January 5, 2024 Nolan Hughes

Patrick Dombrowski earned his second consecutive 2023 BowlTV PBA Regional Players Invitational title at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas on Thursday evening

Dombrowkski, a man of few words, said he went into the tournament with the same mindset as last year: “Make good shots, make your spares, stay ahead of transition and go from there.”

From here, after defeating Florida’s Pete Vergos in the championship match, 237-222, Dombrowski will be going to the 2024 PBA Tournament of Champions.

With the RPI win, Dombrowski earned an entry into the main field of the TOC, which will take place at the iconic AMF Riviera Lanes in Fairlawn, Ohio, just 30 minutes south of Dombrowski’s home in Parma.

 

Seventy of the PBA’s top regional players were invited to the RPI based on their achievements during the 2023 season.

After 18 games of qualifying, Dombrowski qualified in fifth, earning a one-round bye in the 16-player bracket. 

He swept Alex Cavagnaro and Michael Davidson in best-of-three-games matches before meeting Delaware’s Tim Foy Jr. in the semifinals.

Dombrowski opened the door for Foy to steal the match with a strike and spare in his final frame. However, Foy split and kept Dombrowski’s title defense alive.

In the finals, both Dombrowski and Vergos, who was named the PBA South Region Rookie of the Year this season, started slow.

Dombrowski split in the first frame, while Vergos opened in the first and third frames. But both players matched each other strike for strike down the stretch.

After Vergos struck on his final four shots, Dombrowski found himself in the same position as last year: Strike or go home.

“This is what all the practice you’ve been doing is for. It’s time to shine,” Dombrowski said. “The practice paid off.”

Dombrowski earned the $15,000 first-place prize and his 11th career PBA Regional Tour title.

Match Play Results

Championship Match
Patrick Dombrowski def. Pete Vergos, 237-222

Semifinals
Dombrowski def. Tim Foy Jr., 236-220
Vergos def. Jake Rollins, 255-231

Round of Eight
Dombrowski def. Michael Davidson, 2-0 (197-180, 209-200)
Tim Foy Jr. def. PJ Haggerty, 2-1 (254-205, 266-257, 244-209)
Vergos def. Michael Schlabach, 2-1 (186-176, 207-219, 244-229)
Jake Rollins def. Deo Benard, 2-0 (238-229, 213-211)

Round of 12
PJ Haggerty def. Cory Hersha, 2-0 (242-175, 254-192)
Dombrowski def. Alex Cavagnaro, 2-0 (247-222, 268-172)
Rollins def. Eric Jones, 2-0 (249-238, 213-194)
Schlabach def. Wesley Low Jr., 2-0 (226-210, 222-216)

Round of 16
Schlabach def. Kris Koeltzow, 2-0 (231-172, 254-211)
Jones def. Samuel DeWitt III, 2-0 (247-241, 241-179)
Cavagnaro def. Christopher Tuholski, 2-1 (179-141, 166-170, 198-166)
Hersha def. Clay Rees, 2-0 (203-185, 212-170)

Final Standings

  1. Patrick Dombrowski, $15,000
  2. Pete Vergos, $10,000
  3. Tim Foy Jr., $5,000
  4. Jake Rollins, $5,000
  5. Michael Davidson, $3,000
  6. Deo Benard, $3,000
  7. PJ Haggerty, $3,000
  8. Michael Schlabach, $3,000

More information is available here.