It's a busy day today for the UPCL, as the marquee postseason event, the City Cup, kicks off in the first of a two day event in Royal. As mentioned at the end of the last post, Seeds 1, 3, 5, and 7 are all at Kraft Forum, while 2, 4, 6, and 8 are at Kraft Crowns Park. We begin at the latter with...
The #8 Pacific Volcanoes against the #9 Lighton Prestige. Pacific got off to a rousing start with a three-ball run-out by Leonette in 7-ball, topping Lighton's Spirit for a 1-0 lead to kick off the day full of games. The Prestige's Pounce played strong early and held off a furious comeback attempt by the Volcanoes' Starlight in 8-ball to tie the series at 1, using strong play and patience to get win. Leonette appeared ready to regain the lead for Pacific in 9-ball, dominating possession until her scratch that also potted the 9, giving Spirit of Lighton the surprise victory that put her team up 2-1 instead. The Volcanoes' Leonette got away with a couple of errors in 10-ball, as the Prestige's Twinkie I couldn't capitalize on a late scratch, leaving Leonette to solidly make the 10 to the top side, retying the series at 2. Pounce took little time to win the 12-ball game, needing just two turns after receiving a wild card ball on the break, which helped him put Lighton back in front at 3-2. Pacific's Starlight didn't get the break she wanted, and Pounce bested her again, including a four-ball run-out at the end to seal the game. Ms. Kitty appeared to have Rotation under control for the Volcanoes, but Twinkie I took over with a four-ball run-out at the end, giving the Prestige the win 8-6 in the game and securing at least a tiebreaker by making the series 4-2 after a hesitant game. Ms. Kitty kept Pacific alive with a nail-biting finish to 15-ball, with neither player picking up momentum. The key moment was a scratch by Lighton's Spirit, which gave Ms. Kitty the free shot at the 15, which she made to push the series to 4-3 and a critical eighth game. In Survival, things were evenly matched right up to the very end, where Pounce's defense stymied Starlight, costing the Volcanoes the chance to tie and sending the Prestige through on a 5-3 series win. Lighton will face the winner of the eighth series today in the Quarterfinals.
Next up, from the Kraft Forum, the #7 Everton Eagles battle the #10 Diamond Gems. Diamond began with a 1-0 series lead when Citrus took the 7-ball game in a shaky but doable showing against Everton's Goldy. Cassandra made it a 2-0 lead for the Gems by winning 8-ball, dominating early against the Eagles' Blizzard before coasting for a bit and then piecing together a three-ball run-out to take the win. Citrus kept things rolling for Diamond with a win in 9-ball, running out three balls to answer Goldy's pair of three-ball runs earlier in the game for Everton, with the series now at 3-0 Diamond. Goldy finally made an impact for the Eagles, winning 10-ball over the Gems' Cassandra after the latter couldn't make contact on the 10, giving Goldy ball-in-hand to push the series to 3-1. Blizzard got Everton closer with a tactically sound 12-ball win, smothering Diamond's Cassandra defensively on the right side of the table until the shots aligned for her to remove the defense, resulting in the series going to 3-2. In the game of Rotation, the Eagles' Cleo unleashed her best break a game too early, potting the 15 (the middle ball) on the break in the game where it doesn't count as a win. Olivia answered the early theatrics for the Gems, going on to take the game 8-5 and push the series to 4-2, securing at least a tiebreaker. Everton's Cleo played strong late in the game of 15-ball, keeping Diamond's Olivia away from the table for many of the last shots, which worked to make it a 4-3 series. Cleo of the Eagles pushed Citrus of the Gems far enough in Survival to defend her way into the second rack, slowly draining Citrus until she collapsed early in the rack with the cue buried in the cluster, tying the series at 4. Olivia secured the series at 5-4 for Diamond with the win in the tiebreaker game, coming on a straight-in shot from ball-in-hand after Everton's Blizzard scratched to end a three-ball run late. The Gems will play the winner of the seventh series today in the Quarterfinals.
