Welcome to the first of three straight 72-game days. This is the first half of the Semifinals round, where all series are nine games. For those of you wondering where cricket is today, it will follow this post tonight. We begin with...
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Lionel v. Paige. The first set of the day is in 15-ball to find the red representative for the finals. Queens' Paige took game 1 after a miss on the 9 by Commerce's Lionel set her up for a three-ball run-out and a 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Paige made it 2-0 in the series with a game 2 win, potting the 15 on a three-rail bank to the top left after the initial attempt at the top right went slightly but perfectly wide. Paige took a 3-0 lead in a very tight game 3. After the Tradewinds' Lionel left a 3-15 combination lined up, Paige missed it, but she carried the course of play from there on, up to when she caromed the 11 with a glance off the 14, banking off the right rail to bump the 15 to the bottom left for the win. Lionel got on the board with a game 4 win, coming off a bank combination that knocked the 10 off the top rail to take the 15 in the bottom left, making it a 3-1 series with the highlight reel shot. Paige made it 4-1 in the series after Lionel tried to thread a too-thin needle, which caused the 15 to sit at the edge of the bottom right, with Paige taking it in a 3-15 combination from ball-in-hand for the game 5 win. Paige clinched the series in game 6 on a bit of a lucky play. Lionel had a cluster buster on his previous turn that didn't do much, but it blocked the shot Paige wanted. She shot the 5-12 combination attempt, and the 12 then glanced off the 6, causing it to hit the left rail with enough force to drive the 15 across the table to the top right, going in clean for the win that made it 5-1. Paige got unlucky late in game 7. She did score a double-pot of the 8 in the bottom right and the 13 in the top side as part of a five-ball run, but she also scratched near the end, giving Lionel an easy shot on the 15 for the win to make it 5-2. Lionel did work in game 8 early on, with the 3-14-6 combination potting the latter two of those balls in the same pocket for a highlight. Paige answered with the 3-7-8 combination to the top left, and then a double-pot of the 3 and 7 to the top left with another follow shot. She then won the game with the 5-15 combination to the bottom side, which saw the 5 deflect to the bottom left for another double-pot that made it a 6-2 series in a game riddled with highlights. Lionel dominated possession late in game 9, running five balls at one point and running out the final three to make it a 6-3 series. Paige, ranked #76 for 15-ball, will represent the red cue in the finals, but she will do so on the road. With the loss, Lionel is the 106th player to be eliminated from the tournament. The Commerce Tradewinds expect to keep Lionel for next season after this extremely deep run in the tournament. Paige took her sixth kill in the win, earning a share of the league lead again.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Princess. The next series is the last for 9-ball on the red cue, coming from the northeast. Tysini's Princess has a huge target on her back, and Everton's Goldy made sure to strike first, winning a tight game 1 on a two-ball run-out for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles' Goldy did all the work in game 2, running seven balls with two on the break and a double-pot of the 1 in the bottom side and 7 in the top left at the start. Princess of the Hummingbirds missed on the 8, and Goldy took care of that before getting a double-kiss to force the 9 to the bottom side for a 2-0 series lead. Princess answered in game 3 with a three-ball run-out, capped by a delicate 8-9 combination to the bottom left that made it 2-1 in the series that has been very close so far. Goldy fired back in game 4, working a brilliant four-ball run that had good positioning and an impressive bank on the 7 from the left rail to the bottom right while leaving a shot intact on the 8, making it a 3-1 series. Princess made a three-ball run to get to the 9 in game 5, and then buried it on her second chance when both herself and Goldy missed it, making the series 3-2 as things remain highly competitive. Game 6 got a little messier at the end, with Princess missing the 9 point blank once, and missing it again after shooting toward the top right instead of the top side. Goldy buried her second chance on the 9, going up 4-2 in the series and moving to the brink of showing Princess to have a vulnerable spot in her game. With her series on the line, Princess had to get creative in game 7, and that meant getting defensive, but her plans backfired when she didn't get a lot of clean shots, and her missed bank on the 9 allowed Goldy to rattle it home at the bottom left for a 5-2 series, clinching the set. Goldy made it 6-2 after Princess had a late scratch in game 8, which saw her apparently melt down with the series being out of reach. Princess is rattled, and her shooting has gone erratic. Goldy iced the series at 7-2 with a fairly simple but definitely lower-quality game when it came to accuracy and intensity. Goldy, ranked #42 in 9-ball, will represent the red cue in the finals.
