I apologize for there being no pool played yesterday. There was a family emergency, as our cat Twilight got out in the middle of the night through a window, and we spent the entire day looking for her. I am happy to report she came back in the middle of the night and appears no worse for wear, so we are all very much relieved for that. We'll pick up where we were supposed to yesterday, with...
Kraft Forum, Royal: Jake v. Jack. The first series is in 7-ball for today. Pacific's Jack took game 1 after Royal's Jake scratched while attempted the 7 in a very even game, giving himself a 1-0 lead from ball-in-hand. The Volcanoes' Jack got away with leaving the 7 short in game 2, taking a 2-0 lead in the series when the Crowns' Jake scratched after potting it, his second critically-timed scratch. Game 3 saw the players struggle with accuracy late, and another token error by Jake, but Jack missed on the 7, so Jake tapped it into the bottom side to make it 2-1 in the series. The slightly sloppy play continued in game 4, although Jack did piece together a three-ball run. After the run, both players missed on the 7, but Jake got it the second time around to tie the series at 2. Jake moved to a 3-2 series lead after Jack scratched to end a three-ball run, giving Jake ball-in-hand for two accurate shots to claim the win. Jake claimed the series with a back-and-forth win in game 6, with the final oscillation seeing Jack scratch after making the 6 to give Jake ball-in-hand to move to 4-2. Jake took a three-ball run-out in game 7, finishing on a carom off the 5 to take the 7 to the top left, which made it a 5-2 series win. Jake, ranked #9 in 7-ball, will play in the quarterfinals. Jack is the fifty-ninth player eliminated from the tournament with this loss, and he's been the weak link for the Pacific Volcanoes this season. The Volcanoes have been good, but expect a minor tweak in personnel that would come with Jack leaving the team. Jake picked up his second kill of the season.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Twinkie III. The next series is in 12-ball. Whitewater's Twinkie III took game 1 with a three-ball run-out, including a brilliant double-kiss to sink the 4 in the bottom right and a spectacular cut on the 1 to the top left, keeping just ahead of Westside's Misty, who had a scratched that ended up costing her. The Rockers' Misty tied it at 1 in a game 2 win, getting her positioning on her last ball just a little quicker than the Shores' Twinkie III. Both players had runs to set themselves up early on, making the game very tight and full of pressure. Twinkie III took the series lead back at 2-1 in game 3, working with having a wild card ball to get positioned patiently while Misty had to navigate a lack of flexibility that she couldn't overcome. Misty answered with a nice four-ball run in game 4, which made her task of getting the last two a lot easier since she had them aligned in favorable defense to prevent Twinkie III from doing much. Misty ended with a nice cross-ball bank on the 13 to the bottom side for the equalizer. Misty again pulled off a four-ball run in game 5, and nearly made it five with her attempt on the 6. Still, she left Twinkie III shooting away from the pockets she needed, and this worked to gain ball-in-hand for Misty, who converted her second try to make it a 3-2 series. Misty sealed the series at 4-2, clinching with a three-ball run-out after persistently shooting the same poor-angled shot on the 6 at the top side, which eventually induced a long-distance miss from Twinkie III that set up the run-out. Misty used solid positioning in game 7 to take the series at 5-2, working her way around the table very patiently. Misty, ranked #21 in 12-ball, will play on into the quarterfinals.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Shannon v. Marsell. Moving to the coastal southwest, there's a series of 15-ball. Marsell of Tysini took game 1 and a 1-0 series lead with a three-ball run-out, coming after a scratch by Southern's Shannon. In game 2, a lucky four-rail path led the 14 all around the table back to the top side it originated near, which also set Shannon up to take the 15 and tie the series at 1 game apiece in a slightly sloppy game. The Hummingbirds' Marsell had control of the pace in game 3, but his lack of accuracy for contact hurt him late, as his miss on the 10 wide right took three rails and bumped the 15 illegally to the bottom side, putting Shannon up 2-1 in the series. Game 4 got off to a rough start, but the players finished strong, as Shannon answered a three-ball run by Marsell with a three-ball run-out late to go up 3-1 in the series. Marsell stayed alive with a game 5 win via a five-ball run-out, which proved his excellent execution is often enough to keep him competitive, as he made it a 3-2 series with the sharpshooting routine. Marsell capitalized on Shannon rocking the 13 too hard for the top side to handle, and it jutted out to line Marsell up for a 13-15 combination to the top left that he converted to tie the series at 3. Marsell jumped on his first good chance in game 7, converting the 7-15 combination to the bottom left from ball-in-hand after Shannon scratched, winning the series 4-3 in the process. Ranked #102, Marsell will travel to Commerce in the quarterfinals, visiting Lionel of the Tradewinds at Nike Field Events Center for their 15-ball series.