Bellmore-Merrick Bowling Strikes Again

Bellmore-Merrick mixed and matched its bowlers on Monday, as it tried to find the right combination of players that would be able to take the team to the next level. The musical chairs paid off as Bellmore-Merrick ran over Plainedge High School, 11-0.  

The team used six different bowlers on the day, as coach Joe Bianca made substitutions in each game in an attempt to find his four best bowlers.

"We have a lot of depth," Bianca said. "A couple of the guys that we brought in did a nice job. We just need four guys to have consistent games, and then we'll be where we want to be."

The first game featured the return of Calhoun senior Chris Vogel, who missed the team's last match against Island Trees with an injured knee. Vogel, who bowled a 289 earlier in the year, led the team to victory with a high-game of 225. Bellmore-Merrick won the game decisively by a score of 810-719.

Vogel struggled to find his rhythm in game two. Despite striking out in the tenth frame, he faced four splits that resulted in three open frames, and ended the game with a 169. However, his teammates were there to pick him up. With Mike Cappuzzo bowling a 229 and Ricky Hough throwing a 233, the team cruised to victory, 799-724. The game also featured a substitution, with C.J. Marino replacing Scott Castellano.

"I bowled pretty well," Vogel said. "But in the second game the lanes started to break down a little and I just couldn't make my adjustments, so I got taken out."

Game three featured even more substitutions. Coach Bianca brought Castellano back in for Marino, and replaced Vogel with Dan Mueller, a Calhoun junior. Mueller answered the call by bowling a 213. Though the team combined for its best score of the day, it just narrowly claimed victory, 839-813. Hough led the team in game three with a 223, while Cappuzzo chipped in with a 220.

"I think we all bowled pretty well," Cappuzzo said. "The lanes were breaking down real fast so we had to make a lot of adjustments. But we battled and we came out on top."

Plainedge's Roland Iadanza and Rob Henn bowled the highest games of the match for either team, both coming in game three. Iadanza bowled a 254, while Henn bowled a 245. However, it wasn't enough to surpass the Bellmore-Merrick squad. Winning three points for each game, Bellmore-Merrick also won the accumulative score 2,448-2,256 to claim the final two points and complete the sweep.

Hough and Cappuzzo were the only two bowlers to play all three games for Bellmore-Merrick. Though pleased with the team's performance, Hough was already looking ahead to its next match against first-place Wantagh.

"Overall I think we did pretty good," Hough said. "When one person was down the other was right there to pick them up. I definitely want to step it up on Thursday because we have a big match against Wantagh."

Coach Bianca also emphasized the importance of Thursday's matchup against Wantagh.

"We bowled well but not at the level that I wanted us to," Bianca said.  "The last game [with a team-high 839] is where we want to be every time, especially if we want to beat our number one competitor, Wantagh."