Bowling a 300 game is a lifetime achievement for most. Bowling two in a 15-hour span is downright amazing.

Vicksburg bowler Steve Riles did just that recently at the Southern Bowling Congress Tournament in Fort Smith, Ark.

Riles was one out of several hundred who were bowling at the regional tournament, one of the bigger events of the season for area bowlers.

&#8220It’s a huge tournament that goes for six to eight weeks,” Riles said. &#8220It started the second week of March and went through the first week of April.”

His first perfect game came during a team event.

&#8220It was the second game of the first team event. The second one happened the next morning in a singles’ event,” said the 43-year-old Riles.

The first 300 game was definitely the easier of the two.

&#8220I felt real comfortable on the lanes. It was just the way I like it,” said the regular at Red Carpet Lanes in Vicksburg. &#8220I had 12 really good balls.”

The 300 game had another benefit. It helped his team, M&M Rocks post a 699 series to earn a second place finish in the team standings.

The next morning, Riles was at it again. But this time, he needed some luck.

&#8220I really got away with two bad balls. I had one go ‘Brooklyn’ side on me, and I got lucky that the spin got the 8 and 9 pins on the inside,” he said.

&#8220Then my last ball was going bad. I had 11 strikes and was looking at another 300 game. I was really pumped. But I was also nervous, a lot more so, than the night before. The ball was going a little too inside, but I still got enough of all the pins to get the last strike,” he said.

The two 300s at Fort Smith give Riles three for his career, which spans some 20 years.

&#8220I had a 300 game in a city tournament two years ago, and I had a 298 game, later that same year. But after that, I started having some back problems,” Riles said.

His back got well enough at the start of the year to return to the competitive Thursday Commercial League at Red Carpet Lanes.

&#8220I’ve been able to bowl in a lot of games this year. I play for M&M Rocks in the Thursday league and it’s a good league to bowl in because there is more competition,” said Riles, who sports a 190 average. &#8220You know, I get pretty excited whenever anybody gets a shot at a 300 game. But for me to do it, it’s pretty unbelievable.”

The game after Riles rolled his second 300 in he bowled a 170. He came back with a 250 to close out his singles’ series play. He finished 12th in singles for the tournament and was 23rd overall in all events.

Riles was joined in Fort Smith by Red Carpet Lanes bowlers Jackie Strange, John Toney, Don Shehane, Tommy Griggs and Noel Jackson.