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Debby Ryan. Staying somewhat close by, we have 8-ball inland. Capital City's Missy made a brilliant defensive play in game 1, snookering Southridge's Debby partially toward the 1, causing her to use a kick shot attempt to get out of it. When the cue came to rest, the Sharpshooters' Missy lived up to the team name, sniping the 8 to the top left from near the jaws of the top right, with the 8 resting away from the pocket about two-thirds of the way there. The Defenders' Debby bounced back confidently in game 2, using a bit of defensive positioning late to buy herself time to get onto her last ball and then make the 8, which worked well for her as she tied the series at 1. Missy pulled back to take a 2-1 series lead by winning game 3. It was a close game, with Missy making a kick on the 11 but leaving the 8 short outside the top left. Debby made two straight shots, but scratched on the second, giving Missy a shot at the 8 from the kitchen, which she made for the win. Debby again tied the series, making it 2-2 with a three-ball run-out in game 4 that saw her pound the 15 from left rail to top right while positioning herself for a calm, easy-angle shot on the 8 to the bottom right. Debby took a 3-2 series lead after a brutal error by Missy in game 5. Missy was down to her last ball, the 2, and she swung the shot in such a way to bump the 8 toward a pocket for better positioning. Unfortunately, the size of the table and angle of the bump meant the 8 fell in the top side just barely, and she took the loss with the bold and somewhat remarkable, yet unwanted, double-pot. In game 6, Missy didn't get what she deserved, as her seven-ball run through her solids, capped by a brilliant cross-ball bank on the 6 to the top left, ended when she missed the 8. Debby, playing from her back foot now, defended very well, giving Missy two unclean looks at the 8 before scoring a five-ball run-out with a finishing cut with spin on the 8 that very narrowly avoided a scratch. Debby clinched the series at 4-2. Debby took game 7 as well, a very lazy game without a whole lot of emphasis on the fundamentals of pool. Debby, ranked #64, is through to the quarterfinals as she gets another reinforcement for her Rookie of the Year bid. With the loss, Missy is the sixtieth player to be eliminated this tournament. Missy's future with the Capital City Sharpshooters should be secure, but it's unclear what their plans are for the offseason. Debby picked up her second kill of the season in the win.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Ms. Kitty v. Ruby. Up the coast a bit, there's 12-ball again. Pacific's Ms. Kitty struck first, playing quickly but intelligently to get positioned and take the cleanest shots. Archtown's Ruby got hung up with where her later balls were located, which allowed the Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty to iced it after a scratch with a strong bank on the 2 from just in front of the kitchen to the left rail and into the top right for a 1-0 lead. The players exchanged four ball runs that opened game 2 up very quickly, but Ruby of the Arrows got stuck far away from the open pocket. She had a wild card ball, but positioning would have taken too long for her. Ms. Kitty avoided the defense Ruby chose to play until the end with a deft pair of shots to move to 2-0 in the series. Ruby played patiently in game 3, building up a big advantage before Ms. Kitty cleared enough away for Ruby to cash in Ms. Kitty's last miss, making it a 2-1 series. Ms. Kitty answered in game 4 by blowing Ruby out of the water with an early run and bold shooting late to go through Ruby's defense twice en route to a 3-1 lead. Ms. Kitty kept a level head in game 5, avoiding a meltdown as Ruby burst ahead to a lead, and Ms. Kitty held her off long enough to pull ahead and then win the game with a tough shot from distance that she barely avoided scratching on at the top right, moving to a 4-1 series lead. Ms. Kitty made it 5-1 with more great shooting in game 6, running four balls from the rack before giving ball-in-hand to Ruby, only win the game two turns later through strong positioning. Ms. Kitty continued to dominate play in game 7, again leaving Ruby without an obvious shot for much of the game while Ms. Kitty continued to outmaneuver and make shots accurately. With the win, Ms. Kitty took the series 6-1, and will host Princess of the Tysini Hummingbirds in the quarterfinals at this venue with her #60 ranked 12-ball bid. Ruby's MVP chances are likely gone after the brutal loss.
