson (578), Robert Drewitt (547), Terry Jensen (533) and Mercer (501) for a 2,764 total. Lodge Lanes Too of Orlando, Fla., leads Regular Team with a record 3,538.

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.