After a day off, we are back. The weather has cooled, which should slow down the pace of play into a more favorable range. We begin in...
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Dani. The first series is a basic one with 7-ball. Lighton's Spirit impressed in game 1, doing reasonably well with accuracy and topping Capital City's Dani for a 1-0 series lead. Dani answered for the Sharpshooters in game 2, despite lacking much possession. She was able to authoritatively knock in the 7 to the top right after the Prestige's Spirit missed. Dani took a 2-1 series lead after the 5 gave both players fits in game 3. Spirit took the 5 on an impressive bouncing kick shot from the left rail to the bottom right, but a scratch of the 7 set Dani up for the tap-in. Both players had short runs early, but it turned into a ping-pong match late in game 4, and Dani cashed in again as Spirit couldn't corral the 7 to the bottom right. Dani's cut on the 7 into the top right made it 3-1 in the series. Both players missed tap-ins on the 7, and it was Dani getting the third crack at the shot, which she converted to seal the series at 4-1. Dani, ranked #122 for 7-ball, continues an improbable run into the third round.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Debby Ryan v. Twilight. We move along to 8-ball in the urban southeast. Southridge's Debby played an impressive game 1, running four balls from the break and then controlling the game through minimizing mistakes and smothering Central's Twilight defensively until she could pull clear and win for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Warriors' Twilight roared back from five balls down, using a four-ball run and intense pressure to topple the Defenders' Debby from her impressive four-ball run to get going. Twilight tied the series at 1. Debby took a 2-1 series lead in game 3, running her entire suit off the table before a scratch set her back a ball. Twilight used a heavy defense and a lot of tactical positioning before making a run at the game, but her miss on the 5 derailed the entire thing, allowing Debby to take the game. Twilight tied the series by having complete control in game 4, taking two turns to get down to the 8, which she sacrificed one of Debby's balls to position. Debby, needing a six-shot run or defense to win, ended up ringing the cue ball off the corner of the top side, and it tolled to the top right pocket, illegally sinking the 8 and ending the game early. The series is tied at 2 at this point. Game 5 was a hard-fought affair, with both players exercising the full complement of their skills. Debby came out on top via slightly better accuracy and positioning, finishing with a tap in on the 8 in the top right for a 3-2 series win. The #64 ranked Debby takes her 8-ball bid and Rookie of the Year candidacy into the third round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Diddley v. Wings. We head north for another set of 7-ball. Maplewood's Diddley topped Pearl's Wings in game 1 with a strong start and even stronger finish, running out the final three balls after Wings scratched to take a 1-0 series lead. The Surfers' Wings took advantage of a scratch by Diddley of the Lumberjacks in game 2 to tie the series despite Diddley's run of strong play. Diddley was done in by his own poor positioning on the 7, and a low-quality shot that led to the scratch. Wings controlled much of game 3, but Diddley took a 2-1 series lead after both players lacked any finishing ability early on. Diddley clinched the series in game 4, using a lot of possession and one bad scratch late by Wings to seal the deal. Wings played well in the toss-away game 5, finishing with a three-ball run-out that included a bottom rail bank into the top side on the 5, resulting in excellent position for the 7. Diddley took the series 3-2, and his #89 ranked 7-ball campaign will continue by hosting Valencia in the third round in the same venue as this series.