Lay's Field Events Center, Victoria: Tori v. Precious. Back to the inland southwest, as we have 10-ball, with the silver cue drawing in for the blue cue. Victoria's Tori took a somewhat sloppy game 1, cashing on a scratch by Pronger's Precious to execute a two-ball run-out to move into a 1-0 lead. Precious of the Tridents made a late four-ball run in game 2, but after missing contact on the 10, Tori of the Spurs tapped it in to move to a 2-0 series lead. After a bit of chasing on the 10 in game 3, the back-and-forth game ended with a shot from distance by Tori, giving her a stranglehold 3-0 lead. Precious finished off a terrible game 4 with a four-ball run-out, the only display of anything resembling accuracy all game, as all the shots before that were way off the mark. Tori answered back to make it 4-1 after game 5, where the accuracy started strong early and faded late for both players until Tori made the last two balls to seal the series. Tori extended the series lead to 5-1 in game 6 with a five-ball run-out, going from solid to dominant very quickly at the end of the game, with most of the shots being tap-ins from previous set-up work. Precious got lucky in game 7, as Tori left the 10 short enough for her to tap it in late after both players chased it around the table. Tori still won the series 5-2. Tori is ranked #72 in 10-ball, and she will travel to Commerce to face Tradewinds captain Tigerette in the quarterfinals at Nike Field Events Center.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Chris v. Kayla. Returning to this arena, we have 7-ball with the silver cue subbing for the red cue. Queens' Kayla started off her personal doubleheader strong, responding to a scratch by Capital City's Chris with a five-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Chris bounced back to tie the series with an ugly game 2, a sloppy game that saw both him and the Flames' Kayla struggle mightily throughout. Kayla retook the series lead at 2-1 in game 3, stealing the game away as Chris' five-ball run ended due to a scratch. Chris had the better run of possession in game 4, including a five-ball run again, but Kayla again capitalized on his mistakes, making the 7 on her second try after he missed it twice, which put her ahead 3-1 in the series. Kayla sealed the series at 4-1, making a three-ball run after Chris scratched and icing off the last two when he missed the 6 in game 5. Chris returned the favor in a very clean game 6, as Kayla hit a six-ball run and Chris mopped up the 7 to the top left from her only miss. Game 7 also ended up being tight, but favored Chris in the end as he made the 7 to finish strong. Kayla took the series 4-3, and her #92 ranked 7-ball bid will travel in the quarterfinals.
Ebay Center, Queens: Kayla v. Sierra. The second half of Kayla's personal doubleheader is the first half of a doubleheader at the Ebay Center, and marks the return of the blue cue for Survival. Game 1 went to plan for Queens' Kayla, as she got Todavía's Sierra down quickly in the first rack while holding on, and pulled off a lure shot that made Sierra scratch to give Kayla the 1-0 lead. In game 2, Sierra of the Stills tried to play both defense and offense in one shot while behind in the second rack, and it bit her bad, as she missed the shot and gave Kayla of the Flames 2-0 lead in the series. Kayla put in a lot of effort to make it to rack two in game 3, but when there, she undid all the hard work, giving Sierra the game to make it 2-1 after a bit of lazy shooting. Kayla again attempted defense to open the second rack of game 4, and Sierra again made her pay by not missing a shot once she fell to Kayla's level, while Kayla faded under the pressure-filled attack Sierra put up. Sierra couldn't last in game 5's second rack, falling quickly while Kayla continued to cruise through the game, taking a 3-2 series lead in the process of the win. Sierra did just enough with her positioning in game 6 to make Kayla take the fall in the second rack, which tied the series again at 3. Sierra had no accuracy in game 7, and given the situation, that was a bad time to have no accuracy, as Kayla ran rampant in the single rack and took the series easily at 4-3. Ranked #19, Kayla keeps her MVP hopes alive by taking a third bid to the quarterfinals, this one in Survival. Sierra became the sixty-first player knocked out of the tournament, but the longtime Stills superstar is set to return to the team next season without missing a beat. Kayla retied Princess again for the league lead in kills at 4.
