In a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, Marshall Kent survived a historic struggle to win the 2026 PBA Indiana Classic.
The No. 2 seed defeated top seed Boog Krol 152–136, capturing his eighth career title in the lowest-scoring championship game in PBA history.
The match at David Small’s Pro Bowl West was a brutal test of survival.
From the start, the lanes were treacherous. Both bowlers were seen grabbing their heads in disbelief after early splits, missed spares, and even missed head pins.
By the halfway point, there were more open frames than strikes combined. The game was finally decided in the tenth frame when Kent managed to string three strikes in a row to secure the gritty victory.
Eventually, both players smashed a 43-year-old record for the lowest winning score on national TV (previously 157) and the lowest combined score (previously 296), totaling just 288.
Here’s how the remaining stepladder finals unfolded at the 2026 PBA Indiana Classic.
#2 seed Marshall Kent vs. EJ Tackett
The match between Marshall Kent and EJ Tackett began completelly different from what later happened in the final match - with both players trading strikes. They combined for 10 strikes in the first 11 shots before the commercial break, despite the left lane proving difficult in earlier matches.
Kent chose to use the Hammer Zero Mercy Solid, the strongest hooking ball in his arsenal. Tackett went with a two-ball strategy, using the Motiv Max Thrill Solid on the right lane and the Motiv Max Thrill Hybrid on the left.
After the break, the strike pace continued until Tackett left a ring 7 in the eighth frame. That gave Kent an opening to take control. Kent followed with two strikes and entered the tenth frame with a 21-pin lead.
Tackett was unable to apply pressure in the final frame after leaving a split, and Kent closed out the match with a 252–242 victory.
#3 seed Timmy Tan vs. #5 seed EJ Tackett
No. 3 seed Timmy Tan of Malaysia began his second TV appearance with an early mistake, missing a 10-pin spare in the first frame. That initially gave momentum to EJ Tackett, but Tackett responded with a 3-7-9-10 split in the second frame that he was unable to convert.
From that point, both players exchanged strikes and spares, but Tackett managed to string some together, building a 25-pin lead heading into the commercial break.
After the break, Tackett left another tough split on the left lane and was only able to take six pins in the whole eighth frame, allowing Tan to erase the deficit. Tan then struck on the right lane but left a stone 9 pin on the left, giving the advantage back to Tackett.
Tackett responded with a strike in the ninth frame and needed one more strong shot on the left lane in the tenth to secure the match. He delivered, followed by a spare, to close out the game and advance with a 202–172 victory.
#4 seed Ryan Barnes vs. #5 seed EJ Tackett
In the opening match between Player of the Year EJ Tackett and Rookie of the Year Ryan Barnes, Tackett started strong with five consecutive strikes using the Motiv Max Thrill Hybrid.
Barnes took a different approach, using two different 900 Global bowling balls, but struggled early, striking only twice in the first five frames and trailing by 33 pins heading into the commercial break.
After the break, Barnes returned with a strike and then converted a 2-8-10 split with a backup ball, giving him some much needed momentum.
Tackett left two 10 pins, allowing Barnes to close the gap with back-to-back strikes in the eighth and ninth frames, putting some pressure on Tackett.
However, the three-time reigning Player of the Year responded with two strikes
of his own to shut the door and secure a 244–202 victory.
Next: USBC Masters
Next week, the PBA Tour heads into one of its major events of the season, as the USBC Master takes place at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Michigan.
The tournament will feature 15 games of qualifying over three days, with the top 63 players, along with the defending champion, Gary Haines, advancing to the double-elimination match-play bracket.
The TV finals are scheduled for March 29 at 4:00 p.m. ET on The CW Network.
