Pool: Round Two Day 2

Here we go in earnest now. We begin with...

Apple Center, Todavía: Easter v. Valencia. This 8-ball series marks the first series for the blue cue in round two after the red cue got all the attention on opening night last night. In game 1, Golden's Valencia used offense early to control the game, and weathered a late rally by Todavía's Easter with strong defensive play to take a 1-0 series lead. Both players had good runs in game 2, but it was the Stills' Easter who left things set up for the Pilots' Valencia, who tapped in the 8 for a second win. Easter struck back in game 3, getting on the board with a decent run, and then cashing in as Valencia failed to counter late in the game. Easter tied the series in game 4 after a strong break that sank two stripes. She followed with two more turns to cruise to victory with Valencia leaving six balls standing. Valencia secured the series 3-2 with a five-ball run and patient shooting to get the 8 for the Pilots. The upset sees 8-ball's #106 Valencia advance to the third round.

Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Amber. We head north next for a series of 10-ball. Equality was the theme in game 1, as both players exchanged errors and failed bank shots before Leonette of Pacific took the 10 in the top side. The Volcanoes' Leonette struck again with much of the heavy lifting in game 2, aided by Atlantic's Amber deferring possession once and then scratching after gaining possession. The Pirates' Amber got on the board with some smart play of her own, digging out of a snooker and then capitalizing on a favorable 4-10 combo for the win making the series 2-1 for Leonette. Leonette clinched the series with a sloppy game 4 effort for both players, although the final shot was an impressive one at an awkward angle from distance. Leonette won a very sloppy game 5 with a four-ball run-out that was impressive solely because four shots were made in a row. Leonette, the #67 ranked 10-ball player, will continue to the third round.

Apple Center, Todavía: Sparkles v. Sweetheart. Rotation makes its second round debut as we head back south. Sparkles used excellent vision to win the first game 8-1 for Todavía, taking a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 went much the same way, as the Stills' Sparkles won 8-2 using a strong four-ball run to pace the attack for a 2-0 lead. Sparkles clinched the series with an 8-1 victory in game 3, although the effort was far less dominant than the score indicated. Sparkles again won game 4, this time by an 8-3 score, displaying the full range of her carom, combination, and banking skills, including a 10-15 combo to end the game. Boston's Sweetheart avoided an embarrassing shutout by winning game 5 8-3, using strong combination and defensive play. Sparkles, the #42 ranked Rotation player advances to the third round for the Stills.

Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Strut v. Paps. We head to the east for a series of 12-ball. Both players showed strong control in game 1, but it was Pronger's Paps coming from behind to win game 1 with the 15 in the top side pocket. Strut cashed in for Golden in game 2, as the Tridents' Paps gave away a wild card ball late and the Pilots' Strut used his ample time to secure a 1-1 series tie. Strut took a 2-1 series lead with a five-ball run-out with precision positioning. Strut clinched the series in game 4, overcoming surrendering a wild card ball and scratching at a poor time to complete a two shot run for the win. Strut sealed the series at 4-1 with a back-and-forth, grinding win after relinquishing his wild card ball halfway through the game. Strut, the #43 ranked 12-ball player, moves into the third round with a convincing win.

GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: J. Garcia v. Leonette. Heading into the urban southeast, we play 8-ball now. Southridge's Garcia controlled the game thoroughly from start to finish, using a three-ball run to close out the game and earn a 1-0 lead for the Defenders. Pacific's Leonette weather a five-ball run by Garcia to stay alive in the game, and then acted patiently as Garcia missed twice on the 8 before ending the game and tying the series for the Volcanoes. Leonette took a 2-1 series lead in game 3 by controlling possession and using a three-ball run-out to finish the game after Garcia missed her cut shot on the 1. Garcia retied the series at 2 in game 4, running seven balls after Leonette's break shot, and putting the 8 in good position. After some back and forth, Leonette's missed shot on the 7 caromed the 8 in for an abrupt loss. Leonette bounced back after Garcia made a four-ball run after the break and a three-ball run later, failing to finish the job. Leonette rallied back with runs of her own before knocking the 8 in cleanly to finish a three-ball run-out for a 3-2 series win. Leonette, the #34 ranked 8-ball player, takes a second campaign to the third round after winning earlier today.

