April 2, 2026 Nolan Hughes

Ryan Barnes, Packy Hanrahan, Spencer Robarge, Chris Via, EJ Tackett advance to stepladder finals of Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic

The finals are set in the Pilgrim's PBA Ohio Classic, airing Sunday, April 5 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW at Columbus Square Bowling Palace in Ohio.

Ryan Barnes earned the top seed by virtue of his historic performance, averaging more than 253 for his 36 games on the 47-foot Dragon oil pattern. The reigning PBA Rookie of the Year is one game away from his first career PBA Tour title.

Packy Hanrahan, a fan favorite on The House Bowling channel, secured the No. 2 seed. The two-handed lefty seeks to win his third career and first televised title.

Rookie Spencer Robarge advanced to his second show of the season, after finishing fifth in the season-opening PBA Players Championship. A former teammate of Barnes’ at Wichita State University, Robarge is also looking to win his first PBA Tour title.

 

Columbus native Chris Via earned the fourth seed for the stepladder finals. Via lives less than 30 minutes from Columbus Square Bowling Palace and figures to be the crowd favorite on Sunday.

His opponent in the opening match will be EJ Tackett, the three-time reigning PBA Player of the Year. Tackett advanced to his fifth finals in seven title events, firing games of 289 and 280 the final two games of the tournament to surge into fifth.

 

The first player to finish outside the cut to the show was Graham Fach, a Canadian native who moved to the Columbus area for college more than a decade ago. He finished 13 pins behind Tackett.

Two-handed lefties Hayden Stippich and Matt Russo each finished with 60 pins of Tackett, while François Lavoie — who set the PBA Tour six-game scoring record with 1,691 during qualifying — finished 69 pins out of the show.

The Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals will air live Sunday, April 5 at 4 p.m. ET on The CW.

All qualifying rounds were livestreamed on BowlTV.

The PBA USA vs. The World event, marking the debut of the PBA on CBS and Paramount+, will air Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. ET.

Final Qualifying Standings | 36 Games
  1. Ryan Barnes, 9,139 pinfall, 253.86 average
  2. Packy Hanrahan, 8,948, 248.56
  3. Spencer Robarge, 8,841, 245.58
  4. Chris Via, 8,817, 244.92
  5. EJ Tackett, 8,813, 244.81
  6. Graham Fach, 8,800, 244.44
  7. Hayden Stippich, 8,767, 243.53
  8. Matt Russo, 8,759, 243.31
  9. François Lavoie, 8,744, 242.89
  10. Kyle Sherman 8,732, 242.56
  11. Kris Prather, 8,712, 242.00
  12. Cam Crowe, 8,701, 241.69
  13. Richie Teece, 8,653, 240.36
  14. Jeff Mann, 8,653, 240.36
  15. Darren Tang, 8,592, 238.67
  16. Zach Wilkins, 8,471, 235.31

Complete standings are available here.

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday, April 4 — CBS and Paramount+
2 p.m. — PBA USA vs. The World

Sunday, April 5 — The CW
4 p.m. — Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic finals

More information on the Pilgrim’s PBA Ohio Classic is available here.