Today will end up setting the tone for Wednesday and Thursday as well, with twelve series a day for the next three days. We finish a round today, which means there will be a new schedule up tonight. Let's begin in...
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Ruby v. Watermelon. The first series of the day features the blue cue for 8-ball. Pearl's Watermelon held on tight in game 1 as Archtown's Ruby pulled ahead around mid-game, eventually faltering enough for Watermelon to string together a four-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead with a glancing shot of the 8 off the 12 to the top right. The Arrows' Ruby stayed one step ahead of the Surfers' Watermelon in game 2, holding her off long enough to make the 8 and tie the series at 1 game apiece. Watermelon roared out of the gate in game 3 with a six-ball run, and patient play later helped her game. Still, Ruby thought her defense was strong enough, but a savvy bank of the 8 off the top rail on a diagonal line to the bottom left from Watermelon made it a 2-1 series win for the visitor. Ranked #123 in 8-ball, Watermelon will host Ruby's sister Fluffina of the Maplewood Lumberjacks in the bracket final at Pearl's Honda Driftwood Coliseum.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Watermelon. Watermelon's adventures continue in this 15-ball series with the silver cue. Boston's Puff II made a critical error in game 1, making illegal contact on the 14 that set Pearl's Watermelon up for a three-ball run-out to end the game from ball-in-hand for a 1-0 series lead. The Surfers' Watermelon got a bit of a break in game 2, as the Swifts' Puff II elected for intentional illegal contact. Watermelon made the 3, and then used the 4 to send the 15 off of two rails and into the top side to clinch the series at 2-0. Puff II salvaged a game in the series, winning an unremarkable game 3 with a 12-15 combination to the top left to make it a 2-1 series. Watermelon, ranked #113 in 15-ball, will advance to the bracket final.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Kiwi v. Sprinkles. The silver cue stays at the table for this all-Youth Movement series of Rotation. Terrace City's Kiwi had the better start to game 1, but it didn't stop Capital City's Sprinkles from pounding out a five-ball run-out to take the game 8-5 and take a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Kiwi nearly blew it again in game 2, even after a double-pot that saw the 14 end up in the top right after the 6 caromed off of it and went to the top side to produce a big lead. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles had a three-ball run and tied the game late, but Kiwi got the last ball for an 8-7 win to tie the series at 1. Kiwi got burned by her lack of finishing ability, as Sprinkles pulled ahead in game 3 with a three-ball run, and won 8-5 by closing out the game with her lead for a 2-1 series win. Ranked #130 in Rotation, Sprinkles travels to Viewpoint Sound, meeting the Meteors' Mams at Volkswagen Stadium Events Center in the bracket final.
Apple Center, Todavía: Leonardo v. Lorde. The blue cue returns to action for 12-ball. Todavía's Leonardo got off to a good start, and Commerce' Lorde tried to keep pace, nearly succeeding until her set-up shots got a bit disrupted by Leonardo, who surrendered a wild card ball as collateral damage before making his last shot for a 1-0 series lead. A pair of scratches in game 2 only slowed down the Stills' Leonardo, as a later three-ball run undid the damage while the Tradewinds' Lorde tried to get set but never could, falling behind 2-0 in the series. Each player ended up with a wild card ball in game 3, making it a much more flexible finale, with Leonardo weathering a four-ball run from Lorde early to steal the game with smart shooting late for a 3-0 series sweep. Leonardo, ranked #80 in 12-ball, will host Panda of the Southern Monarchs in the bracket final.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Snowball v. Acorn. The blue cue continues along with a set of 15-ball. Swordpoint's Snowball took a commanding 1-0 series lead by sinking the 15 from the center of the rack to the bottom right corner, stunning Lighton's Acorn and putting the crowd into a frenetic roar. An instant-win moment on the break in a full-rack game had been brewing for some time now. Game 2 followed a more standard run of play, as Snowball of the Blades dominated much of possession, but the Prestige's Acorn stepped up for the last two balls and didn't disappoint, tying the series at 1. This game had a very tense feel around it with both players shooting very well throughout. In game 3, Acorn only needed the break, making UPCL and Tournament history by sinking the 15 off the break to the top right corner, taking the series 2-1. Ranked #105 in 15-ball, Acorn's exciting victory has him heading home to host Mr. Snowman of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors in the bracket final at Pepsi Arena. Now, for the history: no full-rack event has had a series decided on the break at any point in the six tournaments played so far. This event is most common in 7-ball and happens in 9-ball as well. No series of any length in full-rack events has ever had two games decided on the break. The last time more than two games in any series were decided on the break came in 2014, when J. Garcia of the Southridge Defenders won three 7-ball games in a row on the break in a three-game series. There's more history in this series here, but I'll cut it short to get on with the games left on the schedule.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Cubby v. Kelly. After an enthralling 15-ball set, the blue cue heads to the northeast for 9-ball, hoping for the same theatrics. Maplewood's Cubby needed only two shots in game 1, downing Viewpoint Sound's Kelly after making the 3 on the break and shooting the 1 into the 9, which hit off the 4 and 8 en route to the bottom right for a 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Kelly ruined her own chances in game 2, making multiple errors, including illegally potting the 9 after missing the glancing shot she wanted off the 5, allowing the Lumberjacks' Cubby to clinch the series at 2-0. Cubby did pretty much all of the work, dominating the second half of game 3 by making the final five balls over two turns to sweep the series 3-0. Cubby, ranked #92, will host Harrison Specters wunderkind Sydney Sierota in the bracket final at this venue.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Blizzard v. Stealth. Not wanting to be forgotten, the silver cue is back for 12-ball. Game 1 got off to a good pace, but slowed late in the game, as Everton's Blizzard needed time to set up her final shot. Swordpoint's Stealth tried to make a comeback, but Blizzard took a 1-0 series lead when she finished the game, beating a member of one of her former teams. The Eagles' Blizzard had to work just as hard in game 2 with positioning and set-up play, but it helped that the Blades' Stealth went too short-term with his strategy, ending up unsuccessfully chasing his final shot while Blizzard played a constructive game to take a 2-0 series lead. Stealth cruised well in game 3 until surrendering a wild card ball to Blizzard, who needed only two turns after that to wrap up a 3-0 series sweep. Ranked #113 for 12-ball, Blizzard will host Frosty of the Royal Crowns in the bracket final at this venue.