Nissan Hall, Infinity City: Whiskers v. Puff II. The blue cue gets its final look at Rotation in this series. Infinity City's Whiskers dominated in game 1, using two four-ball runs to win 8-2 over Boston's Puff II, with the final shot being a 7-8 combination at an odd angle to the top side that drew the 7 into the bottom right for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Whiskers proved it wasn't a fluke in game 2, winning 8-1 with a three-ball run late and a finishing move of kicking the 9 off the top rail into the 10, which sank in the bottom side to make it 2-0 in the series. Game 3 took a more defensive approach, and Puff II of the Swifts led that charge herself, jostling to keep Whiskers in line. Whiskers broke free on a four-ball run-out for an 8-5 win, highlighted by a double pot of the 11 and 12 in the bottom side with the follow shot before burying the 13 to make it 3-0 in the series. Puff II answered in game 4, weathering a late four-ball run by Whiskers to pot the 13 and win 8-6, pushing the series to 3-1 after a much stronger effort. Whiskers held on in a very tight game 5 to take an 8-7 win after a furious rally to tie the game by Puff II. The win made it 4-1 for Whiskers in the series. Whiskers clinched the series at 5-1 in game 6, using a three-ball run-out to make it an 8-6 victory to secure a place in the finals. Puff II got a little closer in game 7, but after she gained the lead, she missed the 14. Whiskers fired back to tie the game with the 14 and win it by banking the 15 from the bottom rail to the top left for an 8-7 victory and 6-1 series lead. Puff II finally grabbed a game in game 8, starting off strong before fading late, but holding on long enough to tap the 15 in after Whiskers couldn't cut it in to make it an 8-7 win and a 6-2 series. Puff II nearly blew it again in game 9, but Whiskers couldn't convert at the end, and Puff II won another 8-7 game for a series final of 6-3 favoring Whiskers. Ranked #15, Whiskers is through to the finals, representing the blue cue in Rotation. With the loss, Puff II bows out of the tournament as the 107th player to do so. The Boston Swifts will not confirm anything yet, but they would like to bring her back next season. Whiskers scored her second kill of the season in the win.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Acorn. A former apprentice hosts her mentor in a series of 12-ball, a battle of two great tactical minds to represent the blue cue in the finals. In game 1, pure shooting was more on display than tactics, as Westside's Misty went like a bull through a china shop in sinking five of her balls over two turns, while surrendering two wild card balls. Lighton's Acorn was responsible for his own loss at the end, as an errant shot ricocheted to take Misty's last ball into the pocket she set it up at, giving her a 1-0 lead. The Prestige's Acorn made another huge flub in game 2, sinking his last ball in the wrong pocket to give Misty of the Rockers ball-in-hand on her last ball that she had carefully positioned after working the rest of her balls into pockets with some luck and accuracy, which all worked to give her a 2-0 lead. Acorn shot back to make it 2-1 with wonderful shot planning and accuracy in game 3, cruising around the table just slightly faster than the equally-accurate Misty to grab the win by banking the 9 off the bottom rail to the top side at a tight angle. Misty restored a two-game lead with a win in game 4, finishing off with a three-ball run-out from previous set-up work, breezing past an unorganized Acorn for the win to make it 3-1 in the series. Acorn had just enough pace in game 5 to take the win and make it 3-2 in the series, with help from a wild card ball that helped him hold off the methodical set-up work of Misty late in the game. Acorn tied the series at 3 by winning game 6, overcoming surrendering a wild card ball off the break by countering with a four-ball run and using set-up shots for the right pockets to pace his attack, while Misty couldn't get three of her balls to stay away from the left rail. Game 7 commenced at a much slower pace despite a similar start. Acorn had to be more creative with his shooting, and he had to play patiently. Misty didn't have her best stuff, and it took her quite awhile to break up a cluster, but she nearly won the game except for missed contact on her last shot. Acorn took the ball-in-hand on his final ball to go up 4-3 in the series. Acorn absolutely silenced the Westside crowd with his series-clinching shot on the 5 in game 8, going right rail to top rail while narrowly missing the 15 both times, and at the perfect angle for it to fall cleanly in the bottom left for the win, making it a 5-3 series. Misty got one back with a few impressive shots to defensively hold off Acorn in game 9, and eventually she scored the win in a race-like game with her shot to top right. This made it a 5-4 series win for Acorn, who will represent the blue cue in the finals for 12-ball. With the loss, Misty is the 108th player out of the tournament, and the longtime Westside Rocker will return to captain the team next season, no questions asked. The Rockers find themselves as the thirteenth team out of the tournament, and they will definitely be changing personnel in the offseason. Acorn picked up his fifth kill of the season in the win.