Commanders Trophy League: 76th MXS maintains first place with decisive victory Published Nov. 15, 2007 By John E. Banks Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- The first positional matches of the 2007 Commanders Trophy Bowling League season took place Nov. 7 at the Tinker Bowling Center. The first place 76th Maintenance Wing team and the second place team, Hellifino, squared off to highlight the evening's action. The 76th MXW quintet came out victorious 3404-3324. In the first game, the teams matched each other strike for strike and spare for spare. The difference in the first game was the bowling expertise exhibited by Christopher Weeks, 76th MXW team captain and anchor. Weeks started game one with 10 strikes in a row and ended with a team high 268, leading his team to an 1174-1052 victory. "Tonight's match against Hellifino is an interesting one," Weeks said. "We definitely had a security blanket with the added benefit of a higher handicap. All we had to do is match their strikes with spares and we should be OK." Traci Applebee, lead bowler for the Hellifino squad said the lack of handicap did not hurt her team the week before. "I hope it goes the same way for us tonight," she said. Hellifino, led by Kevin Mayhew, Dennis March, Karl Dooley and Dan Girardot, rebounded in the second game. They bowled 233, 223, 277 and 234, respectively, to give their team a 1136-1039 win. "Our key to victory in game two was four out of five bowlers bowled 200 games," said March. In the decisive game of the match, the fivesome of the 76th MXW started strong and finished strong. They took an advantage in the first frame and never looked back. Weeks led the effort by rolling a team high 268, while his teammates all bowled consistently to keep their opponent at bay. The resulting outcome was an 1191-1136 victory. The 76th MXW took the match two games to one and the total pins mark. The win kept the 76th MXW in first place with a season record of 59.0-21.0. Even though the loss dropped Hellifino to a season record of 54.0-26.0, they were still able to maintain second place.