Ebay Center, Queens: Paige v. Allison. Wrapping up the locational doubleheader, there's 8-ball on tap. Game 1 was a little bit messy, but Tysini's Allison took the brunt of it, as her kick attempt sank a ball for Queens' Paige, which allowed her to get to work on the 8 quicker and eventually take a 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Allison gave another game away in game 2, scratching on the 8 to put Paige of the Flames up 2-0 in the series. Allison had a furious comeback in game 3 after she fell behind early, but after her five-ball run, the offense dried up too early, as she left the 8 short. Paige took care of her 9 and then the 8 to move to a 3-0 series lead. Paige remained just one step ahead of Allison, as the latter had a late five-ball run fueled by glorious positioning, but she messed up the leave on her attempt at the 8, and fired the long distance shot wide of the top left. Paige, with no easy shot herself, buried the 8 in the bottom right to claim the series at 4-0. Allison got off to a good start in game 5, but she left the 11 short late in the game, and Paige didn't let her get back to it, using a four-ball run-out to claim a 5-0 series lead as her timeliness and dominance continue to go hand-in-hand. Paige had to really earn her game 6 victory, going up 6-0 with a bank off the top rail that had just the right pace and angle to put the 8 in the bottom side for the win. Paige completed the 7-0 sweep in game 7, holding off a six-ball run from Allison, who later missed the 8 again, allowing Paige to bank the 8 from near the top right to the bottom side via the top rail as the winning shot. Paige, ranked #50, is set to continue into the quarterfinals for 8-ball. Allison is the sixty-second player to be eliminated from the tournament, and she went out in flames, pun fully intended. Allison will be leaving the UPCL at the conclusion of the season, and with her record blown to bits by this loss, this may be the last of her. The Tysini Hummingbirds will receive a compensatory pick for this loss, which will come in the first round. Paige took her third kill of the season in spectacular fashion.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Starlight. Ending the first half of the round, we have Survival from the northeast. Harrison's Twinkie II got on the board first, as Pacific's Starlight couldn't hold onto early success in game 1 and fell behind 1-0 in the series. The Volcanoes' Starlight answered with a much more dominant, true-to-form effort in game 2, battling from an early hole to push the Specters' Twinkie II around until she had her finished, tying the series at 1. Starlight chipped a shot midway through the second rack of game 3, which cost her as Twinkie II went into defense mode to bunker down for the win and a 2-1 lead. Twinkie II put Starlight on the ropes in the first rack of game 4, and Starlight couldn't save herself early in the second rack, falling quickly as Twinkie II went up 3-1 in the series. Twinkie II's rattle problem came back to get her in game 5, with each player holding a single life. Twinkie II wound up for a shot, but for at least the fifth time in the series, she rattled the ball out, losing the game and cutting her lead to 3-2 in the series. Starlight kept her errors to a minimum, while Twinkie II rattled two more balls out of the pockets in game 6, making it a series tied at 3 going into one decisive game between two of Club Reality's biggest personalities. Game 7 also lasted just a rack, and what a frenetic rack it was. The pace was quick, but Starlight had more accuracy, which led to getting the win and giving her a 4-3 series win. Ranked #18 in Survival, Starlight will host her quarterfinals series at the Verizon Field Events Center in Pacific.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Citrus. Beginning the evening, we have some 7-ball. Freedom's Jasmine started well with a three-ball run, but her miss on the 4 triggered Diamond's Citrus to complete a four-ball run-out to take a 1-0 lead in game 1. The Gems' Citrus got caught with her stick on the table in game 2, watching her successful shot on the 2 mean nothing as the three-ball run ended with the stick violation. The Cascades' Jasmine returned the favor from before, running out four balls including a bottom rail bank on the 7 to the top side to tie the series at 1. Jasmine did all of the work in game 3 and got none of the spoils, scratching on the 7 at the end of what was supposed to be a three-ball run-out, voided by the scratch to give Citrus a 2-1 series lead with the win instead. Citrus moved to a 3-1 lead with a win in game 4, using