We're back with another light day as my other blog demands attention. Expect most Saturdays to be fairly calm over the course of this tournament.
Nestle's Warriors Hall: Twilight v. Roxy. We begin the short day with 12-ball in the northeast. Central's Twilight took game 1 despite giving Roxy of Oceanside a wild-card ball. The Waves' Roxy got stuck with the 9 at an irretrievable location in the bottom left, forcing her to try to strategically scratch, which failed, giving the Warriors' Twilight ball-in-hand to end the game. Roxy tied the series by coming from behind in game 2, running four balls with a set-up shot at the end that she cashed in on her next turn. In game 3, Roxy hit the highlight reel with a clean bank off the left rail to pot the 2 in the top side. Twilight retook the series lead anyway, using a four-ball run mid-game as the catalyst to victory. Twilight took the series in game 4, capitalizing on Roxy's surrendering of a wild card ball. Roxy looked set for victory, getting the 14 to the final pocket she needed with Twilight having four on the table and five pockets, but defensive play executed to a T by Twilight caused the 14 to be sunk illegally. On the ball-in-hand, Twilight ran out three balls, banking the 2 from the top rail to the bottom right as the highlight, going to 3-1 in the series. Twilight won the series 4-1, dominating game 5 top to bottom, taking just three turns to win. On the three-ball run-out, Twilight used precision and positioning, along with a 9 carom off the 7 near the stop side to seal the deal. Twilight advances into the third round with a #66 12-ball bid, hosting Leonardo of the Todavía Stills at this venue. With the loss, Roxy was eliminated from the tournament, and her future with the Oceanside Waves is in heavy doubt. Twilight recorded her first kill of the tournament.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Puff III v. Puff I. The name Puff carries some weight in this league, and the youngest hosts the oldest in 9-ball this round. Modernistic's Puff I struck first in a very cautious game 1, taking the final two balls with simple shots for the win. Positioning did not play much of a factor in shot selection, it appears. Puff I of the Union did all the work in game 2, running eight balls beginning with the break, but she had an unusual angle on the 9 and couldn't get it down, allowing Everton's Puff III to vulture a win by mopping up the 9 in the top left. Puff I brought game 3 to a quick end, shooting the 2 to the bottom right to set up a 3-9 combination to the top left, which she converted as a double-pot with both of them. The Eagles' Puff III earned her game 4 win, running out the final three balls and keeping possession even throughout to tie the series at 2. Puff III came in hot to game 5, running four balls late but whiffing from distance on the 9. Puff I gave it a shot, but left it short at the bottom right, allowing Puff III to tap-in for a 3-2 series win. Ranked #87 in 9-ball, Puff III beats her name-related opponent to enter the third round.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Snuggle v. Gabe. We move along to 8-ball now. Oceanside's Snuggle did not play well early on, allowing Infinity City's Gabe to run all over him early on, but he settled in late and used superb defense to hold on, eventually getting the win and a 1-0 lead. The Waves' Snuggle continued to play a crafty and patient style, setting up stripes on the right side and waiting for the Torpedoes' Gabe to mess up before pulling off a cheeky four-ball run-out to win the game and take a 2-0 series lead. Snuggle clinched the series in game 3, as Gabe couldn't keep pace with a late four-ball run by Snuggle, sinking only three to allow a tap-in for a 3-0 lead. Gabe avoided the sweep with a four-ball run-out in a non-competitive game 4. Gabe maneuvered around the table with ease in game 4, which made the win all the more effortless looking. Gabe managed to outlast a lethargic Snuggle in game 5, taking the game with a short run at the end in another lazily-conducted throwaway game. Snuggle took the series 3-2, advancing to the third round with his #21 ranked 8-ball bid.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Sierra. Wrapping up the afternoon, we have 7-ball between two players separated by three generations. Lighton's Acorn started hot, working some magic with two balls on the break and kicking off the right rail through traffic to pot the 3 in the top left, but the mysticism wore off and Sierra of Todavía ran out the final three balls for a 1-0 win. The Prestige's Acorn again wavered between early brilliance (a double-pot on the 2 to the bottom left and 6 to the top left with just enough side spin on the cue to make it happen) and late meltdowns (a scratch to surrender possession). The Stills' Sierra cashed in again, taking a 2-0 lead in a series she has not played well in, with a two-ball run-out from ball-in-hand. Game 3 followed the same script, as Acorn turned a 2-4-3 combination into a double pot as the 2 sneaked past the 4 rebounding off the top rail, only to later leave the 6 short and set up another short run for Sierra to claim the series with. Acorn ran three balls mid-game in game 4, but left the 6 short, only to see Sierra struggle with it and then have himself falter on the 7, giving Sierra a fourth win. Sierra iced the series win by mopping up the 7 after Acorn left it short at the bottom side following a four-ball run. Sierra's 5-0 victory has her #94 ranked 7-ball bid against the top-ranked Whiskers of the Infinity City Torpedoes, with Sierra traveling to Nissan Hall for the third round battle.