Pool: Round Three Day 5

More third round action, as we anticipate reaching the halfway point of this round today. It has been a challenging round for the players thus far, with discipline assessed by the UPCL and countless other incidents that could have qualified. We begin this fifth full day in...

Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Noelle v. Kelly. The first series is 7-ball from the northeast. Westside's Kelly cashed in for a game 1 after Central's Noelle couldn't extend her late three-ball run, giving the Rockers' Kelly a reasonable but long shot on the 7 which she made for a 1-0 lead. The Warriors' Noelle tied it in game 2, mopping up the 7 from ball-in-hand after Kelly's scratch in a much sloppier game. Noelle took a 2-1 series lead with a game 3 win, weathering a three-ball run late from Kelly that ended with her leaving the 7 short for Noelle to tap-in for the lead. Noelle clinched the series at 3-1, capitalizing on Kelly's miss on the 7 and narrowly avoiding the scratch that lie presented to take the game and the series. Kelly got one back as Noelle chipped a couple of shots late in game 5, allowing Kelly work around these and make it a 3-2 final for the series. Noelle, ranked #4 in 7-ball, advanced to the fourth round. With the loss, Kelly is the twenty-fourth player to be eliminated from the tournament, but Noelle will only receive a half-kill because Kelly had the split bid with Alyssa, which is fully eliminated now. Kelly is likely to be cut from the Westside Rockers due to an uninspiring performance this season. Noelle has knocked out two players now.

Lay's Field Events Center, Victoria: Spice v. Crystal. We head to the southwest for some Rotation now. Queens' Crystal made Victoria's Spice feel like she wasted time early on, as the Flames' Crystal used a four-ball run to overcome a deficit, and made another ball in her next turns for an 8-5 win in game 1, taking a 1-0 series lead. Crystal again buried the Spurs' Spice late in game 2, taking a three-ball run from ball-in-hand after Spice missed contact and using defense to establish dominance, which she cashed in on a carom off the 10 to tap the 14 to the top left in going up 2-0 in the series with an 8-4 win. Spice got back into the fray in game 3, holding on in a tense and competitive, ping-pong-like game for an 8-7 win to make it 2-1 in the series. Spice roared back from down four in game 4, using two three-ball runs to get close with the first one (it would have tied the game had she not scratched) and then the second to win the game 8-7 after Crystal mishit her attempt on the 13, causing it to go wide right. Spice tied the series at 2 games apiece with the triumph. Spice completed her comeback in game 5, using a five-ball run to push Crystal to the brink and then biding her time, taking the 12 when the time was right to win 8-4 in the game and 3-2 in the series. Spice, ranked #13 in Rotation, will play on into the fourth round.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Neopolitan v. Dreamy. We head to the coast up north now, where there is 7-ball to be played. Neopolitan of Pearl got off to a good start, winning game 1 with a confident three-ball run-out to keep Swordpoint's Dreamy at bay early on. The Surfers' Neopolitan controlled possession in game 2, but nearly gave the game away after missing contact on the 7. However, the Blades' Dreamy took her free shot from ball-in-hand lazily, and Neopolitan buried it to go up 2-0 on Dreamy's huge blunder. Neopolitan clinched the series at 3-0 with a game 3 win, as Dreamy's scratch after a four-ball run ended up being all Neopolitan needed to finish off the quick game. Neopolitan got stronger in game 4, running the table by sinking all seven balls in five shots after three went down on the break, keeping Dreamy from the table as Neopolitan went up 4-0. Game 5 saw a little bit of back-and-forth but Dreamy ultimately squandered the chance, as her three-ball run early meant nothing late when she left the 7 short at the top right for Neopolitan to tap-in for the 5-0 sweep. Ranked #15 in 7-ball, Neopolitan will travel to Nissan Hall in Infinity City to battle her toughest challenge yet, the top-ranked Whiskers, in the fourth round.