a four-ball run-out to give herself a stronger lead, with the impressive accuracy on full display. Jasmine bounced back, controlling possession in game 5 with a four-ball run and a well-placed shot on the 7 to finish off the win and pull back to 3-2 in the series. Jasmine took one shot to tie the series at 3, winning game 6 by sending the 7 to the bottom side off the break for an automatic victory. Jasmine couldn't maintain momentum in game 7, scratching three times to give Citrus control of the game, which she used to take the win and the series also went to her at 4-3. Citrus, ranked #51 for 7-ball, will host Kayla of the Queens Flames at her home venue, the Intel Center in Diamond, in the quarterfinals. With the loss, Jasmine pulled off the awkward feat of winning one-third of her series but one-half of her games, but her odd run ended as the sixty-third player to be eliminated this season. Jasmine is likely to return to the Freedom Cascades, as she did last season despite a similarly lackluster effort. She tends to be the best of a bad group and she acts as a stabilizing presence to the team. Citrus picked up her second kill of the season.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Kiwi. Heading west, we have a series of 15-ball to play. Lighton's Spirit showed off serious skill in game 1, using a kick with spin to get the 14 to the bottom left before deploying a narrow cut that avoided scratching and potted the 15 in the top left, as part of a four-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Spirit brought about a quick end to game 2, stunning Modernistic's Kiwi with a hard carom off the 5 to bump the 15 to the bottom left, earning a 2-0 lead as it dropped. The Union's Kiwi made it a 2-1 series with a five-ball run-out in game 3, including a deft glance off the top rail to tap the 5 to the top left, followed by a thin cut on a partially-snookered 6 to the same place that set up a straight in shot for the 7, also to the same place, and the finishing move, the 8-15 combination to the bottom left. Essentially, the entire run was remarkable. Kiwi, somewhat reluctantly, pieced together a four-ball run-out to tie the series at 2 with a game 4 win. The accuracy these two very thoughtful players hold is remarkable, and they have been showing it off as much as possible in this series. Kiwi took a 3-2 series lead in game 5, using Spirit's intentionally illegal potting of the 7 as a catalyst for her three-ball run-out, a well positioned shot on the 4, which lined up for the 5, and then a slightly off-angle 6-15 combination to the bottom side that Kiwi had no trouble knocking home. Spirit retied the series at 3 games apiece with a win in game 6, a very evenly-played game that saw Spirit get her success on a four-ball run-out, full of good positioning. Kiwi had a five-ball run during game 7, but despite her control of the pace of play, Spirit got the opportunity for a three-ball run-out, and she took it for the win. Spirit clinched the series at 4-3, and she will advance with her #38 ranked 15-ball bid into the quarterfinals.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Crystal. Up the coast a bit, there's 10-ball. Pacific's Leonette potted the 10 illegally near the end of game 1, but when Crystal of Queens couldn't convert from the spot, the Volcanoes' Leonette tapped it in legally for a 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Crystal tied it with a quick win in game 2, using a 3-7-10 combination with the 10 caroming off the 9 to get its direction toward the top left pocket, a glorious shot filled with angles that Crystal read perfectly to make it a 1-1 series. Game 3 was far less remarkable, and very much back-and-forth, with Leonette getting the final say on her second go at the 10, sinking it easily for a 2-1 lead. Crystal again tied it very quickly, using the 2 to the top left as her set-up maneuver for a 3-10 combination to the same pocket, which worked to give her the win in game 4. Crystal took a 3-2 series lead with a game 5 win, using a three-ball run-out after some jockeying with Leonette on the approach to the later stages of the game. The two players are putting on a competitive show, which makes for good pool. Leonette tied the series at 3 with a brilliant five-ball run-out in game 6, using excellent positioning and even sharper shot execution to make all the necessary shots to keep the series alive. Leonette had to bring game 7 to a decision, which was to shoot or to defer at the 8. Leonette elected to shoot, but had trouble with the 10. Lucky for her, the leave wasn't great for Kiwi either, and Leonette buried her second chance to win the game and the series at 4-3. The #67 ranked played for 10-ball, Leonette is set for a quarterfinals appearance. With the loss, Crystal finds herself as the sixty-fourth player eliminated this season. Crystal's future with the Queens Flames is beyond safe. The team found outrageously good chemistry, and the captain Crystal will return to guide this team to the next level next season. Leonette, somewhat surprisingly, recorded her first kill of the season.