Bowling Rams & Lady Rams keep improving despite early season Bowlerland ups, downs

It is too early to tell how the new Port Chester winter bowling season will turn out with all its ups and downs at Bowlerland in the Bronx, but there are already encouraging signs judging by their latest matches against Pelham and Yonkers, according to new coach Nick Singer.

For example: Valeria Adrover has rolled the season's highest match individual game score (141) for the Lady Rams, Matt Vintimilla has bowled one of the Rams’ highest games (126) while consistently improving freshman Austin Nij has the highest single game score (131) and several of the team players like co-captains Callie Sullivan and her brother Trevor, Evelyn Portillo and Gabriel Cueto are averaging close to 100 or better per match.

The good and bad

 That has resulted in good things happening along with the bad in their most recent matches which have resulted in a loss against Pelham last Wednesday (12/7) as well as a win this past Monday (12/12) against Yonkers.

Here's the way the split in those two matches went down.

Despite the Lady Rams taking an early lead by edging Pelham 448-440 in game one, they wound up losing the match 5-2 with the total wood a close 1400 to 1391 in favor of the Pelicans.

Portillo and Adrover both bowled two strikes and two spares to help the Lady Rams win that first game with Portillo going on to hit 115 in game one, 97 in game two and 84 in game three for a total of 296 while averaging 99. Adrover had the team's match high of 141 in game one, 77 in game two and 118 in game three for a total of 336 and an average of 112.

Other Lady Ram leading scorers included Sullivan with a high of 131 in game three and an average of 101 while bowling two strikes and four spares and Laura Lopes who hit for a total of 288 and an average of 96 with scores of 80 in game one, 102 in game two and 106 in game three. And Karina Mojica and Kim Marrero scored 57 in game two and 36 in game three respectively.

Potential is there

"I know that our girls’ team has the potential to compete with anybody we go up against," Singer said after that match. "It is just about staying consistent."

But the boys were down two bowlers when only three players showed up for the match.

"We were shorthanded, but our boys made it competitive in the first game (376-326) and held their own throughout the match," Singer said.

That translated into Nij bowling 133 in game one with a double strike, 111 in game two and 74 in game three for a total of 318 and an average of 106. Vintimilla had two strikes and a spare in game two while bowling his way to 93 in that game along with 117 in game one and 95 in game three for a total of 305 and an average of 102. And Manuel Barcenas also had three strikes while racking up scores of 76 in game one, 92 in game two and 78 in game three for a total of 246 and an average of 82.

"When we have our full team, this is a great group," Singer said. "I am proud of them for their eagerness to compete. I am seeing special improvement from Nij, our freshman, whose numbers have increased over the past week."

The missing link

In the Yonkers match, it was the visiting girls’ team that came up short with only one Yonkers player showing up to bowl while their boys’ team—one of the best in Section 1—beat the Rams 7-0 with total wood of 2012 to the Rams’ 1419.

The result was that the Lady Rams picked up an easy 7-0 victory with various highlights supplied by Sullivan (two strikes and two spares in game three) while Lopes added four spares in that game on her way to a game high of 102. Sullivan had the highest total (251) and average (110) while rolling a 93 in game one, 105 in game two and 133 in game three. Adrover had the next highest average (89) and total (266) while bowling games of 110 (game one), 77 in game two and 79 in game three. Lopes totaled 251 and averaged 84 with scores of 74 (game one), 75 (game two) and 102 in game three. Other scorers included Chelsea Garcia (74, 73 and 95 in three games for a total of 242 and an average of 81) and Valerie Tintaya (69, 74 and 75 in her three games respectively for a total of 218 and a 73 average).

"I was happy with the way the Lady Rams bowled that day—especially Garcia and Tintaya who have been working hard to get those numbers up, but we are seeing improvement up and down the line from where we were at our opening tryout week," Singer said.

Take best shot

The Rams took their best shot at a very good Yonkers team, but while they held their own and kept getting better, they still came up short.

Vintimilla was the high scorer with games of 126, 89 and 98 for an average of 104 and a total of 313 that included a strike and four spares in game one. Cueto came next with scores of 112, 89 and 92 finishing with a total of 293, an average of 98. Barcenas came next with scores of 82, 76 and 121 for a total of 279 and an average of 93. Nij bowled one of his highest scores with a 105 in game two sandwiched around games of 75 and 91 for a total of 271 and an average of 90. And Sullivan rounded out the scoring with a high game of 113 in game two in between rolls of 77 and 73 for a total of 263 and an average of 88.

Those don't add up to league or section leading numbers, but they do indicate that the bowlers aren't getting bowled over and keep working hard and getting better. And Singer is counting on those numbers improving against Harrison Monday (12/19) at 4:15 p.m. at Bowlerland. That is if everybody shows up because it is quite a schlep to the Bronx.