We're back with another day full of tense games. This day focuses on more of the longer styles of play, so the games number may ring in a bit low compared to a similar day. Leading off the afternoon...
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Ms. Kitty v. Sweetheart. The first series is 12-ball. Pacific's Ms. Kitty took game 1 with confident positioning and good shot selection, working past Boston's Sweetheart, who took a less efficient approach. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty again started well in game 2, selecting solids with strong shooting and then using mistakes by the Swifts' Sweetheart to take a 2-0 lead. Sweetheart's errors were illegally potting the 12 on a poorly-designed bank shot and failing to contact that same 12 later in the game with Ms. Kitty down to one ball. Sweetheart couldn't manage to get set even with two wild card balls in hand. Ms. Kitty took game 3 on a three-ball run to set up for the 13 in the bottom right, and then a conversion on the 13 from distance after the impressively positioned effort. Ms. Kitty won game 4 after exerting some brilliant defense, leaving the 11 jammed in the top right, which didn't actually work, and then potting the 11 to set up for an awkward but successful bank on the 10 to the top side for a win. Ms. Kitty's strong positioning and execution continued, with her accurate shot on the 6 to the bottom right giving her a workable shot on the 3 to end game 5, completing a relatively effortless 5-0 sweep. Ms. Kitty, ranked #60 in 12-ball, will next host Smudge of the Infinity City Torpedoes in the third round at this venue.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Puff III v. Dustin. This Rotation battle has the undertone of the Eagles cutting Dustin despite his fan favorite status and borderline sufficient statistic, only for him to star this season for the Central Warriors. Everton's Puff III started hot, but Central's Dustin matched immediately, creating a very tense game until the end, where Puff III of the Eagles pulled away to an 8-6 win and 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Dustin got buried early on, but roared back with a six-ball run that paced his attack, and he finished with a two-ball run-out when Puff III couldn't convert on the 7, winning 8-3 to tie the series at 1. Dustin eked out a win in game 3, as the shooting got messy around the 12, but Dustin eventually received the right shot to take the game 8-5 and go up 2-1 in the series where he looks for redemption for being cut. Dustin staked out a lead in game 4, watched it disappear, and then rallied back with a three-ball run-out, clinching the series at 3-1 with the 8-5 victory. Dustin held off Puff III early, and then blitzed a four-ball run-out to win the game 8-2 and the series 4-1. Dustin, ranked #105 in Rotation, will host Mr. Snowman of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors at his home table in Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central in the third round.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Strut v. Chicky Phil. A doubleheader in Survival starts with these two players. Golden's Strut started out well, but once Westside's Chicky Phil got into a groove, he successfully pushed the Pilots' Strut around and toppled him in the second rack for a 1-0 lead. Strut matched Chicky Phil of the Rockers early in game 2, but once Strut gained possession, he got revenge for game 1 in little time, maneuvering efficiently to tie the series as Chicky Phil could not get reset. Strut used bold defensive technique to halt Chicky Phil in a very tight game 3, and Strut went up 2-1 in the series with the win. Chicky Phil retied the series, winning in a strong effort in game 4 with a two-rack game, in which Strut faded early and couldn't hold on long enough to induce the late fade on Chicky Phil. Chicky Phil came out shooting in game 5, building up his lead from the break. strut shot himself in the foot quite a few times, and Chicky Phil did the rest, defending expertly to prevent Strut from making a comeback. Chicky Phil won the series 3-2, and takes his #67 ranked Survival bid to the third round.