HP Field Events Center, Eastside: Graham v. Jasmine. In this 10-ball series with the silver cue, we have another instance of a player meeting a former team. Game 1 featured errors abound early on, but things settled down in the end, with Graham of Eastside running out the final four balls to take a 1-0 lead in the series over Freedom's Jasmine. The Sharks' Graham had an early six-ball run in game 2, including a double-pot of the 4, which used the rail and the 9 to find the top right, which sent the 9 to the top left in a highlight reel shot. Despite Graham doing most of the work, Jasmine took the 10 from ball-in-hand when Graham scratched after sinking the 9, and the Cascades captain carved out a win for herself to tie the series at 1. In game 3, Graham continued to shoot well, but his lack of contact on the 6 sealed his fate, as Jasmine converted a 6-10 combination to the top right from ball-in-hand to defeat her former teammate and take a 2-1 series win. Ranked #111 in 10-ball, Jasmine travels to Del Sur to face the Southern Monarchs' Nicole at Microsoft Center in the bracket final.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Puff I v. Sydney Sierota. The rookie visitor kicks off her personal doubleheader with the red cue's lone appearance of the day in 7-ball. Puff I of Modernistic had a very solid showing in game 1, doing well to hold off Harrison's Sydney with a four-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. Puff I wasted no time in clinching the series at 2-0 by making the 7 on the break to the top left, with the longtime Union player the first to hand the Specters' Sydney a series loss, out of ten series so far in the rookie's career. Puff I continued to make her statements in game 3, winning on a five-ball run-out to take the series in a 3-0 sweep. The #113 ranked 7-ball player, Puff I is off to Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central to face the Warriors' Noelle in the bracket final.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Bright v. Sydney Sierota. On the other half of her doubleheader, Sydney gets the silver cue for 8-ball in the southwest. Harrison's Sydney got herself back on track in game 1 here, navigating the thorough defense of Tysini's Bright to work a three-ball run-out for a 1-0 lead in the series. In game 2, the Specters' Sydney made an impressive five-ball run to get back in the game, but the Hummingbirds' Bright had other plans, making the final two shots after Sydney missed the 8 to tie the series at 1. In game 3, Sydney had the better start, but she couldn't carry that momentum over to the end, where Bright took a three-ball run-out to seal a 2-1 series victory. Ranked #101 in 8-ball, Bright will host Niki of the Eastside Sharks in the bracket final at this venue.
Intel Center, Diamond: Cassandra v. Cowzart. A former Eastern Hills region player comes back from the coast for the final blue cue appearance in the round for Accuracy. Pearl's Cowzart had a glorious first game back in the region, missing just one shot to keep Diamond's Cassandra fighting from behind, and eventually securing a 1-2 win for a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Cassandra had a far more competitive showing in game 2, but the Surfers' Cowzart made an absolute mess of his appearance, as Cassandra cruised to a 2-6 victory to tie the series at 1. Game 3 ended up a little embarrassing, especially as Cassandra set up most of Cowzart's shots without making many of her own, with the final favoring Cowzart 4-8 for his 2-1 series win. Ranked #92 in Accuracy, Cowzart will host Paige of the Queens Flames out by the coast at Honda Driftwood Coliseum in the bracket final.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Snuggle v. Gizmo. The final series of the round has the silver cue up for 15-ball. Game 1 went evenly early on, but Central's Gizmo had a missed contact late that gave Oceanside's Snuggle ball-in-hand, which he used as the catalyst to a five-ball run-out for a 1-0 series lead, including a spin-kick off the bottom rail to pot the 14 in the top right with position held on the 15 in a display of brilliance. Snuggle of the Waves ended up taking game 2 as well, a sloppy game marred by a bad break and a bunch of errors, none bigger than the Warriors' Gizmo scratching after the 11. Snuggle took the ball-in-hand and created a four-ball run-out for a 2-0 series lead. Snuggle sent everyone home happy in Oceanside by scoring an 8-15 combination to the bottom right to put Gizmo away and take the series 3-0. Ranked #82 in 15-ball, Snuggle hosts a rival, Watermelon of the Pearl Surfers, for the bracket final at this venue.
A new schedule should be up around 11 Pacific time tonight. The Bracket Finals will be played tomorrow and Thursday, with more updates after they are done.
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