By Willie Theis

The atmosphere in summer league action at the Virgin River Bowling Center was charged with electrifying anticipation when Scott Mattingly stepped on the approach for the 10th frame of his third game.

Scott Mattingly

Perfectly understandable.as word spread that he peeled off nine straight strikes and putting in play the hopes of seeing a rare 300 game at the VRBC.
And the expectations ratcheted even higher after crushing the 1-3 pocket for a strike on his first ball in the 10th frame, which in turn opened the door to the possibility of also having a ringside seat in witnessing a stratospheric 800 series.
So, with both 800 and 300 honor scores on the table, and a scoring juggernaut like Mattingly who can make it rain strikes from 60 feet away, his final two shots made this arguably the most intense finish to a series in Mesquite bowling history.
Well, seemingly embracing the pressure of the moment, he fired two more rockets to the pocket for strikes and a 300 game.
But even more eye-popping about his perfecto is the fact when combined with his first two games of 266 and 243, he finished with a jaw-dropping 809 series.
And his 809 is the first-ever 800 series bowled at the VRBC since it first opened for bowing in 1998. Mattingly’s drive to excel fuels his game, and his record-setting series was the 4th 800 of his career which includes a career-high 836. His 809 included 29 strikes and three clean games. And his 300 was his second in Mesquite, and the 25th of his stellar career.
Now it should be noted that Mike Saldivar who also tossed a 300 earlier this season held the previous high series record of 795.
True, it took 25 years for the VRBC to see its first first 800, but with prolific scoring machines like Mattingly and Saldivar, here’s betting it won’t take another 25 years to see the second.