Here we go again with another slate of games. In the morning, we have...
Lay's Field Events Center, Victoria: Spice v. Bryant. The first series of the day should loosen things up with 8-ball. Maplewood's Bryant had a four-ball run in the middle of game 1, but he failed to secure the 8 before Victoria's Spice used a three-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 began with flying offense from both players, but scratches by the Lumberjacks' Bryant and the Spurs' Spice led to each player chasing their final ball and the 8 in a defensive mind-game. In the end, Bryant capitalized on Spice's failed positioning and missed bank shot to win the game and tie the series at 1. Spice retook a 2-1 series lead with an amazing rally, using two turns to come back from a five-ball deficit for the win. Spice took the series at 3-1 after a fairly sloppy game 4 full of missed shots by both sides. Bryant made the highlight reel with an impressive length-of-the-table cut-bank on the 4, sending it into the bottom left pocket. He also won the game, making it just a 3-2 series win for Spice. Ranked #2 overall in 8-ball (the highest seed left), Spice will bring in a new opponent to the Lay's Field Event Center for round three.
Ebay Center, Queens: Crystal v. Twilight. The second morning series is in 15-ball. Queens' Crystal took game 1, a mostly cleanly-shot game, with a two-ball run-out after Central's Twilight couldn't extend a run late. Game 2 ran longer than it should have after the Warriors' Twilight missed on the 15 to end a five-ball run she had accumulated. Each player had a series of misses on the 15 toward the bottom left pocket before the Flames' Crystal finally touched it in to take a 2-0 series lead. Twilight made a poor decision near the end of game 3, attempting to jump the 11 to knock in the 6. The jump failed, and this left Crystal with ball-in-hand and a clear 7-15 combination that she converted to secure the series at 3-0. Twilight got on the board in game 4, running six balls on five shots, with a finishing highlight. The final shot centered on the 6, which Twilight used to carom off the 14 and into the 9, which she sent to the top left. The other half of the shot was the 14 bumping the 15 to the bottom side pocket for the win. Twilight mitigated the damage further in game 5, overcoming Crystal making seven of the last eight balls by making the only one that counts. Crystal, ranked #52 for 15-ball, advances to the third round by a 3-2 series win.
Intel Center, Diamond: Cassandra v. Jake. Starting the afternoon, there's a series of 9-ball. Both players had lucky deflections go in their favor in game 1. Diamond's Cassandra saw her attempt at a 4-9 combination turn into sinking the 4 in the bottom right after the carom. Royal's Jake answered on a failed cut on the 6 to the bottom left that went in the bottom right after the cue ball met the 6 just right of the bottom side and redirected it to a pocket. In the end, the Gems' Cassandra won on a tap-in for a 1-0 lead. Cassandra did all the work in game 2, using a five-ball run starting at the break and a four-ball run-out after one miss by the Crowns' Jake to earn a 2-0 series lead. Cassandra secured the series while also controlling possession in game 3, using a high volume of good shots to clinch the series. Cassandra used two more highlights to win game 4. The first came early and was nearly a double-pot. She aimed the 1 toward the top left, but succeeded in her true intention of the cue driving the 7 to the bottom left. The second highlight clinched the game with a sharp carom off the 6 by the cue that knocked the 9 into the top side for a 4-0 lead. In game 5, Cassandra used an early 2-4 bank combination and a four-ball run-out to complete the 5-0 sweep. The one thing that set Cassandra apart in this series was her ability to strike early, especially with all five break shots. Ranked #17 in 9-ball, Cassandra awaits a third-round opponent after a dominant showing.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Amber v. Tigerette. The silver cue subs in for the red cue for one of its two balancing series today as Rotation occurs in the home of the last-place Pirates. Amber of Atlantic managed to pull out an 8-5 win in a messy game 1, as both players had trouble with positioning early on. Game was very back and forth, with the Pirates' Amber taking a 4-2 lead in the game with a 2-6 double pot, only to see Tigerette of Commerce pull ahead later. After exchanging the lead some more, the Tradewinds' Tigerette won 8-7 on a two-ball run-out. Amber took game 3, a scratch-riddled affair, with a three-ball run-out, winning 8-5 in the game and leading 2-1 in the series. Amber clinched the series with a four-ball run-out in game 4, winning 8-3, and dominating the side pockets as the basis of her shooting pattern to make the series score 3-1. Game 5 went very poorly for both players, although less so for Amber, as Tigerette's many errors, made mostly out of nonchalance with the series out of reach, led Amber to an 8-2 victory. Amber won the series 4-1, and the #88 ranked Rotation player gives Atlantic something to look forward to in round three.
