Sanhamel's 'Pin Slasher' does the job

Nicole Sanhamel didn't let lane oil bother her game Monday afternoon.

Rolling a new bowling ball called the "Pin Slasher," Sanhamel cut through a whole bunch of pins en route to producing a season high game and series.

Sanhamel first listened to her coaches' advice about trying an adjustment on a tough oil pattern.

Sanhamel started with a 172. In her second game, she strung a bunch of strikes in a row and produced a 234. Her third game was a solid 202 for a 608 series

"It was hard to adjust to the lanes, said Sanhamel, a left-hander who carries a 178 average. "We haven't been here since last week. I had to adjust to the oil pattern. My coaches told me to move eight boards to my left.

"It just turned out helping me on my strike ball. I got more rotation on the ball and the pins started falling."

Sanhamel led the Cougars to a 9-0 sweep over Libertyville, piling up a pinfall victory of 2,324 to 2,083 at Brunswick Zone Hawthorn Lanes in Vernon Hills.

"Nicole (Sanhamel) is a great leader," said coach Andra Hjelm, who has a number of freshmen on the Cougars this year. "She keeps the younger bowlers upbeat and helps the girls stay positive. All the girls want to get better. They all have that desire and motivation to compete."

The Cougars won the first game 728-668. The margin in Game 2 was 762-695 and the final game 834-720.

Also contributing for Vernon Hills were Jess Rigwood with a 463 and her sister Taylor Rigwood with 461.

Libertyville was led by Kate Kretschmar with a 486 series.

"Our team is improving each time out," said Libertyville coach Allison Malin. "I thought it was an even match with Vernon Hills. In every game we're improving by 30 pins."