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Wings v. Fluffina. The night segment leads off with Survival. The players engaged in a fast-paced first rack in game 1, but failed to sink a ball in the second rack, with Maplewood's Fluffina having the edge on lives and thus earning the win over Pearl's Wings. The Lumberjacks' Fluffina did employ the defensive tactic of a soft break to accelerate the Surfers' Wings' demise. The Surfers' Wings tied it with a narrow win in game 2, barely holding on in the back-and-forth game that saw many changes in control. Fluffina flashed insane skill in game 3, kick-banking the 7 into the bottom side after kicking from the bottom rail and banking from the top rail. Fluffina took the game later on, using a strategic scratch to force Wings to shoot from the kitchen with a life left and no forward targets, which resulted in a predictable miss. Wings again got pinched in game 4, failing on three straight shots as nothing lined up very well, allowing Fluffina to secure the series at 3-1. Fluffina built up a large lead and let it fade slowly as Wings fell apart, with Fluffina winning the series 4-1. The #44 ranked Survival bid owned by Fluffina will next travel to play the Archtown Arrows' Sleepy B. in Starbucks Arena in Archtown.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Dusky v. Wings. Speaking of that venue, Wings gets no rest from a brutal home loss, traveling for a Rotation series as part of a doubleheader. Archtown's Dusky railed off three impressive shots that shouldn't have gone down, with a series of banks, lucky caroms, and generally physics-defying magic in her arsenal to top Pearl's Wings 8-4 to take a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Dusky continued her insane start with a double-pot in game 2, sinking the 1 in the bottom left while driving the 7 hard enough off the edge of the bottom side to get it to the bottom right. The Surfers' Wings overcame this stroke of luck, rallying back to tie and then exchanging balls in the late stages of the game before finally claiming an 8-7 win to tie the series at 1. Wings took a 2-1 lead in the series as Dusky's magic appears to have run out, as Wings claimed an 8-5 victory in game 3 without a single highlight from either player. Dusky retied the series with an 8-6 win in game 4, coming after a long run of sloppy play. Dusky took the series 3-2 with a sloppy game 5 win that featured many more magical plays and numerous poor decisions all around. Dusky, ranked #40 in Rotation, advances into the third round.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Mams v. Stinky. We continue back west with a 9-ball set. Viewpoint Sound's Mams had a strong break, and managed to take game 1, but the middle parts of the game were not model pool at all. The Meteors' Mams got locked in around the middle of game 2, going on a five-ball run-out to take a strong 2-0 lead. In game 3, Mams took the 9 on the break, as part of two balls going down, with the 4 finding the top left and the 9 getting pushed into the bottom side by the 7 with a deflection off the 6, never letting Freedom's Stinky a chance to save his campaign. The Cascades' Stinky got one back with a game 4 win, well earned after a four-ball run-out helped him avoid the sweep. Stinky had the run of play in game 5, and it stayed with him to the end, as he won to make it only a 3-2 series win for Mams. Mams is ranked #42 for 9-ball, and will host Strut of the Golden Pilots at this venue in the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Blizzard v. Cubby. These two northeast regional/territorial rivals close out the short day with a Survival series. Maplewood's Cubby did just enough in rack one to damage Everton's Blizzard in a comeback attempt in rack two, which failed, allowing the Lumberjacks' Cubby a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, Cubby used smothering defense to wear down the Eagles' Blizzard to a nub and then force her into a loss about halfway through the only rack of the game. Blizzard got one back, turning the defensive tables on Cubby in game 3 to make it 2-1 in the series favoring Cubby thus far. Blizzard tied the series in game 4, using a double-pot to both clear the table and secure herself after slipping. Cubby couldn't answer the double-pot, losing his last life and sending the series to a one-off game. Cubby dominated in game 5, toying with Blizzard long enough to defeat her comfortably. Cubby, ranked #118 in Survival, took the series 3-2 and will travel to Modernistic to face the Union's Chimpy in the third round at Google Hall.
That's 40 for today. Tomorrow should be at full speed, but keep an eye out for matinee cricket as well.
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