Nissan Hall, Infinity City: Whiskers v. Patches. Out in the southwest, more Rotation is set to be played. Infinity City's Whiskers established a 1-0 series lead with a game 1 win by an 8-4 score, using a four-ball run early to build the lead and a two-ball run-out to ice it at the end. Boston's Patches rallied back, looking to be in trouble when surrendering her 4-3 lead in game 2, but she finished with a four-ball run-out to tie the series at 1. Whiskers found a highlight in game 3, in the midst of a four-ball run. She hit the 3 into the bottom side for a tap-in, but found the right carom to drive the 15 to the top right corner for the double-pot in impressive fashion. The Torpedoes' Whiskers struck again later, using a strong carom to take the 6 off the 11 into the top right before winning 8-2 on a caromed double-pot that saw the 8 go to the top left while the cue tapped the 12 into the bottom left. Whiskers clinched the series with an 8-5 victory in a wholly uneventful game 4. The Swifts' Patches excelled at shooting in game 5, dominating possession with two major runs en route to a pride-saving 8-1 victory. Whiskers took the series 3-2, and the #15 ranked Rotation player is set to oppose Lionel at the Nike Field Events Center in Commerce in the third round.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Neopolitan v. Stinky. We are about to get strategic by the coast, with a 12-ball series on tap as the red cue returns to action. Pearl's Neopolitan showed strategy in full force, positioning herself for a five-ball run-out by leaving three by the necessary corners and the other by the vacant sides to allow for easy shots. The advantageous positions also doubled to keep Freedom's Stinky from potting anything in the covered pockets. In game 2, the Surfers' Neopolitan looked dangerously overmatched until she pulled out a three-ball run-out, each utilizing a different skill. On the 12, she used draw to push the cue into a better position after sinking the 12 in the bottom left. The second shot was a sharp-angled cut to the bottom right on the 15, which was shot with just enough mustard to make it. Cut shots provide little positioning opportunity, but Neopolitan worked with the lie she had, banking the 9 off the bottom rail and into the top left to win the game and take a 2-0 series lead. The Cascades' Stinky got one back in game 3, taking advantage of having a wild card ball in his pocket as Neopolitan was definitely not set in this game. Stinky ended with a highlight play, kicking off the bottom rail and tapping in the 15 in the top right pocket for the game-clinching shot. Game 4 was the wildest game of 12-ball seen since the wild card rule was implemented. Stinky gave up two wild card balls very early, and Neopolitan's choice shooting allowed her to pick one of three corners for the 9 to be deposited in. She missed three times at the top left, allowing Stinky to pare down a bit on his remaining balls. On the third miss, Neopolitan gave Stinky a wild card ball of his own, and he took the next shot on the 1, a bank off the left rail that found the bottom right and tied the series at 2. Stinky completed the comeback in game 5, winning the series with a battle of the wits. Down three balls, Stinky implemented the 14 as defense on the 3 near the bottom right pocket. Neopolitan failed to work around that until the defense was cleared, but scratched to prevent the win. The battle for position continued until Neopolitan missed the 5 in an attempt at the bottom left pocket, and the ball-in-hand resulted in victory for Stinky in a series that really had it all. Ranked at #44 in 12-ball, Stinky will welcome Princess to Toyota Arena in round three.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Sleepy B. v. Ruby. For the second time this round, we have an intra-team game, with the real winners being Archtown fans for seeing two of their own do battle in Survival. The players put on a show in game 1, actually each gaining lives from the end of rack 1 to the end of rack 2. Ruby, who led most of the first three racks, fell behind at the end of rack 3, but the game reached the end of rack 4 with each holding a single life, needing to make every shot to stay alive. Finally, Ruby missed five balls into rack 5 of game 1, giving Sleepy B. a 1-0 lead and the crowd a preview of the potential of Survival as a game. Game 2 only made it to rack 2, but that was because of dominance shown by Sleepy B., who held six lives at the end of the game, one more than she started with. Both players regressed a little more, not making it out of rack 1 in game 3, but Sleepy B. took another game and clinched the series at a 3-0 lead. Ruby got on the board in game 4, taking the game with strong shooting and a mutual respect amongst teammates to not run up the score or damage each others individual records too much. Game 5 lasted into the third rack, and Ruby escaped with a narrow victory. Sleepy B. took the highly entertaining series 3-2, and the #12 ranked Survival player will represent the Arrows in the third round.