Back outside, the #6 Boston Swifts play as hosts to the #11 Pearl Surfers. Boston's Puff II didn't do much in 7-ball, making illegal contact and sinking two balls around Pearl's Neopolitan making a five-ball run, but the last ball went to Puff II for a 1-0 lead, since it was the 7. Watermelon kept it close early on for the Surfers, winning 8-ball over the Swifts' Patches with a small rally that helped her tie the series at 1. Boston returned to a 2-1 lead when Sweetheart out-played Neopolitan of Pearl in 9-ball, with a little help when Neopolitan missed contact with the 8 late in the game, allowing Sweetheart to do the rest from ball-in-hand and solid positioning. The Surfers' Neopolitan got badly outpossessed again in 10-ball, but Puff II of the Swifts couldn't convert on the 9, keeping the Surfers safe as Neopolitan scored the last two balls and retied the series at 2. Patches had all of the positioning in 12-ball for Boston, but Pearl's Watermelon walked right around it while jockeying at the top side for her last shot, eventually shoving the defense aside and drawing a 3-2 lead for her team with the gutsy win. Puff II tied the series again for the Swifts, winning Rotation 8-6 over Wings of the Surfers, who held his own right until the end when a bad angle on the 13 led to a scratch at the worst possible time. Sweetheart gave Boston the upper-hand late in the series, winning a very stagnant 15-ball game with a single shot on the 15 after Wings blew his chance at the 15 for Pearl, making it 4-3 Boston heading into the last regulation game. Patches couldn't get going for the Swifts in Survival, falling within half a rack to Watermelon for the third time this series, allowing the Surfers to force a tiebreaker game with the series deadlocked at 4-4. Wings redeemed himself for Pearl, capitalizing on Sweetheart missing the 10 to pot it in the top side and knock Boston from the City Cup on a 5-4 series win. The Surfers will face the sixth series winner today in the Quarterfinals tomorrow.
Returning to the Forum, the #5 Web City Spiders host the #12 Commerce Tradewinds in a day that's been bad for the better-ranked teams, but has also yet to see a truly elite team play, something only the top 5 teams in the league are. The player/game distribution for this series is identical, so there will be less team designating since players are essentially head-to-head with one other player. Commerce went up 1-0 in the series when Tigerette sandwiched two, two-ball runs around Shadow of Web City's three-ball run in 7-ball. The Spiders tied the series at 1 when Sugar won a game of 8-ball over Ice Cream of the Tradewinds. Sugar actually had a strategic scratch, sinking the cue while Ice Cream had all of her balls behind the line, which resulted in illegal contact on the 8 and set Sugar up for the last two shots to win the game. Shadow pulled Web City into a 2-1 series lead when Tigerette's failed 3-9 combination led Shadow to a double-carom off the 3 and 4 to get the cue to tap the 9 into the bottom left for the 9-ball win. Rainmane made it 3-1 for the Spiders, topping the Tradewinds' Lionel with an authoritative four-ball run-out in 10-ball, securing a win to put the favored team on top. Ice Cream pulled Commerce back to 3-2 by winning 12-ball on a four-ball run-out, aided by the presence of a wild card ball that Sugar surrendered on the break. Ice Cream got extremely fortunate positions on her last four balls, but she still executed them cautiously with a precise but soft touch that kept things simple in the win. Lionel made the highlight reel with his double-pot in Rotation, glancing off the top rail to get the 7 to the top right, and then having the perfect spin on the ball to cut the 12 to the bottom right, producing a huge lead for the Tradewinds. Potting the 9 to the top side on his next turn made it 8-3 over Rainmane, which tied the series at 3 for the Tradewinds. Those two players went at it again in 15-ball, with Lionel drawing up a four-ball run late in the game only for Rainmane to take the last three balls and win the game with a distance shot on the 15 to the bottom right to give Web City the 4-3 series lead. Sugar dominated in Survival, taking Ice Cream down in a single rack to give the Spiders the series win at 5-3, postponing their tough personnel decisions. Web City faces the next series winner in tomorrow's Quarterfinals round.
