KENOSHA NEWS STAFF

Becky Tirabassi began this decade with a Women’s Division title in the Kenosha News Match Game Bowling Tournament.

Monday night at Surfside Bowl, she put herself in good position to end the decade the same way.

The 2000 champion went 5-0-1 and tallied 449 points on the first night of Women’s Division finals and holds a four-point lead over second-place Ashley Willette (445) going into Thursday’s second half of finals.

Tirabassi rolled a six-game pinfall of 1,364 (227.3 average) and was consistent, with her best game a 247 (Game 6) and lowest a 200 (Game 2).

Willette, who went 4-2-0, recorded a 1,405 pinfall — best in the 12-bowler division — and averaged 234.2. Like Tirabassi, she saved her best game for last, a 257 in Game 6, and her lowest was also a 200 (Game 1).

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Women received 30 points for each match victory — 15 points for a tie — and plus/minus one point for each pin above/below 180.

Jenny Limbach (3-2-1, 375), Nicki Bolyard (3-3, 374) and Katy Marescalco (4-2, 357) rounded out a bunched-up top five.

Liz Gentile matched Tirabassi’s 5-0-1 record and is sixth with 297 points.

Defending champion Tammy Pankonie had a rough night. She lost all six of her matches and accumulated only 37 points and is in last place.

Two-time champion Kelly Pobloski, the top qualifier last week, is 10th with 115 points.

In the Super Senior Men’s Division, Robert Chatman moved into the top spot by being the only bowler in the eight-man division to go 4-0. He finished with a four-game pinfall of 882 (220.5 average) en route to racking up 202 points, five more than second-place Dick Beltoya (197), who went 3-1.

Chatman’s best game was a 249 (Game 2). Beltoya rolled the highest game of the night, a 267, in Game 3, and also posted a division-high 907 pinfall (226.8 average).

Super Senior Men received 30 points for each victory and plus/minus one point for each pin above/below 200.

James Mollman (2-2, 156) — last week’s top qualifier — Andy Mastronardi (2-2, 75) and Richard Jurgens made up the top five.

Like the Women’s Division, the Super Senior Men’s winner will be decided Thursday night.

The 46th annual tournament continues tonight at 6:30 with the first night of Men’s Division finals. A.J. Hedges was the top Men’s qualifier last week with an eight-game pinfall of 1,976.