Spencer Robarge captured his first PBA Tour title at the PBA Ohio Classic, defeating fellow Wichita State University product and top seed Ryan Barnes in the championship match 236-228.
The two share a deep history.
Not only they've been at the same University, but they both were key members of the powerhouse Wichita State men’s team that won the 2023 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships in Las Vegas, sweeping St. Ambrose 3-0 in the title match.
Now, in a showdown for the PBA Tour title between two 23-year-old two-handers, Barnes stumbled early. He opened with a split that he could not convert, while Robarge began with two spares before stringing together four consecutive strikes to take a slim lead.
Barnes refused to back down. He answered with strikes of his own, keeping the match tight and turning it into a back-and-forth battle.
It all came down to the final frame.
Robarge failed to strike on his first shot in the tenth, giving Barnes a chance to steal the title.
Barnes needed two strikes to win. He delivered the first, but missed the second, and that was enough for Robarge to seal the victory and lift his first PBA Tour trophy in his rookie season.
Here’s how the rest of the stepladder finals played out at the 2026 Ohio Classic.
#4 seed Chris Via vs. #5 seed EJ Tackett
In the opening match, No. 4 seed Chris Via opened with a spare and then rolled five consecutive strikes using a Storm Ion Pro Solid. EJ Tackett, who brought only the new Motiv Venom Hysteria to the stepladder finals, answered with four strikes in the first five frames on the high-scoring 47-foot Dragon pattern.
However, Tackett’s miss in the second frame proved costly, and he trailed by 10 pins heading into the commercial break.
After the break, Tackett left a 4 pin on the right lane and followed it with a 10 pin on the left, allowing Via to extend his advantage.
The Ohio native stayed in rhythm, continuing to strike through the closing frames and doing exactly what was required to defeat one of the best in the world, securing a dominant 290-248 victory over the only one hander player in the finals.
#3 seed Spencer Robarge vs. #4 seed Chris Via
In the second match of the night, Chris Via faced Spencer Robarge, who was making his second TV appearance of his rookie season after finishing fifth at the season-opening PBA Players Championship.
Robarge opened with three strikes in the first five frames, while Via stayed sharp from his previous win over EJ Tackett. Via began with four consecutive strikes, added a spare and another strike, and carried a 21-pin lead into the commercial break.
After the break, it looked like Via was in full control until the eighth frame. He missed right, leaving just four pins on his first shot and another four on the spare attempt, suddenly handing momentum to Robarge.
Via responded with a strike in the ninth but failed to deliver in the tenth. That left Robarge needing only eight pins to advance. He converted, securing 236-218 win and moving on to face Packy Hanrahan in the semifinal.
#2 seed Packy Hanrahan vs. #3 seed Spencer Robarge
In the semifinal between Packy Hanrahan and Spencer Robarge, both players opened with strong shots, but Robarge quickly created separation. He struck five times in his first six frames, while Hanrahan managed strikes in three of his first five, giving Robarge a slight edge at the halfway point.
After the break, Hanrahan continued to struggle to string strikes together. Robarge, meanwhile, kept firing cannonballs at more than 22 mph, sending pins flying across the deck.
Every time Hanrahan tried to respond, Robarge answered immediately. The rookie closed the door in the ninth frame, eventually securing a 279-214 victory and advancing to the championship match.
PBA Ohio Classic Stepladder Results
PBA New York Classic Preview
Next week, the PBA Tour heads to the Big Apple for the Surfside New York Classic, set to take place at ABC Gates Bowl in Rochester.
There will be no pre-tournament qualifier for this event, as 132 players will begin competition directly in the qualifying round.
Most of the field will consist of priority entries, while the remaining spots will be available to PBA members without Priority Entry status. Those entries will be accepted in the order they are received, based on the official date and time of registration.
Bowlers will compete on the 38-foot Bear oil pattern, with two qualifying rounds of eight games each. After 16 games of qualifying, the field will be cut to the top third advancing to the Advancers Round.
From there, three match play rounds will determine the final five players, who will move on to the stepladder finals for a chance to claim another PBA Tour title this season.
