The way to make a tournament championship more memorable…Coldwater bowled a 300 ‘Baker’ game to help capture the 2025 MAC title. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
It hasn’t been done that much, just three times previously. But the Coldwater boys brought excitement to Saturday’s MAC bowling tournament with a perfect 300 game in the Baker competition.
Minster, OH – You always go to a tournament hoping to see some kind of highlight.
A Pick-6 in football.
A dunk in basketball.
A no-hitter in baseball.
They all stand out…memorable…unforgettable.
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And the Coldwater boys team pulled it off Saturday at Community Lanes in Minster when they bowled the fourth perfect game in Baker Competition in the history of the Western Ohio High School Bowling Conference tournament. On a cold, rainy sleepy morning at Community Lanes, it brought the people to their feet and sudden life.
“It’s been done three times previously,” said Coldwater coach Rick Hartings, going back to 1999. “So it’s pretty rare.”
Austin Burden threw the final strike in Coldwater’s Baker 300 at Saturday’s WOHSBC MAC tournament.
So when senior Austin Burden threw the twelfth strike Saturday on Lane 9, and waited out a lazy ten pin, he made history…or became a part of it.
“I’ve screwed it up twice before when we had a chance to do it,” he said later.”It was fun to get it this time.”
He had some experience. Burden owns an individual 300, along with teammates Braylen Brown and Caleb Wendel. Wendel has done it twice.
Impressive?
Well, consider that their coach, Rick Hartings, has 22 perfect games to his credit, and twelve of them at the always-tough-to-score Plamor Lanes, in Coldwater.
“It’s something you remember, especially in an event like this (conference tournament),” said Hartings. “You always remember the date and where you were.”
In tournament results….
Coldwater captured first place with 13 points.
St Henry finished second with 11 points.
Versailles and Minster took third and fourth place, respectively, with 9 and 7 points.
Fort Recovery, New Bremen, Marion Local and Parkway took the final four spots, 5 through 8.
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Earlier in the week, Versailles and Fort Recovery finished as co-champs in the girls division, with 11 points each.
New Bremen finished third, Minster finished fourth, and Coldwater, Parkway, and Marion Local rounded out the final three positions.
High individual game scores from Saturday included:
Coldwater’s Austin Burden (231, 223) and Caleb Wendel (225-209)…
Versailles’ Blake Henry (203, 205) and Sam Albers (205)…
St. Henry’s Ben Wendel (186), Nick Lefeld (214) and Connor Jacobs (195)…
Fort Recovery’s Reece LeFerve had a 237…
New Bremen’s Caden Wente (203, and 225), Bryce Voress (209)…
Parkway’s Wyatt Seals had a 207.
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High individual game scores for the girls included:
Fort Recovery: Deanna Brown (209)
Versailles: Danielle Francis, Versailles (195), Alayna Bartram (187)
Coldwater: Brittany Burden (192, 183)
Minster: Tara Rindler (216)
Stats Source: WOHSBC.com
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