Apple Center, Todavía: Sparkles v. Citrus. Back south, we have more Rotation scheduled. Sparkles of Todavía rallied from behind on a strong Citrus of Diamond, capitalizing on the latter's two late scratches to win 8-6 for a 1-0 lead. The Gems' Citrus bounced back, working some well-executed shots to build up a game 2 lead before using her fundamentals to seal the deal as the Stills' Sparkles couldn't rally for the tie, losing 8-5 as the series became tied at 1. Sparkles took advantage of an early scratch by Citrus to build a large lead, and she held on after that as Citrus' attack lacked much urgency, which cost her the game as Sparkles went up 2-1 in the series on an 8-3 win. Citrus made a six-ball run-out in four shots in game 4, double-potting the 5 and 11 in the top and bottom left pockets before pulling off the same trick with the 6 and 9 in the top side and top right, before making her next two shots in a more traditional way to win 8-4 and tie the series at 2. Sparkles took game 5 by an 8-4 score, using a 7-12 combination at one point and a double-pot of the 4 and 10 to clinch the series at 3-2. Sparkles, ranked #42 in Rotation, will play in the fourth round after her close but confident victory.

Ebay Center, Queens: Paige v. Gradley. In the southeast, there is 8-ball up next. Boston's Gradley needed only four turns, using a five-ball run and then sinking one on each of the next three to defeat Queens' Paige, who attempted far too late to play defense as she got shut out in game 1 when the Swifts' Gradley went up 1-0. The Flames' Paige pulled back with a three-ball run-out in game 2, unlocking her offense in a much closer game to tie the series at 1 game apiece. Gradley had no one but himself to blame for the game 3 loss, missing three relatively easy shots on the 8 in a row, which gave Paige enough time to miss one of her own but make her second chance on a well-played cut for a 2-1 lead. Gradley shot back in game 4, making a three-ball run-out to bounce back from the embarrassing loss previously with a confident victory, retying the series at 2. Paige had the better run of play in a somewhat sloppy game 5, as Gradley couldn't get going. Paige won the series 3-2, and her #50 ranked 8-ball campaign will host Allison of the Tysini Hummingbirds at this venue in the fourth round. With the loss, Gradley became the twenty-fifth player to be eliminated from the tournament. Gradley will likely return to a patient and stacked Boston Swifts team, as they will be patient with the former Rookie of the Year to see if he was a one-hit wonder or just suffered a sophomore slump. Paige earned her first kill of the season.

BMW RockDome, Westside: Goatee v. Cleo. Back north, the game is 10-ball as these two players will be the next to try to crack the 10-ball code. Everton's Cleo got lucky to win game 1, as Westside's Goatee scratched after sinking the 9 to give the Eagles' Cleo the tap-in from ball-in-hand for a 1-0 lead. The Rockers' Goatee made quick work to tie the series at 1, using a three-ball run-out in game 2 that ended on a 4-10 combination to the bottom left that served as the equalizer. Cleo took the very sloppy game 3, much in the same as game 1 after Goatee's late scratch allowed Cleo to pot the 10 easily for the 2-1 series lead. Cleo ended up taking the series at 3-1 after some strategic play on the 9 favored her on the fourth shot, and she also buried the 10 to the bottom right for the clinching shot. Goatee got one back in a game 5 that had many missed shots, but Goatee made the last two balls to give Cleo just a 3-2 series win. Ranked #103 for 10-ball, Cleo will travel to Tysini to face Princess of the Hummingbirds at Cisco Arena in the fourth round.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Wings v. Patches. This first series of the locational doubleheader is in 15-ball to close out the afternoon portion. Pearl's Wings won game with a sharp shooting, and good positioning late during a three-ball run-out that ended on a 14-15 combination to the top, taking a 1-0 lead over Boston's Patches. The Surfers' Wings extended her lead to 2-0 with a four-ball run-out in game 2, finishing on a bank off the right rail to the bottom left to pot the 15 as the Swifts' Patches rued her missed opportunities to turn the tide in a very close game. Game 3 was a little more open a lot more clumsy, but in the end Wings came through again, making a 13-15 combination on a cut from distance to clinch the series at 3-0 and retain her position in the bracket that has seen a lot of top seeds falter. Patches got on the board with a game 4 win, as Wings let up off the gas a bit, allowing Patches to get creative with the unfriendly layout of the balls after the break. Patches won with a tap-in on the 15 after a scratch by Wings, putting the series at 3-1. Wings took game 5 with a mixture of accurate shooting and a bit of luck, taking advantage of illegal contact from Patches to get the final two balls for a 4-1 series win. Ranked #4 in 15-ball, Wings will continue her campaign in the fourth round.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: V. Braun v. Precious. In the night games, the second half of the doubleheader is 9-ball. Pronger's Precious took a very quick and sloppy game 1, as Braun of Pearl failed to get clear of the 9, and what ended up being an incidental narrow cut cost her the game as the 9 sank on illegal contact, giving the Tridents' Precious a 1-0 lead. Game 2 proved to be the full edition when it came to errors, highlighted by Braun of the Surfers attempting a carom so sharp that the cue got airborne and left the table at the bottom rail. After many missed strokes on the 9, Precious took the game and a 2-0 lead on a tap-in. Precious clinched the series with a four-ball run-out in game 3, showing off her accuracy in the process of advancing. Braun got a game back with a three-ball run-out in game 4, pushing the series to 3-1. Precious shot back in game 5, making the final two balls to seal the series at 4-1. Ranked #103 in 9-ball, Precious will travel again to an undetermined location for the fourth round. With the loss, Braun saw her UPCL career come to an end, pending a call-up for playoff duty with the Surfers or Humanity West. Braun's departure from the league will result in a compensatory pick for the Pearl Surfers, who have lost the edge they once had in competition and will look to bring in a hyped rookie or borderline cut in the hopes of turning their fortunes around. Precious' first kill of the season marked the twenty-seventh player to fall.

Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Dani v. Cleo. The next series takes us south for some 15-ball. Capital City's Dani made Everton's Cleo pay for a scratch, as the former went on a five-ball run-out from ball-in-hand to take a 1-0 series lead in impressive fashion. The Sharpshooters' Dani hit the highlight reel with a 3-10 combination at a terrible angle that struck so hard, the cue ricocheted off the corner of the bottom side and careened to pot the 7 in the top side for a brilliant double-pot. Dani later cashed in on the many misses on the 15 by the Eagles' Cleo, as multiple combination attempts by Cleo failed to drop, allowing Dani to clean it up at the end for a 2-0 series lead. Cleo could only blame herself for a brutal game 3 loss, as she left the 15 short at the bottom left in a game wrought with errors, allowing Dani to clinch the series at 3-0. Dani continued with dominant shooting in game 4, including a remarkable kick from distance with quite a distance to go to the top left on the 1, hugging the top rail the entire way. At the end, Dani capitalized on illegal contact by Cleo to get the 4-0 lead. Dani iced the series at 5-0, using Cleo's illegal contact early in game 5 as a reason to pot the 2-15 combination to the top left from ball-in-hand, securing a sweep. Ranked #34 in 15-ball, Dani gave five good reasons for why she should and will advance into the fourth round.

Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Dreamy. Closing out the day's games, the third round meets its halfway point with this 8-ball series, as the frequently late-arriving superstar hosts her first series of the round. Swordpoint's Dreamy took a back-and-forth game 1 after Pacific's Starlight couldn't sink the 8 on her one attempt. Dreamy of the Blades used solid positioning to take a 1-0 series lead. Dreamy went up 2-0 with a game 2 win that included a four-ball run and suffocating defense to hold the Volcanoes' Starlight at bay until the time was right to finish off the game. Starlight made a highlight in game 3, ripping a wicked cut to get the 6 in the top left while the carom drilled the 5 to the bottom left for the double-pot. Starlight's ego got in her way late in the game, as three scratches prevented her from getting a chance at the 8, while the slightly more ball-responsible Dreamy avoided flashy fouls and took care of business to claim the series at 3-0. Dreamy overcame Starlight's hot start in game 4, again rallying back to grab a win and move to 4-0 in the series. Starlight received a gift from Dreamy, as the latter sank the 8 in the wrong pocket, making it a 4-1 series win. Dreamy, ranked #125 for 8-ball, continues an improbable run to the fourth round, where she will travel to Commerce to visit the Tradewinds' Ice Cream at Nike Field Events Center.

That's all for today. Tomorrow, there should be a similar slate of games on tap, as well as cricket. A current theory on the struggles with pool targets the SCL games taking place in the mornings as a problem factor, so those may be rescheduled if issues persist this week, as I do not have time to be taking breaks.