Anchorage bowler Sean Rash collects 15th title of his PBA career

Anchorage bowler Sean Rash’s collection of trophies is expanding, as is his family.

Rash, a Dimond High alum, won the 15th championship of his long PBA career Sunday — and then announced that he and wife Sara are expecting their third child this summer.

“We were trying to figure out a good time to announce it,” Rash said at the awards ceremony at the conclusion of the PBA Oklahoma Open in Shawnee, Oklahoma. “This seemed like as good a time as any.”

Rash, 37, claimed the title in impressive fashion. He was the No. 5 qualifier among the five bowlers who made it to the stepladder finals, meaning he had to win four straight matches to take home the $30,000 first-place prize.

Rash rolled 10 straight strikes in the championship match to beat top-seeded Ryan Ciminelli, 289-234. His previous victories in the finals came against Brad Miller (279-189), Jesper Svensson (235-220) and Patrick Hanrahan (226-202).

The tournament contested on a two lanes with dramatically different oil patterns — the PBA’s shortest (32-foot Wolf) and second-longest (45-foot Dragon). The PBA’s report on the finals said Rash “made educated adjustments and executed flawlessly through four matches,” despite throwing balls that came close to the gutter on the lane with the shorter oil pattern.

“You can’t worry about the ball going in the gutter,” Rash said in the report. “You live and die with it. Trust the process and let things happen. I’m going to keep living on the edge.”

Rash, who grew up in Anchorage and lives in Illinois, was the 2011-12 PBA Bowler of the Year.