WCCC Wednesday Night, presented by Route 1 Vapors, drew 48 throwers to try their luck at The Brook.
The return of the single elimination format also meant the return of the best-of-three finals and we had a dandy with top-seeded Sammi Jo Robinson & Matty Iannello facing off with 2nd seeded Gary Clifford & Tyler Callahan.
Both ends exchanged washes to open Game 1, before Iannello opened the scoring with a 3, then after another was extended the lead to 9-0 with a six pack in the fifth round. Robinson, who had been quiet early on, claimed a single and then followed a wash with a snowman, 8 big points making it an 18-0 drubbing after eight rounds. You could have forgiven Clifford & Callahan for deciding to just give up the ghost here and regroup for the next tilt, but their attitude of “game’s to 21” helped them build a comeback, a fourbagger 4 by Clifford countered by a deuce for Robinson leading to Clifford with a 3 to keep things alive. Another was was followed by a 2nd Clifford fourbagger 4 to make the score 20-11, but Robinson closed the show in style, hitting on the slots with a 7 to finish off a 27-11 Game 1 victory after fourteen rounds.
Game 2 opened similarly to Game 1, with a wash, but Callahan, heretofore a passenger in these finals, hit a fourbagger for the six-pack to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Points in three of the next four rounds, including a 4 and a 3 by Robinson, turned the tide, however, giving Robinson & Iannello an 8-6 lead after six rounds. Clifford immediately fought back, with a four, and Callahan followed with a deuce. Clifford appeared to have maintained momentum with a single, but Robinson dropped a fourbagger of her own for 6 to turn the game on its head and give them a 14-13 lead after ten. When it looked like the brooms were coming out for the imminent sweep, Clifford & Callahan came roaring back one more time, missing one of their final twelve bags. A deuce by Clifford took the lead back, then a fourbagger 4 by Callahan put his side on the brink of evening the series. Clifford ensured that with a fourbagger 5, closing out a 24-14 Game 2 victory after thirteen rounds and forcing a decisive Game 3.
Robinson, clearly displeased by this turn of events, immediately banged in a fourbagger and got 8 for her efforts. A wash then led to another Robinson fourbagger, though this one only posted a deuce, making it 10-0 after three. Clifford then came right back with a half-dozen and Callahan built on that with a fourbagger for a deuce, turning a 10-0 laugher into a 10-8 nailbiter after five. Iannello, who had cooled off after his hot start, sprang back to life with a four to stifle the opposition momentum for a round, but Callahan sandwiched a pair of singles around a Clifford deuce, making it 14-12 after nine rounds. Iannello continued his resurgence, posting another 4, answered by Clifford with a fourbagger 2, making it 18-14 and sleaving the outcome in doubt. Iannello, however, posted his third 4 in four rounds to finally score the knockout blow, an epic three game finals ending with a Robinson/Iannello 22-14 Game 3 victory to claim the title.
The return of the 3rd place game saw Domenic Branden & Scott Pelletier face off against Jesob Rockwell & Cathy MacKay. It was close early on, as an opening 4 by Pelletier was countered by a Rockwell 3. That was as close as it got, as Branden & Pelletier scored multiple points in five of the next six rounds, with the final two rounds featuring a 7 by Pelletier and a 3 by Branden to polish off an easy 22-5 win after eight rounds to snag the final podium spot.
All three spots on the podium were represented in the top 3 PPRs, as Sammi Jo Robinson fired her team to victory with a stellae 8.52, while Scott Pelletier’s 8.42 claimed him a bronze. Tyler Callahan was third in PPR and the runner-up in the tournament on the back of an 8.28. Callahan also led the charts with 10 fourbaggers on the night.
After Mike Pigatti (yes, Mike Pigatti) drained half of the airmail pot last week, it worked its way up to $793, for $198 a bag. Stephen “The Walker” Langlois was drawn, but didn’t seriously threaten the pipe, leaving the entire amount to roll over to next week.
We would like to thank our sponsors that make it all happen!
Rich Electric
We’ll see you next week!