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Ruby v. Easter. The blue half of the 9-ball final will be decided here and now. Archtown's Ruby took a gritty game 1 with a two-ball run-out after a weak kick attempt from Todavía's Easter ended up leaving the 7 short, allowing Ruby to pot it and the 9 easily for a 1-0 lead. The Arrows' Ruby made it 2-0 in game 2 after the Stills' Easter couldn't keep up the pace from her four-ball run around mid-game, leaving the 6 short to make it easy for Ruby to get the last two balls. Easter answered with a four-ball run-out in game 3, making quick work of the game to push the series to 2-1. Easter turned it on again in game 4, coming into the game with a late four-ball run-out, including a near double-pot from a carom off the 7 that sank it in the top side and left the 9 at the bottom side two rails later for the tap-in, allowing Easter to tie the series at 2. Easter took a 3-2 series lead in game 5, sinking the 9 to the bottom left on the break, as she has become locked in. Ruby and the Archtown supporters are stunned at the reversal of play. Easter, carrying a ton of momentum at this point, roared to a 4-2 series lead with a game 6 win, cashing on Ruby leaving the 6 short to run out the final three balls for the win, via good execution of shots that were already conveniently lined up. Ruby peaked a bit too early in game 7, running five balls around mid-game, but eventually matching a rattle-out on the 9 that Easter had. Easter buried her second chance, securing the series at 5-2 in the process. Easter made it 6-2 in game 8, using a raucous carom off the 7 to pound the 9 in. Easter was trying to cut the 7 to the top side, but the angle didn't work for that. The carom was a happy accident that led to victory. Ruby finally had the pace of play again in game 9, and she used it to sink the 5-9 combination for a little salvation of face after blowing the series big time. Easter, ranked #44 in 9-ball, will represent the blue cue in the finals at Chevrolet Center against the Everton Eagles' Goldy, after a 6-3 win here. With the loss, Ruby is the 109th player to be eliminated from the tournament. The Arrows are already required to hold onto all of their players, so she will return next season to Archtown. The Arrows are the fourteenth team to be fully eliminated, so they'll need help to reach the playoffs. Easter scored her second kill of the season in the win.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Snowball v. Citrus. The red cue returns in Survival, with two of the most resilient players set to battle it out. Diamond's Citrus had a highlight reel shot in game 1's first rack, sinking the 4 in the top right and 5 in the bottom left with the cue striking the 15 first, a detached double-pot that saw the cue never hit the two balls that went down. The Gems' Citrus faced a quick decline, losing the game in the second rack after once leading by three, as Swordpoint's Snowball proved immovable later in the game as she took a 1-0 lead. Snowball of the Blades rallied back from another slow start in game 2, holding on as Citrus fell away in a single rack to grab a 2-0 series lead before the rare mid-series break. The series will resume with its last seven games opening the evening session. Citrus answered in game 3, keeping Snowball at bay for all of the first rack and forcing her down with defense in the second rack to make it 2-1 in the series. Citrus tied the series in game 4, working around a nearly perfect first rack by Snowball to frustrate her in a much more flawed second rack. Just as they pulled even, Citrus sniped away the extra life, and Snowball could only flail the rest of the way, making it 2-2 in the series. Snowball pulled back into a 3-2 series lead, playing crafty defense around the rack at the start of the second rack in game 5, making Citrus' last two lives disappear very quickly with a well-played shot. Snowball fell in a single rack in game 6, missing contact after Citrus left a poor leave for her, which worked in Citrus' favor as she held the upper hand and pulled into a 3-3 tie for the series. Citrus took the lead at 4-3 in the series with a dominant game 7 win, playing to perfection while Snowball did nearly the exact opposite, with poor shot selection and even worse execution putting her on the brink of elimination in a series she's played very well in. Snowball tied the series at 4 games apiece in game 8, working from behind at the end to pull even with Citrus and then put her away with brilliant defensive positioning, inducing Citrus to miss a shot at a bad angle to the bottom side, which would have been equally bad toward the top side anyway. Snowball pushed Citrus to the edge in the first rack on game 9, and got her at the end as she missed on the extra life ball with one life left, dropping the game and the 5-4 series that sent Snowball through. Ranked #27 in Survival, Snowball will play the host at this venue in the finals.