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Chimpy v. Strawberry. In the land's biggest city, we shall play 10-ball. Chimpy of Modernistic got off to a bold start, finishing a three-ball run-out by sneaking the 4 around the 9 into the bottom left before calling a 5-10 combination he converted to the top left. Pronger's Strawberry had the highlight in game 2, using a hard carom off the 6 to send the cue into an 8-9 combination, called to the bottom left that did sink. After that, success eluded her, as the Union's Chimpy ran out the final four balls to take a 2-0 series lead. The Tridents' Strawberry got on the board in game 3, mimicking Chimpy's game 2 finish with a four-ball run-out of her own after impressive caroms such as the 2-3 and 4-9 earlier in the game. Strawberry tied the series in game 4, as Chimpy's failed double-pot on the 9 and 10 to the left corners resulted in a scratch and ball in hand for Strawberry's shot from medium distance. Strawberry claimed the series with a third straight win, employing a heavy cut on the 10 to take the game and series, 3-2 in the larger picture. Strawberry's ranked at #42 for 10-ball, and she will host Leonette at the Ford Forum in the third round.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Snowball v. Mr. Snowman. South a bit for a series of Survival. Swordpoint's Snowball dominated early on, and then strategically faltered late in a series of defensive tactics at the end of rack 1 to pinch Viewpoint Sound's Mr. Snowman. The Blades superstar Snowball succeeded, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Mr. Snowman held on long enough in game 2 to force a second rack, but bowed out early as Snowball continued to shoot well in taking a 2-0 lead. Mr. Snowman got on the board with a much better game 3 performance, holding a tie at 1 at the start of the second rack, where Snowball lost it by not getting anything to drop. Snowball took the series at 3-1 in game 4, again using her characteristic strong start and smothering defense late to grind down for the win. Snowball pulled out a highlight for game 5, hitting a rare spin-bank on the left rail near the bottom corner, and redirecting the 5 all the way to the top right pocket to keep the game close at the end of the first rack. More heroics did not come, as Mr. Snowman took game 5 with relative easy early in the second rack. Snowball took the series 3-2, and her #27 ranked Survival bid will continue into the third round.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Sweetheart v. Nightfur. We cross the Intercity Highway for a series of 8-ball. Boston's Sweetheart got out to a very hot start in game 1, but had to weather a late four-ball run by Royal's Nightfur before finishing off the 8 for a 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Sweetheart used the same formula for game 2, running four balls early on and then chipping away while weather the Crowns' Nightfur going on her own four-ball run to nearly catch up. Nightfur attempted to use defense late in game 3, but Sweetheart was too crafty in the midst of her three-ball run-out to be defended against, taking the series at 3-0. Nightfur avoided being swept in game 4, using a three-ball run-out and fairly even course of play to get on the board at 3-1. Nightfur controlled the pace in game 5 as well, dominating start to finish with strong accuracy. It was all too little, too late for Nightfur, as Sweetheart won 3-2 in the series, and she will take a #89 ranked 8-ball campaign on the road for round three.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Bryant v. Easter. Up in the north again, we have a 12-ball series to test craftiness and shot selection. Todavía's Easter received a wild card ball from Maplewood's Bryant after the break, and she patiently shot around to get the right positioning before a three-ball run-out gave the Stills captain Easter a win. The Lumberjacks' Bryant tried to navigate an unfavorable table, but too many scratches secured him a loss. Bryant tied the series at 1 in spectacular fashion, taking Easter's illegally potted ball call and using it as the catalyst for a three-ball run-out, including a shot from distance to the top right on the 6 that went in clean and created a short range shot with perfect positioning on the 2 to the top left. Easter took game 3 in the same fashion as game 1, using a three-ball run to get set up while Bryant twisted in the wind trying to find an acceptable shot. The win game Easter a 2-1 lead. Bryant tied the series again in game 4, holding off a furious rally by Easter late to make the side pocket shots he had meticulously set up throughout the game. Easter took the series 3-2 in game 5, despite Bryant's best defensive efforts. Ranked #63 in 12-ball, Easter will host Leonette in round three at the Apple Center in Todavía.
