The Portland Lumberjacks will bowl for their third straight Elias Cup title on Sunday afternoon.

The Portland Lumberjacks returned to Bayside Bowl in Portland, Maine aiming for a PBA League three-peat. After defeating the PBR Milwaukee Pounders in the Anthony Division Finals, they will have that opportunity on Sunday afternoon.

Portland earned the top-seed for the Anthony Division Finals after leading qualifying on Wednesday afternoon.

In the opening match, Motown rode a hot start to the win. NYC came back to force Motown to mark in the tenth frame, but Anthony Simonsen’s strike sealed the victory.

In the next match, L.A. X sliced a 41-pin deficit to just one entering the tenth frame. L.A.’s Jason Belmonte struck on his first shot, then missed outside and left the 1-2-4-8. Needing just a mark, Simonsen shredded the rack to put Motown in the semifinals.

Transition caught up to Motown in the semifinal. A pair of early opens handed the Muscle their first deficit of the night. A slew of nine-spares brought the match close, but Ryan Ciminelli avenged his earlier mistake and sent the Pounders to the Anthony Division Finals.

The top-seeded Portland Lumberjacks, looking to earn their third consecutive Elias Cup title, awaited in the championship match.

A lineup change did not pay off for the Pounders, as a pair of open frames put them in a hole. Portland almost squandered the early lead with Wes Malott’s 2-4-10 leave in the fifth frame. But the two-time Mark Roth MVP’s conversion nearly brought the house down.

A trifecta of corner pin from the Lumberjacks gave the Pounders an opportunity. A devastating stone-8 leave from AJ Chapman in the eighth frame stalled their momentum.

Kris Prather’s strike in the ninth frame ensured Malott only needed a strike for the win. The Hall of Famer delivered two, and Portland advanced to the Elias Cup Finals on Sunday.

Match scores:

Match 1: Motown defeated NYC, 247-235

Match 2: Motown defeated L.A., 239-224

Match 3: PBR Milwaukee defeated Motown, 189-185

Match 4: Portland defeated PBR Milwaukee, 223-172