Apple Center, Todavía: Easter v. Ms. Puppy. The third series of the day at Apple Center is for 9-ball, and the silver cue will make a spot start for the blue cue in this event. Neither player looked comfortable for game 1, but it was Easter with a sharp cut on the 9 in the bottom left pocket to give the Todavía Stills a 1-0 lead. Easter was well on her way to winning game 2, but scratched on the 9 on the fourth shot of her run, giving the Modernistic Union's Ms. Puppy the game for a 1-1 series tie at this point. Easter bounced back in game 3 by doing a five-ball run out for a 2-1 series lead, exemplifying more comfort and control with her pinpoint positioning. Easter followed it up with a three-ball run-out to take game 4 and the series. The shots were a bit more wild, but they worked out for the Stills captain. Ms. Puppy showed well in game 5, not allowing Easter back to the table after the break as the Union veteran did a five-ball run capped by a 5-9 combination into the top left corner. Easter still won the series 3-2, and secures a bid into the third round with her #44 ranked 9-ball campaign.

Cisco Arena, Tysini: Bright v. Snowball. The new-look, 5-life version of Survival debuts with the red cue in Tysini. Bright held on early in game 1 before fading a bit late, but Sweetheart ran out of lives at the end of the first rack and Tysini's Bright took a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 was a little more tightly contested, but Bright held two lives at the end as the Hummingbirds veteran made it a 2-0 series. Boston's Sweetheart got on the board with a two-rack win in game 3, although Bright nearly made it to safety with a distance shot to earn the second rack and an almost-good cut on the 8 early on in the second rack. In game 4, Bright did enough to stay alive while the Swifts' Sweetheart got out of form and squandered seven lives to lose the game and the series. Sweetheart got one back, staying neutral on lives while Bright lacked accuracy. The series ended 3-2 for Tysini's Bright, who takes her #10 ranked Survival bid into the third round.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Watermelon v. Bear. We get another 8-ball series here, as the blue cue returns to action. Watermelon of Pearl took game 1 after Whitewater's Bear committed two serious errors. The first was on his clear-up shot, which sank two of the Surfers' Watermelon's balls. The second was illegal contact on the fourth shot of his last turn, allowing Watermelon ball-in-hand on the 8. Game 2 was mostly a cleanly shot game, where Watermelon made seven balls on five shots before scratching. The Shores' Bear then ran six balls in, but missed a chance to set up on the 8. Watermelon made her lead 2-0 in the series with two simple shots for the win. Bear got on the board after taking control of game 5 with a five-shot run. He did allow Watermelon to pull back, but finished off with a pair of well-placed shots to make it 2-1. Bear tied the series again with a very defensive game, capped by a short run with the 8 going in the bottom right pocket. Bear took the series 3-2 after establishing control in game 5, and watching as Watermelon twice scratched to end good runs. Bear is the #116 player in 8-ball, and his upset propelled him into the third round.

Ebay Center, Queens: Crystal v. Acorn. We are back on 12-ball now as we head southeast to Queens. It was Lighton's Acorn earning the first win, but it wasn't easy for him. Crystal of Queens rallied for a run of five off the break, and after some exchanges in the middle, Acorn sealed the game with a five-ball run of his own. Crystal tied it in game 2 with a strong three-shot run-out for the win. The Prestige's Acorn managed to win game 3 through defensive tactics, as he blocked the Flames' Crystal's attempt to pot her final ball until he got set up for his finishing shot. Acorn took the series in game 4, but he played at a disadvantage. He surrendered a wild-card ball on the break, and then after receiving one of his own, scratched to lose it. He rallied back with a three-ball run to finish the game and take a 3-1 series lead. In game 5, Acorn made a jaw-dropping shot, glancing the 6 and 7 before the cue took two rails to carom into the 1, sinking it. This propelled him to a game 5 win, and a series win of 4-1. Acorn is ranked #72 in 12-ball, and will play in the third round for Lighton.

