He was “locked in” and “on top of his game” and “in a zone.”

These sports cliches accurately describe what Doug Frable accomplished on March 23 in the Tuesday Night Men’s League when he bowled an incredible 858 three-game series that set an all-time record at Fritz Lanes in Lehighton, eclipsing an 844 rolled 20 years ago.

The left-hander rolled games of 290, 279, and 289 the day after his 31st birthday to get himself on top of the number’s board according to Dennis Fritzinger, who has owned the bowling establishment for the past 24 years.

“Doug was simply amazing,” said Fritzinger. “He began the night converting a nine-pin spare. Then he finished the game with all strikes. In the second game, Doug left the seven-pin in the seventh frame. He spared that setting up what was to be an incredible finish.”

Frable struck out the remainder of the second game and then cranked all 10 pins into the pit with 10 straight strikes in the third.

“When I began the third game, I wasn’t thinking of bowling a 300,” he said. “My goal was to get to an 800 series, something I’ve never done before. Once I knew I was over that, I was relaxed.”

Frable wasn’t relaxed for too long. Once he threw a strike in the ninth frame of the third game, he was fully aware of what a baseball pitcher might feel in the late innings of possibly throwing a no-hitter.

“I never have had a 300 game either,” he said. “I started getting so nervous, I was actually shaking. My adrenalin was through the roof.”

He took deep breaths as he approached his first shot in the 10th frame. He rolled a strike. He threw his second shot and left a seven-pin standing, which he then converted to complete a 289 and the 858 series.

“Of course, I was disappointed, but the truth is that 300 games are not all that uncommon, but an 800 series doesn’t happen very often.”

The HVAC serviceman lives in Palmerton with his wife Brittany and their two children. After bowling at age 12 and losing to his brother, Frable began to seriously work on his game. He now bowls all year long in two leagues and takes lessons from a professional coach. He owns 10 bowling balls, but on the night of his 858, he only used one ball for strikes and one plastic ball that rolls straighter for spares. He also keeps records of all his games by dates. He’s a specialist who fine tunes his game as the night goes on and he makes adjustments due to the changing oil patterns on the lanes.

“Even when I strike and see a seven pin weakly fall, I’ll move my feet one board to try to get a more solid pocket hit the next frame,” he explained.

“When I only bowled in the winter, I averaged 198 and then when Covid hit and the lanes were shut down, I kind of had to reinvent my game to get better.”

And get better he did. Frable now carries a 226 average. Two years ago, he bowled his first 700 series and now has accomplished that feat 19 times.

He claims he competes against himself and doesn’t worry about the scores of his opponents.

“That night, a bowler at Fritz’s was telling me that because I’m left-handed I had an advantage since most bowlers are right-handed and they all bowl over the same parts of the lanes that affects the oil pattern. I never let him bother me.”

Frable has aspirations to compete in professional bowling tournaments, but he does not want to go full time on the PBA tour.

“That’s not going to pay my bills,” he said with a laugh.

The pressure he places upon himself to get better is what makes him get to the lanes as often as he can to practice when he’s not bowling in his leagues.

If practice makes perfect, then the elusive 300 game will happen sometime soon for Doug Frable. But for now, he can sit back and take in his extraordinary performance on a Tuesday night in late March at Fritz’s Lanes.