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Goatee v. Lionel. The schedule doesn't say it, but the next two series are Rivalry series for the club structure, and this one is conducted in 10-ball. Goatee very nearly blew game 1 for Westside, but Commerce's Lionel failed to capitalize on the illegal contact penalty and Goatee gave the Rockers a 1-0 lead at home. Goatee took a 2-0 lead in the series with a tap-in on the 2 in the top right corner and a glancing carom off the 3 that tapped the 10 into the top left for the win. Goatee clinched the series in game 3, using a three-ball run-out as the key to her victory, sinking the 7, 8, and 10 to close a fairly standard game. The Tradewinds' Lionel avoided the sweep, using a four-ball run to help set up for his victory. After a miss by Goatee, Lionel was able to complete the game and make the series 3-1. Game 5 ended in sloppy fashion, with many misses before Goatee's two-ball run-out. Goatee won 4-1 for the series, and advanced to the third round, where her #8 ranked 10-ball bid will host Cleo of the Everton Eagles at the BMW RockDome in Westside.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Slinks v. Leonette. This time, the game is 12-ball. Pacific's Leonette worked brilliantly around the table, tapping in the 14 to claim stripes, and then using the 15 as defense on the bottom side until she needed to end the game, which she did with another deft tap. The Volcanoes' Leonette used almost exactly the same strategy in game, replacing the 15 with the 10 as the defensive ball of choice at the bottom side, smothering Harrison's Slinks just long enough to take a 2-0 series lead. Both players had wild card balls in game 3, but Slinks made the best use of hers, navigating around more defensive attempts by Leonette to sink the remaining five balls legally, making the series 2-1. Slinks took advantage of poor decision making by Leonette in game 4. With just the the 10 standing and a wild card ball to her name, Leonette passed on positioning to try for a two-rail bank that would not go. Slinks cashed in by setting up the 4 for the bottom side and then converting a tough-angle bank off the bottom rail to the top side, tying the series at 2 and bringing the fans to their feet after a punchless first two games. Game 5 got fiery near the end, but it was well-played during the game. Leonette came out shooting purely, getting to just needing the 6 in the top left. She intentionally made illegal contact to free the 6 from defense. Slinks rallied to needing only the 14 in the bottom side, and then the defense came about. Both players went out of their way to interrupt well aligned shots and banks before focusing on their own target. In the end, Leonette was quicker to get in position, using a very thin cut to pot the 6, and just barely avoiding a scratch that would have prolonged the game. Leonette, ranked #108 in 12-ball, won the series 3-2 to advance into the third round.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Dusty v. Twinkie II. The two Club Reality stalwarts do battle in Rotation to end the afternoon slate if time permits. Golden's Dusty took full advantage of Harrison's Twinkie II being her own worst enemy in game 1. Dusty of the Pilots started with two on the break, but got many more off of the Specters' Twinkie II making errors. Dusty won 8-1 with a three-ball run-out being the final blow to take a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the tables turned when it came to making errors. Dusty couldn't make contact on the 13 with a chance to win, and Twinkie II ran out the final three balls to tie the series at 1 with the 8-7 win. Dusty retook the series lead in game 3 at 2-1, winning 8-7 in the game after rallying from being down 6-3 at one point. At various times, one player would make shots that the other wouldn't, and it was Dusty holding this particular ability at the end. Twinkie II drove possession and the offense in game 4, taking an 8-3 game that wasn't that close anyway to tie the series at 2. In game 5, Dusty opened with a four-ball run that was matched by Twinkie II immediately. Dusty eventually ran three more, leading 7-5, but Twinkie II took the last three on her run-out, winning the game 8-7 and the series 3-2. Ranked #43 in Rotation, Twinkie II awaits an opponent and venue for the third round Rotation series.
That will be it for today as we wrap up a bit early, with 50 more games taken care of. We'll be back for day 7 of the round tomorrow.
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