Ebay Center, Queens: Crystal v. Dominic. Next up is Rotation in the urban southeast. In game 1, Queens' Crystal worked methodically in a very defensively-oriented game to take shots one by one and win by a score of 8-4. The Flames' Crystal worked the same style of play again, patiently navigating a messy table in the left end before running four balls to establish a lead and using a spin-bank off the bottom rail on the 9 to the top side that made it 8-3 for the win. On the final play, the 9 was one option, with the other being the spin taking the 14 to the bottom left pocket. Web City's Dominic got on the board with a sloppy but effective game 3, as the middle balls were chased around almost endlessly before Dominic put away an 8-3 win for the Spiders. Dominic won 8-3 again in a controversial game 4. Up 1-0 early, Dominic was gearing up to shoot at the 1 hanging on the edge at the notoriously tricky bottom right corner. As he shot, it fell without contact, counting for Crystal to tie the game, and Dominic scratched because he was on target to begin with, so he was assessed two penalties for shooting out of turn and scratching. Crystal pulled to 3-1 ahead, but Dominic roared back, finishing with a double carom of the 11 off the 14 and into the bottom side to tie the series at 2. Crystal used a four-ball run in game 5 to pull ahead, and she held on to win 8-3 in a fiery game filled with frustration from defensive positioning. Crystal takes her #36 Rotation bid into the third round after a highly competitive series every bit deserving of the Club Organization's Rivalry tag.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Chimpy v. Gabe. We're back to 12-ball in the north region again. Modernistic's Chimpy took game 1 in dominating fashion, distributing balls to all pockets in three turns with a lot of confidence in the often enigmatic Union superstar. Chimpy let Infinity City's Gabe get pretty close in game 2, using his impenetrable defense in the form of the 7 at the top right pocket as the carrot on a stick in his taking a 2-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Gabe got on the board in game 3, winning with a three-ball run-out that he had to tinker with repeatedly to get it set up just right, only to see Chimpy change it a little defensively. It didn't sustain as a method, and the series went to 2-1 for Chimpy. In a wild game 4, Chimpy made best use of his wild card ball by shooting around and positioning better than Gabe could, taking a game that was crazy for the start and clinching the series in the process. Gabe took game 5 with excellent positioning, but it would not be enough for the series. Chimpy, ranked #4 in 12-ball, advances into the third round, where he will welcome Twinkie III of the Whitewater Shores into Google Hall.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Kelly v. Shawn. Closing out the afternoon slate, we have 7-ball from the urban north. Westside's Kelly imposed her will very early, taking game 1 with the 7 on the break into the bottom right. Game 2 went just as exciting, with Kelly of the Rockers scratching on the break and Southern's Shawn running the table from there with seven straight shots from ball-in-hand. During the feat, the Monarchs' Shawn also sank at least one ball in every pocket, with only the top side receiving two, the first two. From the brilliance of games 1 and 2, it appeared the players ran out of skill in game 3, as a comedy of errors ensued around the 7, including many scratches and poorly directed shots. Kelly came up with the win to take a 2-1 series lead. Kelly ran five balls from the break, including a double-pot with the 1-5 combination where the 1 followed into the bottom left. However, Shawn tied the series by getting the balls at the end. In the tightly-conducted game 5, Kelly came up big after Shawn's scratch, using a two-ball run-out to win the series 3-2. Kelly takes her #40 ranked 7-ball bid into the third round, where she opposes red bracket heavyweight Noelle of the Central Warriors on the road at Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central.
Nissan Hall, Infinity City: Smudge v. Diddley. For the night games, we begin with back-to-back 12-ball. Smudge of Infinity City took game 1 with a three-ball run-out as the returning Maplewood player Diddley, playing in Infinity City for the first time since they released their former captain, failed to sink his last ball. In game 2, the Torpedoes Smudge again pulled back late, using the final two balls brilliantly lead. Her finishing move took the Lumberjacks' Diddley's 9, set near the top side pocket, and caromed the 2 off of it and into the pocket with a very tough cut, earning a 2-0 series lead. Smudge made a nearly impossible shot after a bad bank, as the 2 took two rails to hit the 1 into the top right pocket, buying her enough time to set up before Diddley could tap in the 9. Diddley got on the board with a strong performance in game 4, working with a wild card ball and using strong distribution methods to finally top Smudge. Smudge took the series 4-1, with her game 5 win coming after she lost a wild card ball with a very accurate two-ball run-out securing the game. Smudge