Travis Hersrud and Eric Kempel were once the gold standard at the NDBPA State Scratch Doubles Tournament. Having won this event upwards of 7 times, most teams still walk into the bowling center simply trying to keep pace with them. The pair last won this event in 2012 at the Bowler and have since notched several top 5 finishes.
This past weekend at Midway Lanes, Hersrud/Kempel turned in a performance reminiscent of the many victories in the 2000s. The pair started off the baker portion of the tournament with 10 consecutive strikes and a 286 game to set the pace. They would finish off the day with a 12 game total of 2661, which was good for 6th. Ryan Selk and Wade Scott, winners of the 2014 state doubles event, lead after day one with a 2833.
On Sunday, all bowlers returned for 8 individual games. It didn’t take long for Travis Hersrud and Eric Kempel to make a move. The pair shot 1363 (+163) the first 3 games to gain on the leaders. Hersrud/Kempel would proceed to shoot 1461 (+261) the next 3 games to jump into the lead and never looked back. The win gives the combo their 8th State Doubles title. Great bowling!
The singles portion of the event went to 2013 NDBowling.com Classic Champion, Adam Peters. Highlighted by a 278 game 5 and a 300 game 6, Peters posted an 8 game total of 1947 (243.37 ave) which was 77 pins clear of 2nd. His efforts helped vault his team (paired with Dillon Meyer) from 13th on Saturday to a tie for 4th on Sunday.