Back at the Park, the #4 Tysini Hummingbirds take on the host role against the #13 Infinity City Torpedoes. Tysini's Bright struck big in 7-ball, running out four balls from the break with an ending shot of the 3-7 combination from an awkward angle to the bottom right, taking a 1-0 lead and prevent Infinity City's Smudge from getting to the table. The Torpedoes' Shelley matched the Hummingbirds' Princess step for step in 8-ball, and pulled out with a sharp shot to the top side to get the 8 and tie the series at 1, while Princess continues to search for her MVP form that vanished in the league's Semifinals round. In 9-ball, Tysini's Princess came back with a vengeance, dominating possession with a seven-ball run from the break, and she refused to let Smudge of Infinity City get two shots at the 9, burying it from range to give Tysini a 2-1 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Marsell barely kept the cue on the table when he cut the 10 into the bottom right, but it bounced off the bottom left pocket's jaws, allowing Marsell to reap the reward of vanquishing Whiskers of the Torpedoes, with the Hummingbirds now leading 3-1. Princess of Tysini got revenge on Shelley of Infinity City with their meeting in 12-ball, as Princess cleverly set up her shots while leaving Shelley with nothing, waiting for Shelley's mistakes to add up before wiping the table clean in the win that pushed Tysini to a 4-1 series lead, assuring a minimum of a tiebreaker for them. Marsell secured the series at 5-1 for the Hummingbirds with an 8-5 win in Rotation, keeping Whiskers sufficiently at bay to put an end to the Torpedoes' season. Marsell beat Infinity City's Whiskers again in 15-ball, and like most of his wins, it wasn't pretty but it worked well enough to make it a 6-1 series for Tysini. In Survival, Bright appeared to be trending downward, but bottomed out quick enough to turn the tables on the Torpedoes' Shelley, getting revenge on the team that cut him last season with a dramatic finishing win to cap a 7-1 series win. The Hummingbirds are set to play host to the Web City Spiders tomorrow in the Quarterfinals.
Ending the afternoon session at Kraft Forum, the #3 Maplewood Lumberjacks host the #14 Victoria Spurs. Maplewood's Fluffina got off to a great start, giving her team a 1-0 lead in the series with a five-ball run-out in 7-ball, stunning Victoria's Spice. The Spurs' Tori evened the series with a remarkable six-ball run-out in 8-ball, shutting down the attack from the Lumberjacks' Cubby after his unfortunate scratch that acted as a catalyst to the run. Victoria went up 2-1 when B. Chapman nailed a 6-9 combination in 9-ball to the top left from ball-in-hand stemming from her successful defense that snookered Maplewood's Fluffina effectively, good enough to gain the series lead with a smart sequence. Spice grabbed a 3-1 lead in the series for the Spurs, making the 6-10 combination to the bottom left in 10-ball, while Fluffina again could do nothing but watch as the Lumberjacks got beat on another hope-draining sequence. In 12-ball, Maplewood's Cubby narrowly held on for the win to get the series to 3-2, as Tori played a strong game and just couldn't finish it off for Victoria in the end. The Lumberjacks' Bryant came out in full attack for Rotation, running four balls from the break and coasting into an 8-3 win over the Spurs' Chapman, who didn't get many clear shots throughout the game. The series went to 3-3 at this point. In 15-ball, Maplewood's Bryant topped Victoria's Chapman again, chasing down the 15 most effectively after a very tightly contested game up to that point, making it 4-3 for Maplewood. They now have the upper-hand, with Victoria hoping to draw into a tiebreaker. The Spurs' Tori battled Cubby of the Lumberjacks deep into the second rack in Survival before finally downing him to tie the series at 4 and force a tiebreaker game. As an aside, Cubby v. Tori is the best player versus player battle we've seen today, and likely all postseason. Bryant looked brilliant for Maplewood in the tiebreaker, shooting a five-ball run, but he lost his mojo late in the game, and Spice converted a classic finish to the new twist on 10-ball with a bank off the bottom rail to score the 10 into the top side, clinching the series at 5-4 for Victoria. The Spurs oppose the Pearl Surfers tomorrow in the Quarterfinals.
