LUBBOCK, Texas – Zeke Bayt made a challenging pattern look easy Saturday as he cruised into the lead after qualifying at the 2019 PBA Lubbock Sports Shootout.

Bayt totaled 1,955, a 244.38 average, for eight games to lead the field of 118 players at South Plains Lanes. He opened his block with games of 226, 203 and 258 before shooting a 300 game. After firing 212 and 192, he took it up a notch in the final two games, closing with 278 and 286.

With a chance for a second 300 game of the block, Bayt had the front 10 the final game before going high and leaving the 3-6-9-10 to shoot the 286.

Results: PBA Lubbock Sports Shootout Qualifying

The top 39 players after Saturday’s qualifying round advanced to Sunday morning’s cashers round, where an additional six games will be bowled.

The top 16 after 14 total games will advance to match play Sunday afternoon and the top four will eventually advance into the stepladder finals, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Central on Sunday. All rounds are being broadcast live on FloBowling.

Bayt bowled on what turned out to be a high-scoring Squad B on Saturday afternoon, while Brad Miller also crushed them on that squad. Miller sits in second place with 1,912.

Tom Daugherty and AJ Chapman bowled on the first squad of the day and sit in third and fourth, respectively. Daugherty has a total of 1,872, while Chapman totaled 1,870. Dom Barrett rounds out the top five with 1,861.

The battle for the last spot in the cashers round came down to the wire with Chris Via holding onto the final spot with 1,659.