Nissan Hall, Infinity City: Gabe v. Twilight. As the second half of the Survival doubleheader, a rebounding player and superstar do battle in the southwest. The silver cue will draw in for the red cue here. Gabe of Infinity City took game 1 in a tightly played and fast-paced affair, with Central's Twilight definitely not deserving to lose in a very accurate effort. Game 2 was the almost polar opposite, as both players struggled, but the Warriors' Twilight held on longer, topping the Torpedoes' Gabe with a strong defensive game. In game 3, Twilight smothered Gabe defensively, maintaining her own lead and leaving little in the way of clean shots behind to frustrate him and ultimately take a 2-1 lead. The players sparred early in game 4, battling to see who could hold onto a lead the longest, and it was Twilight, who then pummeled shot after shot to force Gabe to the brink, where he lost the game in the second rack, and allowed Twilight to clinch the series at 3-1 with the win. Twilight continued in game 5, pushing Gabe around throughout and leaving him with a nothing shot to begin rack two, which he missed, losing the game and series. Twilight won the series 4-1, and takes her #124 ranked Survival campaign into the third round, however unpredictably, to oppose the Boston Swifts' Puff II at the Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center in Boston.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Stripes. Back at the central coast, there's another series of 12-ball. Pacific's Starlight made quick work of Viewpoint Sound's Stripes, with the only ball credited to the Meteors' Stripes sunk by the Volcanoes' Starlight in an attempt to free up the top side pocket for the 13, which eventually worked. Starlight took a 2-0 lead with dominant positioning offensively, and further struggles to get going by Stripes, save for one three-ball run that made it a little bit close around the middle of the game. Starlight got generous in game 3, giving Stripes two wild card balls, which appeared to do the trick for her, as she won the game after Starlight desperation defensive play failed, making it 2-1 in the series. Game 4 got defensive late, with Stripes playing a bit coy. The lazy pace caught up with Starlight, who twice failed to sink the 14 laid up on the bottom side, and the second time proved costly, as Stripes converted the necessary shots for a win, overcoming giving away a wild card ball, to tie the series at 2. Stripes made the most of the break, and that allowed her to get set up later in game, overcoming losing a wild card ball and giving Starlight another one to win the series 3-2 as a chorus of boos rained down upon her from the home fans. Stripes, ranked #58, got divine intervention to take this series and make it into the third round for 12-ball.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Noelle. In a Survival encore, we head to the northeast. The only phrase acceptable to describe game 1 of this series would be hot mess, as many simple tap-in shots were struck too hard at the wrong angle, making both players lose lives very quickly. Twinkie II of Harrison held on slightly longer at one life, eventually getting Central's Noelle to bow out about midway through the first and only rack of the game. The Specters' Twinkie II played more expertly in game 2, holding onto a big lead until it was time to come down and play dirty. The Warriors' Noelle did a good job of holding on at two lives, even tying the game at one point, but Twinkie II's crafty leave late ended things for Noelle, giving Twinkie II a 2-0 lead. Noelle's resilience was rewarded in game 3, as she fell behind early again, but Twinkie II slipped up in the second rack, and a narrow Noelle shot on the 1 to open the third rack sealed the deal to make it 2-1. Noelle only had herself to blame for losing game 4, failing to make contact when the 6 was open near the bottom side and she was on her last life, after an early game free-fall that started with a scratch on the break. Twinkie II, amidst all the chaos, didn't play well, but came away with a 3-1 series lead. Noelle managed to push Twinkie II around in game 5, earning a hard fought win through good tactics. Twinkie II won the series 3-2, and will host Olivia of the Diamond Gems in the third round at this very venue.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Ruby. We end the afternoon with Rotation. In game 1, Puff II came out blazing and did not let up, as Boston's star battled Archtown's Ruby effectively, in a very defensive game without an open shot popping up often. Puff II of the Swifts took a 1-0 series lead on an 8-4 win. Game was a bit tight, as neither player gathered momentum early on until a three-ball run by Puff II staked her out to a lead she eventually finished off for an 8-3 and 2-0 series lead. The Arrows' Ruby got on the board with an 8-5 win in game 3, making the final five balls in two turns to get herself back in the series. Ruby used a professional three-ball run-out to win game 4, scoring the 11 in the top side off the 14, bending the cue around the 15 to get to the 14 at the top left, and knocking the 15 away into the top side for an 8-7 win to tie the series at 2. Game 5 went to Puff II after a three-ball run made it 8-4. As a whole, the series was extremely tight after a lot of breaks scattered the balls well but did not lend themselves to being convenient for running long streaks. Puff II, ranked #17 in Rotation, advanced to play Panda of the Southern Monarchs in the third round at Microsoft Center in Del Sur.