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shadow v. Dani. One of the top seeds for 7-ball against one of the deeper Cinderella runs is what we have here. Web City's Shadow took an ugly win in game 1, needing three attempts at the 7 before he could sink it, barely outlasting Dani of Capital City, who rattled it out of the top right on her second try. The Spiders' Shadow took a 2-0 series lead with a game 2 win, getting the 7 to crawl into the top right off the break, preventing the Sharpshooters' Dani from getting to the table to make it interesting. Shadow had a four-ball run-out from the break in game 3, again withholding table access from Dani. The final play was absolutely nutty, with the 2 finding its way into the bottom left on a nice cut, and the 7 getting a bump from the cue that drove it to the same pocket, again with just enough juice to get there. Shadow's run of selfishness earned him a 3-0 lead. Shadow clinched the series with another 7 on the break, scoring it in the top right again after a deflection off the point of the bottom side, making it 4-0. The three-game streak of Dani not getting a shot is the most since last season when Garcia swept a 7-ball series in the first round, with three straight shots of the 7 on the break. Shadow took game 5 as well, but he finally let Dani shoot again. Shadow's three-ball run came to an end, so Dani answered with a three-ball run herself, but she rattled the 7 out and Shadow mopped it up to go up 5-0. Dani appeared visibly shaken in game 6, chipping the 7 at the top right after the game started to get a little inconsistent. Shadow tapped it in to move to 6-0, which doesn't even begin to explain the dominance. In game 7, the shooting remained at a normal level, but Dani's late scratch opened the door for Shadow, and he walked through, making the last two balls to earn a 7-0 sweep. Shadow is ranked #10 in 7-ball, but he will be traveling in the quarterfinals, going to Central to face the Warriors' Noelle at Nestle's Warriors Hall.
Nissan Hall, Infinity City: Whiskers v. Twinkie II. Finally, we close the day in the southwest with Rotation. Infinity City's Whiskers struck first, building up a nice lead in game 1 and outlasting Harrison's Twinkie II to win 8-6 once the game got a bit chippy late, going ahead 1-0 in the series. The Specters' Twinkie II mirrored that effort in game 2, building her own big lead only to see the Torpedoes' Whiskers nearly erase it before Twinkie II won 8-5, tying the series at 1. Whiskers countered in a game 3 that started off very close and ended up 8-4 for Whiskers, as Twinkie II couldn't keep up with the pace. Whiskers went to 2-1 in the series with the win. Whiskers upped the ante in game 4, building the largest lead yet. Twinkie II still pulled back, nearly tying it, before Whiskers iced it off at 8-5 with a two-ball run-out, which gave her a 3-1 series lead. Twinkie II pulled back to 3-2 in the series, getting lucky that Whiskers scratched on the 14 in game 5, giving her the chance to sink the last two balls for an 8-7 win. Whiskers clinched the series with a sloppy win in game 6, taking the game 8-3 but also taking her sweet time in doing so. Whiskers played well in a very tight game 7, winning 8-4 after Twinkie II faded near the end. Whiskers took the series 5-2, and advances to the quarterfinals, where a meeting with the Defenders' Debby Ryan in the GE Stadium Events Center in Southridge is on tap. Twinkie II became the sixty-fifth player eliminated from the tournament, and one of the steepest declines of the round. Twinkie II is likely to stick with the Harrison Specters, who are, as a team, out as well. Being well below .500, the Specters will not make the playoffs. They are the fourth team to be fully eliminated. Whiskers picked up her second kill of the season in the win.
That's all for today, a big 105 game day. I've never played that many in a day before now, and I'm feeling every bit of it. The plan for the next three days is cricket in the mornings, and 70 games tomorrow, as many as possible Wednesday, and whatever's left Thursday.
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