Beccarino gets the ball rolling

How does a player on a losing team get the entire bowling alley enraptured with their performance and circling around to cheer? Rolling 18 strikes in a row is a good way to get that done.

Harborfields’ Cristina Beccarino bowled a 290 in the first game of a 753 series on Dec. 15. The junior finished that first game with 11 straight strikes and opened the second with seven in a row. That it came in a 882-728, 728-843, 748-1070 loss to Bellport didn’t matter much those who witnessed the feat.

“Even the opposing team's parents were cheering her on,” Tornaodes coach Dan Barrett said of Beccarino, whose previous high game was a 246. “It was amazing to see such a reaction even though we were the away team.”

Also of note: Beccarino is on the Harborfields boys team. The school doesn’t have a girls program so seven female bowlers have joined the boys team.

“She's been a great leader on the team,” the coach said. Beccarino is their anchor bowler and co-captain. “She’s been on the team for three years so she’s one of the most experienced, and she teaches them technique. She's been an asset, both with her scoring and her helping others in practice.”

Beccarino leads the team with a  197.17 average. Robyn Balduzzi, another of their female bowlers, is second with a 154.25.