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Wings v. Spirit. In this match, the blue cue gets its turn with 15-ball. Lighton's Spirit had two separate four-ball runs in game 1, and dominated possession, but Pearl's Wings scored a three-ball run and a 14-15 combination to the top left to end the game and take a 1-0 series lead. Fortunes turned in game 2, as the Surfers' Wings had the better run of play throughout, but the Prestige's Spirit got away with multiple scratches, fouls, and other poor play by finishing on a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1. In game 3, Wings somehow got the win early, cutting the 5 to the top side, and deflecting the 6, which bumped the 15 as well as disturbing the 13 and 14, eventually seeing the 15 go to the top left for a valid victory, giving Wings the 2-1 series lead. Wings went up 3-1 in the series with a game 4 win in the more traditional way, a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand after Spirit grazed the 13 while attempting to sink the 11. Wings was on the right track with a late four-ball run in game 5 with a kick on the 8 to the top left highlighting the turn, but he ended in a scratch, which allowed Spirit to go on a six-ball run-out and push the series back to 3-2. In a somewhat sloppy game 6, Wings bounced back from a defeat with a five-ball run-out after Spirit's illegal contact foul, using good positioning to make it 4-2 in the series. Things went sideways for Wings in game 7, with his attempt on an 8-13 combination not only not sinking the 13, but potting the 8 and the cue in the bottom side while the 15 dropped in the bottom left for a loss that got Spirit back into the series at 4-3. Spirit peaked a bit early in game 8, with a late five-ball run meaning nothing in the end as Wings sniped the 15 in for the win and a 5-3 series lead. Wings dominated most of game 9 as well, including the ending, where a six-ball run-out sealed up a 6-3 series win. Ranked #4 in 15-ball, Wings will represent the blue cue in the finals while hosting Paige of the Queens Flames at this venue. Spirit finds herself the 110th player to be eliminated from the tournament, but her solid play should extend her for another year with the Lighton Prestige. Wings collected his first kill of the season.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Rainmane v. Ms. Kitty. The final series of the day is in Rotation, with the red bid on the line. Web City's Rainmane pulled in a five-ball run-out in game 1, winning 8-4, with the stunning play being an 8-11 combination to the top side that saw the 8 traverse the table to pocket the 12 in the bottom left, stunning Pacific's Ms. Kitty as the foundation for a 1-0 series lead was laid down. The Spiders' Rainmane took a 2-0 series lead with a chaos shot in game 2, winning the game 8-2 after a three-ball run to get comfortable and a shot that saw the 10 bounce around before shoving the 14 into the top side for the winner. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty shot back in game 3, dominating early among the many scratches Rainmane had, which sufficed to build Ms. Kitty a big lead early. She iced it at 8-2 for the game with an authoritative shot on the 10 to the top left to make it 2-1 in the series. Rainmane fired back in game 4, going on a four-ball run to take the lead, only to see the game be tied at 6 and 7, the latter lasting quite some time as the players chased the 15 around. Finally, Ms. Kitty couldn't make contact from distance, and Rainmane tapped in for an 8-7 win that put her up 3-1 in the series. Rainmane returned to dominant form, cobbling together a crazy six-ball run early in game 5, before taking two shots on her next turn for an 8-0 shutout that made it a 4-1 series lead in her favor, putting Ms. Kitty on the ropes. Rainmane played a stunning defensive game in game 6, forcing Ms. Kitty into illegal contact and bad angles over and over en route to an 8-2 victory that saw Rainmane play patiently. Rainmane pulled into a 5-1 series lead with the win. Rainmane made it 6-1 after game 7, ending on a three-ball run-out that saw her bank the 10 off the right rail to carom off the 14 and land in the top side, while the 14 spun on to reach and fall in the top left for the lead, allowing a straight-in shot on the 11 to the bottom left to stand for an 8-6 win. Rainmane wasted little time in game 8, dominating her way to an 8-1 victory for a 7-1 series lead. Much of Rainmane's work has been on weird bounces, but you don't question a player ranked as highly as she is about how they get to this point. It's clear that Rainmane knows something few players on this bracket know when it comes to getting balls in pockets. To that point, Rainmane dropped Ms. Kitty's jaw at least three times in a six-ball run to open the game that saw the 1 as the sixth ball to find shelter as Rainmane got every single bounce. Rainmane iced it later at 8-0 for another shutout that made it an 8-1 series. Ranked #1 in Rotation, Rainmane hosts Whiskers of the Infinity City Torpedoes in the finals at this venue. Ms. Kitty is the 111th player out of the tournament, and despite this poor showing, Ms. Kitty had a good season and will return to the Pacific Volcanoes next season. The Volcanoes find themselves fully eliminated at this point, the fifteenth team to run out of bids. Rainmane picked up her third kill of the season. This marks the 1000th series of the tournament, and game #4200 for the year was game 9 of this series.
Tomorrow is just like today, but hopefully a little bit quicker. I will try to attach a list of third-place awards at the end of tomorrow's post, as they all receive bronze medals for their performance. I also hope to have a standings update tomorrow, but I can't promise anything beyond a fresh schedule. Friday, for those that like to look ahead, will be a more in-depth look at statistics as the break between season and postseason will begin, with the goal of getting much of the administrative work done. By the end of Thursday, I should be able to tell you where the various postseason events and the draft will be held, based on which venues hosted the most events this season. Cricket is up next, beginning the SCL week 7. Expect night games this week for Cricket.
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