Denver bowler rolls perfect game at 2015 USBC Open Championships
May 03, 2015
EL PASO, Texas - Erick Villagomez of Denver has dreamed of rolling a perfect game at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, and he finally was able to make it a reality at the El Paso Convention Center on Sunday.
The 25-year-old right-hander capped off his doubles set with the fifth 300 of the 2015 USBC Open Championships after games of 214 and 192 for a 706 series. He teamed with Al Taylor of El Paso, who added a 482 series for a 1,188 total. Mark Sleeper Jr. of Kaufman, Texas, and Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, lead Regular Doubles with 1,409.
"This is definitely a big accomplishment for me," Villagomez said. "It's a big relief off my shoulders. I've been wanting to do this for a little while."
Villagomez has had some big games over the course of his six-year Open Championships career but had never started with a long string of consecutive strikes. As all eyes turned to him in the 10th frame, he did his best to block out the extra attention.
"I had a feeling people were going to be behind us watching," Villagomez said. "So I didn't want to look up. I just kept my head down and wanted to make good shots. The first one came up a little light, and the last two were pretty pure. I put the last one right where I wanted and was hoping for it to carry."
Villagomez added sets of 654 in team and 619 in singles for a 1,979 all-events total, falling just shy of eclipsing the 2,000-plateau for the second consecutive year. He has averaged more than 222 at the event over past two years, including a career-best 2,033 total at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in 2014.
Three-time eagle winner Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minnesota, who was bowling a few lanes away at the El Paso Convention Center on Sunday, leads Regular All-Events with 2,226.
The experience of having a perfect performance on bowling's biggest stage and being a part of the tournament's 112-year history left Villagomez looking forward to his next appearance on the championship lanes.
"This is definitely the best one," Villagomez said. "Shooting 300 out here is a whole other thing. Just the history they have here with it being 112 years old. It's huge. I'm definitely excited to be part of that."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.
The 25-year-old right-hander capped off his doubles set with the fifth 300 of the 2015 USBC Open Championships after games of 214 and 192 for a 706 series. He teamed with Al Taylor of El Paso, who added a 482 series for a 1,188 total. Mark Sleeper Jr. of Kaufman, Texas, and Anthony Simonsen of Princeton, Texas, lead Regular Doubles with 1,409.
"This is definitely a big accomplishment for me," Villagomez said. "It's a big relief off my shoulders. I've been wanting to do this for a little while."
Villagomez has had some big games over the course of his six-year Open Championships career but had never started with a long string of consecutive strikes. As all eyes turned to him in the 10th frame, he did his best to block out the extra attention.
"I had a feeling people were going to be behind us watching," Villagomez said. "So I didn't want to look up. I just kept my head down and wanted to make good shots. The first one came up a little light, and the last two were pretty pure. I put the last one right where I wanted and was hoping for it to carry."
Villagomez added sets of 654 in team and 619 in singles for a 1,979 all-events total, falling just shy of eclipsing the 2,000-plateau for the second consecutive year. He has averaged more than 222 at the event over past two years, including a career-best 2,033 total at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada, in 2014.
Three-time eagle winner Matt McNiel of Prior Lake, Minnesota, who was bowling a few lanes away at the El Paso Convention Center on Sunday, leads Regular All-Events with 2,226.
The experience of having a perfect performance on bowling's biggest stage and being a part of the tournament's 112-year history left Villagomez looking forward to his next appearance on the championship lanes.
"This is definitely the best one," Villagomez said. "Shooting 300 out here is a whole other thing. Just the history they have here with it being 112 years old. It's huge. I'm definitely excited to be part of that."
Visit us on Facebook at the official USBC Open/Women's Championships page.