Lay's Field Events Center, Victoria: B. Chapman v. Dominic. The long night begins with 15-ball in the southwest, and the silver cue will draw in for the blue cue. Victoria's Chapman controlled possession in game 1 as Web City's Dominic made a lot of simple mistakes to give the Spurs' Chapman good shots. In the end, one of Dominic's mistakes resulted in Chapman using the 9 to set up for a 10-13-15 combination to the bottom left for a 1-0 lead. The Spiders' Dominic limited his mistakes in game 2, but the end of the game got to be very back-and-forth, and he was not on the right end of that, missing the 15 and leaving it easy for Chapman to go up 2-0 in the series. Chapman asserted herself in game 3, making a wonderful kick shot that intended just to make contact on the 4 into the top right, setting up for a reasonable 5-15 combination that went down easily for the clinching win at 3-0 in the series. Not a lot went right in the pressure-free game 4, but Chapman did use excellent positioning at the end from hitting the 13 at the top right to get precisely set on the 15 in the bottom left, moving to 4-0 in the series. In game 5, the story went back to the start: a sloppy game with the ending coming after a mistake by Dominic, as Chapman pulled off a 5-0 sweep. Chapman is through to the third round on her #10 ranked 15-ball bid. Chapman's win meant the end of the line for Dominic, who lost all three second round appearances to become the seventeenth eliminated player. Dominic, a journeyman who's been with the Monarchs, Pirates, and Spiders, is likely onto another team after another rough season. Chapman recorded her first kill of the season.
Apple Center, Todavía: Sparkles v. Princess. Sparkles of Todavía has a personal doubleheader on the schedule, with both sets at home. The first is a series of 9-ball with the red cue. Todavía's Sparkles dominated most of game 1, controlling possession with accurate shooting and reasonable defense, but a late scratch allowed Tysini's Princess to vulture her way to a 1-0 lead. Game 2 saw the script flipped, as the Hummingbirds' Princess appeared the stronger of the two players, only to miss contact on the 9 and give the Stills' Sparkles a free tap-in to tie the series at 1. Game 3 turned it around again, although the possession was fairly even in this one. Still, Sparkles scratched while on the 9, allowing Princess to pick a spot and bury the 9 to go up 2-1 in the series. After matching three-ball runs in game 4, Sparkles couldn't make contact with the 9, scratching to compound the foul and give Princess a 3-1 series lead in what has become a somewhat predictable course of events in making the first eight balls absolutely meaningless. Princess didn't allow Sparkles a shot in game 5, running five balls beginning with the break, finishing on a 4-9 combination cut caroming off the 6 to the bottom left to make it a 4-1 series. Princess, ranked #59 in 9-ball, will host Brownie of the Atlantic Pirates in the third round at Cisco Arena in Tysini.
Apple Center, Todavía: Sparkles v. Shadow. The other half of the doubleheader is 12-ball with the blue cue as Todavía's Sparkles looks to shake off a bruising defeat. The Stills' Sparkles excelled in obtaining position on her shots, and she used a three-ball run to spark the majority of her game 1 victory, as Web City's Shadow couldn't get much separation. The Spiders' Shadow tied it in game 2, using a three-ball run-out aided by a wild card ball as the keys for him to get into gear. Before giving the wild card ball up, Sparkles did well to stay in the game, but she couldn't set her shots like in the previous game. Sparkles paid when she lost a gamble in game 3, thinking that she could manage to win when giving Shadow two wild card balls. The gamble failed, as Shadow's meticulous set-up shots from earlier finally paid off for him after Sparkles couldn't finish off the 2 on her only chance at it. Shadow clinched the series in game 4, working a little faster with more favorable shots than Sparkles could. Sparkles was nearly set up on her remaining shots when Shadow made a shot on the 10 from distance to the top right to go up 3-1 in the series. In game 5, the vibe was more of a race, as both players worked fairly independently until Sparkles used a bit of defense near the end to muck up Shadow's shot. Sparkles went on to win the game, but Shadow took the series 3-2. In the third round, the #96 ranked Shadow will travel to Lighton to play the Prestige's Pounce at Pepsi Arena.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Diddley. Now, a little inland, 15-ball will be the series for the blue cue's finale of the night. Game 1 was a disaster, especially for Lighton's Acorn. Neither player shot with any accuracy or command, but it was the Prestige's Acorn, a calm and collected player usually, that lost his cool, leaving the 9-15 combination open for Maplewood's Diddley at the top right. Acorn made up for his gaffe in game 2, shocking the world in the process of tying the series by caroming the cue off the 9 and into the 14, which crossed the table to bump the 15 into the bottom right for the win in an otherwise clean but unremarkable game. Acorn, clearly more comfortable in game 3, didn't give the Lumberjacks' Diddley many opportunities throughout, and closed the game with a four-ball run-out to pull ahead at 2-1 in the series, a far cry from the embarrassing start. Acorn again took control of game 4 late, scoring a four-ball run before chipping the 15. Diddley couldn't corral the 15 to the bottom left either, so Acorn took care of a tap-in to clinch the series at 3-1 after another strong game. Game 5 featured a lot of early action, and the later play was also good and proper, but Acorn did have a miss late that allowed Diddley to take the final two balls and win the game. The #95 ranked Acorn advanced on a 3-2 series win, and he will travel to Oceanside to play the Waves' captain Snuggle in AT&T Hall in the third round.