UPS Hall, Maplewood: Fluffina v. Patches. The game is still 12-ball as we head north, and the silver cue will spell the red cue for this series. Patches worked quickly in game 1, receiving a wild card ball and taking just two turns at the table to make it a 1-0 series for Boston. Maplewood's Fluffina overcame giving away another wild card ball to tie the series in game 2 in a fairly standard 12-ball game. Fluffina of the Lumberjacks proved her own worst enemy again, giving the Swifts captain Patches the momentum she needed with another wild card ball to retake a series lead at 2-1. Patches claimed the series in game 4 in a very strategic rack of the game, using favorable positioning to her advantage after Fluffina helped her out by digging the 1 away from an occupied pocket. Patches played another strong game to finish the series 4-1, grinding a way to get the balls in position for a win. The #115 ranked Patches is into the third round in her 12-ball campaign.

Ford Forum, Pronger: Precious v. Sugar. The night games continue with 12-ball. In game 1, Pronger's Precious failed to get in the game as she surrendered a wild card ball twice, and Web City's Sugar had a relatively easy go of it to take a 1-0 series lead. Precious of the Tridents evened the score in game 2 with a run of strong shooting and a couple of good positioning situations. Sugar of the Spiders retook a series lead at 2-1 after game, which was a defensively-oriented game where open shots were few and far between and contact ended up as the primary goal in most cases. In game 4, Sugar outlasted a strong opposition by Precious, rallying from behind with shots in both side pockets clinching the game and series through the hard-fought rack. Sugar ended the series at 4-1 with a well-positioned clinching shot on the bottom left corner, after navigating a bit of a messy rack. Sugar, the #118 player in 12-ball, advances for the Spiders into the third round.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Wings v. Stealth. We're back to 8-ball by the coast, and the silver cue will again spell the blue cue in this match. Harrison's Stealth took game 1 with a four-ball run out, using good positioning to cruise to the victory. Pearl's Wings tied it with a methodical victory in game 2, overcoming accuracy issues by both players. The highlight of the game was Stealth whiffing on the 12 into the top side that caromed off the rail and into the 9 in the top left on the option shot. The Surfers gained the lead as Wings won game 3 with a four-ball run-out as the accuracy issues continued for both players. Stealth tied it in game 4 for the Specters, using a five-ball run with a zigzag two-rail bank to sink the 6 to set himself up for the equalizer. Game 5 featured the best shooting of all, with Stealth running five shots to be answered by Wings with a six-ball run before Stealth sealed the game and series 3-2. Stealth is ranked #94 in 8-ball and moves along to the third round.

Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Chris v. Gizmo. We head to 9-ball in the southwest now, with the red cue featured. Save for one run by Capital City's Chris, game 1 featured a lack of command in the shots. Gizmo of Central took game 1 after the Sharpshooters' captain Chris flubbed the placement of the 9 at the bottom right pocket. The Warriors' Gizmo failed on a cross-table bank to the top right pocket, allowing Chris to tie the series in another game filled with shots bouncing just out of the pockets. Gizmo shot back in game 3 with one failed attempt to sink the 9 followed up by a successful 2-9 combo off the top rail into the top right pocket for a 2-1 series lead. Gizmo clinched the series in game 4 by answering Chris' four-ball run with a run of his own to close out the game. Gizmo sank the 9 on the break in game 5, taking the series 4-1. Gizmo takes an improbable bid into the third round, ranked at #123.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: V. Braun v. Valencia. Next up, 7-ball in the north coast region, with the #KillerVs matchup. In game 1, Valencia did mop-up duty for Golden, after Pearl's Braun ran six balls straight but couldn't convert on the money shot. Valencia went up 2-0 for the Pilots while also doing a bit more work in game 2, running three straight from the break and the final two for the win. Braun got the Surfers going by finishing off what Valencia couldn't in game 3. Valencia ran five shots before failing to contact the 6, allowing Braun the easy tap-ins to make it a 2-1 series. Valencia secured the series win in a very sloppy game 4, with misses abound. Valencia finished it off with a simple game 5, winning the series 4-1. The #127 ranked Valencia gives the Pilots a 7-ball representative in the third round.

That's all for tonight. Hopefully the 75 games from today were enjoyable enough to read through. We'll be back for roughly the same number of games tomorrow.