is ranked #95 in 12-ball, and she will participate in the third round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Noelle v. Olivia. The other half of the doubleheader in 12-ball comes from the north. Game 1 was far from a cleanly played affair, as Diamond's Olivia missed three shots to win the game before scratching, only to watch Central's Noelle diddle around with positioning before finally sealing the game for a 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Noelle started slowly in game 2, but roared back to life in time, using two, two-ball runs with the aid of a ball-in-hand from missed contact by the Gems' Olivia to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Noelle looked set to secure the series in game 3, using good positioning to her advantage in the decision-making process, but her problems were with accuracy on her last shot, which rattled out and left the cue ball in a favorable position for Olivia to tap her last ball into the bottom side, making it 2-1 in the series. Olivia tied the series in game 4 with high cerebral usage, making the decision to go for positioning over progress late in the game, which benefited her greatly after a favorable lie from a missed shot by Noelle. Olivia again capitalized on a mistake by Noelle in game 5. Noelle, attempting to use the 15 as defense at the top right pocket to prevent the 4 being hit until she could use a follow shot, she hit the 15 too hard and caused it to sink the 4, which became Olivia's wild card ball. Olivia easily cut the remaining two balls in, and that gave her a 3-2 series win. Ranked #93 in 12-ball, Olivia hosts Patches at the Intel Center in Diamond in the third round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Sprinkles v. Snuggle. The night series continue with a round of 15-ball. Oceanside's Snuggle capitalized on a missed shot by Capital City's Sprinkles, taking game 1 with a three-ball run-out from that miss. In game 2, Snuggle of the Waves made a highlight reel kick on the 3 into the bottom left through a lot of traffic, with it hanging ever so slightly on the edge before dropping. The game belonged to the Sharpshooters' Sprinkles though, because of a traffic-free firm kick off the bottom rail to the top side on the 15, icing the game in her favor and tying the series at 1. Snuggle kept his kick game strong, using a soft kick on the 10 off the right rail into the top left pocket as he set up for victory. On his next turn, he ran out the final four balls to take a 2-1 series lead. Snuggle got lucky to secure the series in game 4, a very sloppy game for shooting and scratching especially. Snuggle was back to his standard of play in game 5, winning comfortably with strong kick shots to avoid giving away too much in possession. Snuggle won the series 4-1, and he takes a #66 ranked 15-ball bid to the third round.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Shaggy. The next two series are 9-ball, and this one features a mother hosting a daughter. Southridge's Shaggy looked slightly better in game 1, setting up nicely off the 8 for a tap-in on the 9 in the bottom side. Both players lack much conviction in their shots. The Defenders' Shaggy capitalized on another mistake by Westside's Misty, as she rattled the 9 off the sides of the bottom left pocket, allowing Shaggy another tap-in to take a 2-0 series lead. The Rockers' Misty got on the board in game 3, using a distance shot on the 6, a cut on the 7, and a thin cut on the 9 as her three-ball run-out to make the series 2-1 for Shaggy. Misty tied the series by winning a fairly standard game 4 with a decent cut shot on the 9 to the bottom left. Shaggy wasted little time taking game 5 on her second turn after Misty aligned a 2-9 combination that Shaggy was more than willing to convert. Shaggy won the series 3-2, and she takes her #118 ranked 9-ball bid into the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Cubby. The other 9-ball series comes from the northeast. Maplewood's Cubby struck first in this series, using a three-ball run-out with some very nice, normal shots involved to take a 1-0 series lead over Everton's Goldy. The Lumberjacks' Cubby made it 2-0 in the series after a scratch by the Eagles' Goldy allowed him to use a perfectly aligned 2-9 combination for his ball-in-hand, ending the game quickly. Goldy showed off her skills more impressively in game 3, using a four-ball run-out to take the game and get on the board in the series. Goldy tied the series in game 4, a very back-and-forth game that happened to bounce in favor more than her actually taking control of the series. In game 5, Goldy won under unusual circumstance. Cubby attempted a jump shot to get to the 4 near the bottom right corner, but the shot hooked right on landing and sent the 9 illegally into the bottom side, giving Goldy an automatic win and a 3-2 series win. Her #42 ranked 9-ball effort will play host to Gizmo in round three at the Chevrolet Center.
That's all for today, with 75 more games in the record books. No silver cue today, but it may return tomorrow thanks to improved shooting mechanics being applied today.
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