Palacios is SBA’s October bowling queen

Rita Palacios didn’t have to bowl Monday night after posting a decent score the night before, but did so anyway and secured the October Pepsi Queen of the Lanes tiara at the Saipan Bowling Center.

Palacios began the second night of the Pacific Trading Co.-sponsored event on top of the leader board after knocking down a respectable 694 pins Sunday night.

After a pedestrian 150 start, Palacios got into a rhythm and rolled a 203. The 30-year veteran was far from being done and continued to heat up as she tattooed another 256 pins in her third game—the highest score in a game in the ladies corner—before cooling off somewhat and finishing with a 142.

With her performance, Palacios upped her score and broke the 700-mark, averaging 187.75 pins after knocking down 751 in her four games.

Her 694 was the second-best score in the tournament after she bruised 178 pins in her first game, 159 in her second, 181 in her third, and 176 in her fourth on Sunday.

Finishing in second place was Elena Soll, whose Sunday performance was good enough to earn her extra cash. She got off to a sizzling start with a 201 in her first game, but cooled off and had just 131 pins fall in the second game. She managed to rebound for a 181 in her third before finishing off with a 163 for an average of 169 pins per game.

Taking third place was Lynn Teregeyo, who recorded the second-highest score in a game during her second roll off. Teregeyo got off to a slow start and managed to drill down 125 pins, but came storming back in the second game to leave her mark on 214 pins. She iced up a bit and bowled a 135 in the third game and capped her evening with a decent 191 for a total of 665 pins and an average of 166.25 pins per outing.

Her Sunday score was also ranked fifth-best and just one pin below her score on Monday for an average of 166 pins per game.

Ron Cal took fourth place after her ball crashed into 663 pins. She scored identical 151s in her first two games, improved to 166 in her third, and closed out strong by taking down 195 pins in her fourth game for an average of 165.75 pins per game.

Capping the top five was September winner Sophie Fejeran, who had 662 pins to her name and averaged 165.5 pins per game. She knocked down 139 pins in the first game, 144 in the second, 170 in the third, and went off for 209 in the fourth to finish on a high note.

With the win, Palacios took home a shiny trophy and $50 in prize money, while Soll and Teregeyo won $35 and $20. Cal also pocketed some cash and left with $15.

A total of 15 bowlers took up the October challenge for women. The tournament, organized by the Saipan Bowling Association, is held every month, and culminates with a season-ending championship tournament.