Williams Wins 7 of 8 Matches to Take Bowling Lead From Baker After 4 Rounds

Mark Williams of Beaumont, Tex., overcame a big deficit Thursday night to take a 66-pin lead after four rounds of qualifying in the Professional Bowlers Assn.’s $125,000 Greater Los Angeles Open at Gable House Bowl in Torrance.

Williams trailed Mark Baker of Garden Grove by 156 pins going into the first round of match play. Williams won seven of his eight matches, averaging 238, while Baker won five matches with a 218 average and is now second.

Baker had increased his lead from 33 pins after 12 qualifying games to 156 after 18 games by averaging 239 in his final six-game block Thursday afternoon.

Baker, who had games of 299 and 297 in his opening block Wednesday, once again flirted with 300 in his 14th qualifying game, rolling 10 consecutive strikes before leaving the 4-pin on his second ball in the 10th frame. Baker converted the spare for 289, his high game of the day.

Del Warren of Lake Worth, Fla. is in third place, 201 pins behind Williams.

Qualifying continues this morning at 11 with the second round of match play. After the third round of match play, which begins at 6:15 this evening, the top five bowlers will advance to Saturday’s televised finals and compete for the $18,000 winner’s prize.