WHEAT RIDGE — With major-league baseball spring training under way, Jeff Carter agreed that his match against Robert Smith could be looked at as a pitchers’ duel in Friday’s quarterfinal round of the Geico Plastic Ball Championships at Brunswick Zone Wheat Ridge.
Smith would be the power pitcher, but Carter would be the cagy veteran who threw the off-speed pitches and won.
Carter, of Springfield, Ill., took the seventh and final game by a 245-215 score and advanced to Sunday’s semifinal round with PBA veteran Pete Weber, Michael Fagan and Chris Barnes.
Weber and Fagan are paired and Carter takes on Barnes in the 11 a.m. semifinals.
“I’ve bowled against Robert for years,” Carter said. “We all know each other out here. It’s bowler against bowler. I just try to bowl my game. He has much higher ballspeed than I do. I’m a little above average on ballspeed on the tour, but facing a power pitcher is a good way to look at it.”
Smith’s bowling ball has been clocked at 34 mph, one of the fastest clockings on the tour.
Carter withstood Smith’s big performance in game No. 5 when the hard thrower sizzled 10 strikes in a row before settling for a 287-255 victory.
“I had to play a couple of games a little conservatively,” Carter said. “I had to play a little defense and be patient. It wasn’t like I was struggling when he had his big game. I had 255. I knew I still was close and I could take advantage in the later games.”
Carter explained that it’s anyone’s tournament, especially with the use of the plastic bowling balls.
“I can’t even describe how much of a challenge and how different this tournament is from our regular schedule,” Carter said. “The adjustments we normally do and changes we make in our mind are totally thrown out this week. Normally we make larger changes. This week was minor changes. This ball doesn’t hook as much. It puts a premium on shot making. They’re trying to showcase the golden era of bowling in the 1960s and 1970s when the plastic bowling balls were used. They’ve done a pretty good job of it.”
Fagan explained that the plastic bowling ball has a lot less friction to it.
“It doesn’t grip the lanes a quarter as hard as the bowling balls of today,” Fagan said. “You have to adjust your speed and create that good angle into the pocket. It’s harder to do. This ball moves very little. If you can make the right adjustments, it works. I think it comes into my game a little more. I like to throw the ball slow and I can play my A game.”
Scoring comparisons
Tournament Games Avg.
Denver (plastic) 14 216.05
Buffalo (regular) 14 214.26
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
