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Barnes Ends TV Slump with Victory in PBA’s Buckeye State Eliminator

Defending Champ Cruises to 11th Career Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Title



COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 8, 2009) – Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, ended his five-game television losing streak in style Sunday, racing away to a 258-172 victory over Mika Koivuniemi of Hartland, Mich., in the title match of the Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator at Sequoia Pro Bowl.



Barnes, who successfully defended his 2008 Buckeye State title, earned $25,000 and his first title of the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season. Four straight strikes in the middle of the game in response to four consecutive nine-pin spares by Koivuniemi put Barnes into a commanding lead and he never looked back.



“The hardest thing to do is to repeat with all the expectations that come from winning,” Barnes said, “but the short format today worked in my favor and I survived. I have been there enough to put up with the heat. I like the competition and love bowling on Sunday.”



Barnes also noted he has been working with retired PBA Tour star Mark Baker on improving his game.

“The stuff I worked on with Mark kept me in check”, said Barnes.



In the opening match of the unique eliminator tournament final, Rhino Page of Topeka, Kan., was low-man-out, failing to convert a pair of splits in posting a 202 game. Barnes led the four-player group with a 238, Mike Scroggins of Amarillo, Texas, was second with a 216 and Koivuniemi had a 212 game.



In the semifinal contest, Scroggins left single pins in five frames en route to elimination with a 218. Koivuniemi rolled a 266 and Barnes a 235 game to set up the title match between long-time friends and tour roommates.



The tournament also raised more than $37,000 in the name of the tournament’s namesake, the late PBA Hall of Famer Don Johnson, for Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus to help buy insulin pumps and medicine for families in need.



The Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour now moves to Norwich Bowling and Entertainment Center in Norwich, Conn., for the GoRVing Match Play Championship. The fifth and final stop on the PBA Tour’s “Extreme Swing” gets underway on Tuesday. ESPN will televise the finals next Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern.





LUMBER LIQUIDATORS PBA TOUR

Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator

Sequoia Pro Bowl – Columbus, Ohio



Final Standings

1, Chris Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3 games, 731 pins, $25,000

2, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 3 games, 650 pins, $13,000

3, Mike Scroggins, Amarillo, Texas, 2 games, 434 pins, $6,500

4, Rhino Page, Topeka, Kan., 1 game, 202 pins, $5,500



Eliminator Results

Match One: Barnes 238, Scroggins 216, Koivuniemi 212, Page 202 (Page eliminated)

Semifinal Match: Koivuniemi 266, Barnes 235, Scroggins 218 (Scroggins eliminated)

Championship: Barnes def. Koivuniemi, 258-172





About the PBA

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events and will award over $4.3 million in prize money during the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA National Tour. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com. This season marks the 50th Anniversary of the PBA Tour.