The Fast Pitch is the latest urethane offering in Storm’s Thunder line. This ball uses the new Controll XL Urethane coverstock, which is a different formulation from the previous urethane covers in the Storm family. The symmetrical Tour Block core design, which was used previously in the Fever Pitch, gives the Fast Pitch an RG of 2.61″ and a differential of 0.030″. This core shape is higher in both RG and differential compared to the Capacitor core from the Pitch Black and Pitch Purple. One thing we consistently see with urethane shells is that they tend to hook the most on their very first shot, before there is oil on the surface of the ball. Since urethane covers don’t absorb oil, the oil that sits on the surface between the ball and the lane cuts down the overall hook of subsequent deliveries. To minimize this effect, all three testers used a shammy in between shots to remove as much oil as possible from the covers.

Stroker was able to play very direct up the lane with the Fast Pitch on the dry oil pattern. Playing up 10, the Fast Pitch was cleaner than the Pitch Black, with both the Pitch Purple and Fever Pitch providing a more aggressive downlane shape. To compare a reactive option, the All-Road was both too aggressive and too ...