Lay's Field Events Center, Victoria: Spice v. Tori. This Rotation match is all Spurs all the time, as two of Victoria's own go head-to-head. Tori got off to a hot start in game 1, dominating possession and making quite a few shots along the way, but when she stagnated, Spice roared to life on a four-ball run, and later finished the game off 8-5 for a 1-0 series lead. Spice added on with a 2-0 series lead after winning game 2 on a three-ball run-out for a final score of 8-5 in a game that featured even possession until the end. The players exchanged three-ball runs late in the game, but luckily for Spice, that was as far as Tori's got, allowing Spice to score the 14 in the bottom left and take a 3-0 series lead with the 8-6 win in game 3. Spice pulled herself together in game 4 after an extended battle on the 4 left the players tied. Spice pulled away late, and ended up winning the game 9-5 after a double-pot at the end of the game on the 12 and 15, going to 4-0 in the series after another strong finish. Spice didn't let her paw off the gas in game 5, cruising with a five-ball run and a final score of 8-1 after some impressive accuracy to take the series in a 5-0 sweep. Ranked #13 in Rotation, Spice is set to host Crystal of the Queens Flames in the third round at this venue.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Stinky v. Patches. This 10-ball matchup may not be accurately represented in the rankings, given the overall histories of each player. Freedom's Stinky got away with one late as Boston's Patches bumbled the positioning after making the 9 and then doubled down the errors with a scratch while attempting the 10, giving the Cascades' Stinky an easy shot to go up 1-0 in the series. Stinky again received a gift in game 2, as the Swifts' Patches scratched late again. Stinky used the ball-in-hand to easily handle the 9 and get good position on the 10, sending it the bottom side on a narrow angle in a show of skill. Patches couldn't break her bad luck in game 3, keeping pace in the middle of the game but leaving the 10 short when she got a chance at it, allowing Stinky a tap-in to clinch the series at 3-0. Patches got on the board despite another scratch on the 9, as Stinky took his shot on the 10 too casually, and Patches hit it long and hard into the bottom right to make it 3-1 in the series. Stinky fired back as Patches returned to her error-prone ways in game 5, using ball-in-hand on the 9 and 10 again for a 4-1 series win. Stinky, ranked #18 in 10-ball, will host Dusky of the Archtown Arrows at this venue in the third round.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Lionel. The final set of the day will be 15-ball from the northeast. As the theme has gone tonight, Twinkie II of Harrison scratched late after a solid showing in game 1, allowing Commerce's Lionel to do easy work to get the final two balls for a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Lionel took a surprising route to victory in game 2, kicking the cue off the left rail and into the 3, turning the shot into a 3-15 combination when the 15 found its way into the top side for the win and a 2-0 lead for Lionel. In game 3, Lionel continued his brilliant run with some strong situational awareness. The 8 he shot at was frozen on the top rail a diamond away from the top left, a prime position for spinning off the rail, which he did with enough authority to take the 15 from about two-thirds of the way down the left rail, knocking it to the bottom left on the game-winning double-pot that gave him a 3-0 series lead. The Specters' Twinkie II showed up for game 4, using the fast pace of play to her advantage in the end, as she banked the 13 off the top rail toward the bottom side, which was blocked squarely by the 15. The bank-combination shot served her well in winning the game, making the series 3-1 for Lionel at this point. Lionel shot back with a three-ball run-out in another fast-paced game 5, finishing on a top rail to bottom side bank on the 15, good for a 4-1 series win. Lionel, ranked #62 in 15-ball, is set to host Mams of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors in the third round at Nike Field Events Center in Commerce.
That's 70 games today, and we're on pace to wrap up the round on Saturday. Tomorrow, the goal is play as much as possible, but we'll see how my body holds up. I expect that I will either play a light schedule or none on Sunday so as to be able to work on some of the behind-the-scenes details as well as other personal projects I do not yet share with the world. Hope you all are enjoying these, and please leave a comment to let me know you're out there.
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