The day she met eventual husband Jeff, Lisa Suchonic could see her future.

And bowling was in it.

"Jeff was bowling in five leagues when I met him,"she said. "If it worked out, I was going to get involved with bowling sooner or later."

It worked out. They met through a mutual friend and now they have a mutual sport — a sport they're pretty good at.

Jeff and Lisa Suchonic of Butler have been married for 12 years. They've been on numerous league championship teams together and they've teamed with Bob and Kathy Thompson of Butler to win five successive Butler County mixed doubles titles at one point.

Lisa Suchonic didn't begin bowling until she was married. Her original average was between 120 and 130.

"Bob and Kathy are good friends of ours and very good bowlers," she said. "When we started bowling with them, I knew I needed to catch up."

So her husband, an accomplished bowler with five 300 games and four 800 series in his career, began working with her.

And Lisa Suchonic became an accomplished bowler in her own right.

"I was hoping it would happen for her,"Jeff Suchonic said. "I can't say I'm surprised. She did all the right things."

"He began working with me around 1997 or so,"Lisa said. "I got a better ball, learned how to throw a fingertip and my game improved."

The Suchonics go their separate ways on Monday nights. Lisa is averaging 181 in the Monday Night Buds League at Sherwood Lanes. Jeff is averaging 190 in the Monday night Buckhorn League at Family Bowlaway.

Jeff Suchonic, 39, averages 217 in the City 10-Pin League on Tuesday nights at Sherwood. The couple bowls together in the mixed Casino League at Sherwood on Friday nights.

Jeff averages 217 in the Casino League while his wife averages 182.

"That's the most competitive league I bowl in,"Lisa Suchonic said. "It's probably the most competitive mixed league in Butler County."

Then again, Lisa Suchonic has risen to the occasion in competitive situations before. Her lone 300 game was bowled in the 1998 Butler County Women's Doubles Tournament. Betsy Cupp was her partner in that event.

Lisa's highest average for a season was 189, which she rolled in the 2003-04 Casino League. Her highest series is 662.

Jeff Suchonic reached a personal-high — and Butler County high — on Feb. 3 of this year when he rolled an 856 series at Sherwood Lanes.

His three games that night were 300, 279 and 277. He began the night with 18 consecutive strikes, struck in 23 of the first 24 frames and in 33 of 36 frames overall.

"You don't forget a night like that,"Jeff said.

Suchonic has rolled four perfect games at Sherwood Lanes and one at Bon-Aire. He has rolled three 800 series at Sherwood, one at Meridian Lanes.

His highest average in a season is 224, accomplished in 2003 at Sherwood Lanes.

"An 800 series is harder to get than a 300 game,"Suchonic said.

Suchonic's father used to work in various bowling houses. Jeff began bowling at age 5 and left the game at age 13 to concentrate on baseball.

By age 17, he was back to bowling.

"A few of my buddies started getting together to bowl after school and I got back into it."he said.

Now he enjoys his bowling family.

"When I got married, I told Lisa I'd cut down to three leagues a week,"he said. "We're comfortable with that and we enjoy bowling together.

"The last two years, we haven't done as well in mixed tournaments as we would have liked. The scratch portion, we do OKbecause of our averages."

The Suchonics have two daughters, Kristi, 18, and Brea, 11. Kristi was in the junior bowling program at Sherwood, but is no longer active in the sport.

Brea is in the junior program now and has a high game of 189.