For the night series, the #2 Central Warriors "host" the #15 Royal Crowns outside at Kraft Crowns Park under the lights. Central's Noelle dominated in 7-ball, topping her former teammate and current Royal star Jake to take a 1-0 lead. The Crowns' Sydnee took too long to corral the 8 in the 8-ball game, and when she did, she potted it illegally, giving the Warriors' Twilight a win she did not really earn to put the favored team up 2-0 in the series. Central moved to 3-0 as Noelle again bested Royal's Jake, cashing in on him missing the 8 late in the 9-ball game before making the last two balls for the win. Things stayed pretty even in 10-ball, but Jake had the slight edge for the Crowns late in the game, driving possession slightly and getting the Warriors' Twilight to miss contact on the 10 so he could tap it in for the easy win that made it 3-1 in the series. Noelle jumped out to a four-ball run in 12-ball for Central, starting at the break, but Sydnee's logic-defying five-ball run and solid leave made the game very quick and favorable for Royal, as she needed only two turns to claim the win and push the series to 3-2. Gizmo secured at least a tiebreaker game for the Warriors in winning Rotation 8-6 over Nightfur of the Crowns, who went toe-to-toe for much of the game before a late fade allowed Gizmo to pull away. Gizmo made it 5-2 for Central with surprisingly accurate shooting, again beating Royal's Nightfur in 15-ball to send Central through to the Quarterfinals as a chorus of boos rained down on Gizmo for eliminating the home team in their own building. Between this series and Jake's transfer from last season, this may be a top non-traditional rivalry for the next few years. In Survival, Twilight went from seven lives to one in less than a rack's time, but the Warriors' captain still took the win over the Crowns' Nightfur, who couldn't quite hold on in the end, making it 6-2 for Central. The Warriors will face the Diamond Gems tomorrow in the Quarterfinals.
Finally, the first round ends with #1 Queens Flames playing against #16 Todavía Stills, with the Flames playing in their biggest rivals' home venue, Kraft Forum. Todavía's Easter made the crowd happy in 7-ball, winning that game over Queens' Kayla for the early 1-0 lead. The Flames bounced back to tie the series at 1 with a win in 8-ball, eliciting groans in the stadium when Paige completed the three-ball run-out to hold off the Stills' Sierra, who had played fairly well up to that point. Kayla put Queens in front, dominating 9-ball with a five-ball run early on and solid play late, cashing in on Easter leaving the 9 short and blowing the game for Todavía. Crystal made it a 3-1 series lead for the Flames after winning 10-ball with a soft carom off the 8 to sink the 10 in the top left after the Stills' Sparkles couldn't convert on the 8-10 combination she attempted. The 12-ball game quickly reached the set-up stages, and Sierra of Todavía did most impressively with both set-up and defense, keeping Queens' Paige at bay long enough to work the rest of her balls down before removing the defense and grabbing the win for a 3-2 series deficit at this point. Sparkles bounced back for the Stills in Rotation, shooting a four-ball run-out for an 8-4 win, including a glancing kick off the top rail to take the 8-14 combination that left the 8 in line for the winning shot, leaving Crystal high and dry after a brilliant start for the Flames, and tying the series at 3 in the process. Todavía went up 4-3 in the series when Easter went into attack mode in 15-ball, keeping Paige on her back foot late in the game until Easter buried the Queens star with a kick-carom off the 9 to take the 15 in the bottom left for the go-ahead game. Crystal came up clutch for the Flames in Survival, making numerous shots perfectly when she needed to, burying Sierra of the Stills early in the second rack to tie the series at 4 and force the tiebreaker. Kayla put Queens through in a cautious tiebreaker, winning in the classical style by banking the 10 to the top left to make it 5-4, sending Todavía's Sparkles into shock with the stunning winner that may have spelt the end of Sparkles' career with the Stills. Queens will play the Lighton Prestige tomorrow in the Quarterfinals.
Tomorrow is the last day of league play for the season. Over the course of the weekend, the remainder of the administrative work will be conducted. I anticipate the draft going either Friday or Saturday night, and the early parts of next week will include cricket and previews for the upcoming season after the draft is done.
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