Pool: Round Two, Day 7

More pool today, beginning with...

BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Spice. The day begins with a series of 12-ball. Westside's Misty narrowly took game 1 in an all-out offensive effort by both players. Misty took a 2-0 series lead for the Rockers, but it came in after multiple scratches. Victoria's Spice had the most critical scratch, allowing Misty to finish the game in both side pockets with the ball-in-hand in the kitchen. Misty took the series in game 3, but it came after multiple lacks of contact plays from the Spurs' Spice, surrendering ball-in-hand to set up the final shot after failing to get into position properly. More mistakes by Spice led to Misty taking game 4 as well as tempers began to flare out of frustration. Misty finished the sweep in game 5 despite making a mental mistake by switching suits at the start and giving away two wild card balls. She won with one of her own in hand, and the #21 ranked 12-ball player takes a sloppy 5-0 sweep into the third round, where Spice's sister Sugar awaits to play at the BMW RockDome.

UPS Hall, Maplewood: Diddley v. Ice Cream. Up in the northeast, there is 8-ball to play. Commerce's Ice Cream won game 1 with a four-ball run-out as her finishing move. During the course of the game, Maplewood's Diddley proved effective with short runs, but he didn't leave enough in defense to stop the Tradewinds' Ice Cream from countering with the same skill level displayed. The Lumberjacks' Diddley tied the series at 1 with a win in game 2. The short runs characteristic of this series were present early before all offense faded late as no one could pot two in a row in the last five balls. Diddley took a 2-1 series lead in game 3, taking just three turns to shut out Ice Cream, and finishing with a three-ball run-out capped by a non-perfect angle bank off the bottom rail to the top side on the 8. Ice Cream survived a six-ball run by Diddley that had him set to take the game, and ran out the final four balls herself to make it a 2-2 series. In a very sloppy game 5, Ice Cream came out on top with slightly better accuracy, although that is most definitely a relative term. The #90 ranked 8-ball player Ice Cream is through to the third round.

Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Dustin. There's more 8-ball out in the northwest. In game 1, Twinkie III of Whitewater began with a four-ball run, only to see Dustin of Central run five balls. The Warriors' Dustin later got set up for the win, and completed a cut on the 8 to the top left, but the scratch in the top right cost him the game and gave the Shores' Twinkie III a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, Dustin came on strong late after Twinkie III's strong start disappeared, and he used a three-ball run to set up for the 8. After two misses, Twinkie III repaid Dustin for game 1 by potting the 8 early, tying the series at 1 and discounting both mistakes. Dustin finally took a game cleanly, winning game 3 with slightly stronger accuracy than Twinkie III. In game 4, the series returned to a tie as the players matched each other after Dustin's scratch. Twinkie III ran five balls, matched by Dustin, and then sank one while failing to position for the other, as did Dustin. Twinkie III got first crack at the finish, and she took advantage of it to tie the series at 2. Twinkie III dominated in game 5, running four balls at one point and finishing with a three-ball run-out to win the series 3-2. The #10 ranked 8-ball player advances to the third round, and she will host Leonette at Samsung Arena for that series.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: V. Braun v. Nightfur. We're onto 9-ball now, staying in the northwest region. Royal's Nightfur nearly completed a very hard carom-bank off the 3 and into the 9 with the 9 bouncing off the bottom rail and going into the top left pocket, but the cue ball found its way to the top right and ruined the well-placed shot, giving Pearl's Braun the 1-0 series lead. The Surfers' Braun took a 2-0 series lead by controlling possession in game 2, mixed with a little defense. The defense left the Crowns' Nightfur completely snookered, and the subsequent ball-in-hand awarded to Braun led to her three-ball run-out for the win. Braun looked well on her way to another possession-and-defense win after a three-ball break, but a late scratch shifted the control, and eventually the win, to Nightfur. Braun got back to the possession theme in game 4, capitalizing on Nightfur's scratch to run out the final six balls and clinch the series at 3-1. Nightfur held her own in a fast-paced game 5, taking the game. The series favored Braun 3-2, and she takes her #67 ranked 9-ball campaign into the third round.

Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Bells. We return to Whitewater for a 12-ball series, as the hosting Twinkie III of Whitewater gets only a short rest between appearances. Despite giving away two wild card balls to Oceanside's Bells, the Shores' Twinkie III managed to hold on for a win. Part of this was through patient shooting and positioning, but a large portion of it came from the Waves' Bells being unable to decide which of three available pockets she wanted to use for her last ball. Bells managed to muck up enough positioning for Twinkie III to get herself set up and make a decent cut shot into the top right, tying the series at 1. Twinkie III and Bells each had a wild card ball in game 3, but Twinkie III took better advantage of it, getting into decent enough position to seal the game and take a 2-1 series lead. Twinkie III dominated in game 4, taking the series at 3-1 through good defensive positioning and accurate shooting. Twinkie III overcame giving up two wild card balls in game 5, continuing a run of good shooting form to account for the disadvantage. Twinkie III took the series 4-1, and her #77 ranked 12-ball bid continues into the third round.

Apple Center, Todavía: Leonardo v. Bryant. Next on the schedule for a short afternoon is a series of Survival. Todavía's Leonardo did enough to stay in the game while Maplewood's Bryant absolutely collapsed in a quick game 1. Game 2 lasted a little longer, with the Lumberjacks' Bryant pushing the Stills' Leonardo to the edge, but Leonardo held on as Bryant whiffed on the bonus life ball and fell into a 2-0 hole in the series. Bryant forced a second rack in game 3 before taking two bonus lives, which proved enough as he held on to make it a 2-1 series. Game 4 went three racks, with Bryant holding on to his last life as Leonardo faded down the stretch, but not enough to blow the game, as Leonardo clinched the series at 3-1. Leonardo took the series 4-1 with a strong effort in a throwaway game 5, taking three racks to secure the game. The #24 ranked Leonardo is into the third round in Survival.

Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Citrus. The night games feature the last debut of a star player in the second round, and the 7-ball series is the first of a doubleheader at the Verizon Field Events Center. The silver cue will play as it should have yesterday to even its usage between red and blue substitutions. Pacific's Starlight took game 1 in a not-very-convincing manner, shooting sporadically but cashing in on Diamond's Citrus failing to make contact on the 7 late in the game. The Gems' Citrus bounced back to tie the series in game 2, capitalizing on a miss by the Volcanoes' Starlight to set up for a 5-7 combination to the bottom left corner. Citrus took a 2-1 series lead in game 3, another poorly played affair, cutting the 7 into the bottom left after a bad miss by Starlight. Game 4 went much the same way, with Citrus winning again after Starlight showed a lack of finishing ability. Citrus took the series 4-1, running the table in game 5 in seven shots. The #51 ranked 7-ball player moves along to host Shelley at the Intel Center in Diamond in the third round.

Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Twinkie III. A preview of the third-round 8-ball series takes place now in 9-ball as the second half of the doubleheader. Whitewater's Twinkie III navigated a weakly-shot first half of game 1, and managed to top Pacific's Leonette with a three-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. The Shores' Twinkie III took a 2-0 lead after the Volcanoes' Leonette failed to finish her run at the end of the game, leaving the 9 as a tap-in shot. Leonette got on the board in game 3, learning from past mistakes by finishing a three-ball run-out to cut the series to 2-1. In game 4, it was Twinkie III who failed to finish a late run, and Leonette who cashed in with a long tap-in to tie the series at 2. Twinkie III saved her best for game 5, using a five-ball run-out to take the game and the series by a 3-2 margin. Twinkie III, ranked #127 in 9-ball, continues an improbable run in 9-ball to Web City, where she'll face Shadow at the Home Depot Forum.

The 40-game slate will be all for today, as I'm just not shooting well enough to justify continuing to taint the credibility and results of the tournament for the day. Tomorrow could be a day off, but there will definitely be new games Monday at the latest.