This is it for this particular round, with ten series to see who the final four on each bracket are. We begin with...
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Jennifer Livilotti v. A. Charlton. These two tall women are set to battle it out in Rotation with the red cue. Golden's Charlton had to come from far behind, answering a five-ball run from Terrace City's Jennifer with one of her own, and then she got around on the last two shots to win 8-7 and take a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the runs early on were much more contained, creating a choppy exchange. The Pilots' Charlton looked to get the edge late, but missed the 13, allowing the Knights' Jennifer to pound a three-ball run-out, including a 14-15 combination to the bottom right, for an 8-7 win to tie the series at 1. Jennifer made three balls on the break, and established a big lead that Charlton once again wiped out with a five-ball run. The ending to game 3 looked similar to game 1, with Charlton getting the slight edge late for the 8-7 win after Jennifer couldn't finish it, and Charlton leads the series 2-1. Jennifer had the big lead early in game 4, and while Charlton got a bit back, Jennifer closed the game with a 10-15-11 bank combination with pace to the bottom left to take the game 8-3 and tie the series again at 2. Game 5 saw the momentum swing multiple times, and finally favoring Jennifer after Charlton's shot on the 10 ended up illegally potting the 15. Jennifer converted a four-ball run-out, winning the game 8-5 and the series 3-2. Ranked #85 in Rotation, Jennifer will travel to Del Sur's Microsoft Center to face the Monarchs' Panda in the bracket semifinals. Charlton is the 54th player out, and her exit means the Pilots are out of campaigns, while Jennifer stayed alive with her first kill of the year.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Spice. The blue cue is up for 9-ball now, and it will be the busiest cue today. Victoria's Spice controlled possession over most of game 1, and it paid off for her, as Boston's Puff II struggled and missed on the 9, allowing Spice to score it for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Puff II had a bit better of a game in game 2, and this worked out well for her, coupled with the Spurs' Spice missing on the 8-9 combination. Puff II made both separately to snag the win, tying the series at 1. Puff II never let Spice get to the table in game 3, using three shots for a five-ball run-out from the break. The break saw her pot the 2 and 3 instantly. She took the 1 in the bottom side, and then turned a 4-9 combination there, with the 4 also finding a home in the bottom right for the win that gave Puff II a 2-1 series lead. Puff II looked reluctant to let Spice get going in game 4, and the caution was well-founded, as Spice ended up winning the game with a five- ball run-out keyed by good positioning, with the win equalizing the series again at 2. Spice made a big five-ball run from the break in game 5 as well, giving Puff II reasons for concern. Spice got derailed at the 6, and the battle ensued until Puff II did a three-ball run-out, with her shot on the 9 sending the cue harmlessly toward the middle of the game. Puff II took the series 3-2, and the #13 ranked 9-ball player will try to avenge her sister by bringing in Viewpoint Sound Meteors rookie Zach for the bracket semifinals at this venue.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Puff I v. Lionel. The red cue returns for its final series of the round, Accuracy. Modernistic's Puff I missed one shot early in game 1, but managed to find a way to leave Commerce's Lionel in trouble enough for him to miss twice, giving Puff I a 1-2 win for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Union's Puff I squandered her lead late to the Tradewinds' Lionel, who couldn't quite hold on, forcing overtime. Puff I left Lionel with a lousy breaking point, but she couldn't make anything on her first shot. Eventually, Puff I got the win 4-5 when Lionel had a miss, giving her a 2-0 lead in the series. Game 3 played out very closely, with Lionel missing first and Puff I tripping up over the middle before settling in and forcing overtime, where Lionel's break again went fruitless, and Puff I took the 12 to the top left. This gave her a 1-2 win, and she clinched the series at 3-0 with the win. Puff I had an easy go of things in game 4, with Lionel providing almost no resistance at all in a fairly brutal loss that saw him miss early and often to the tune of a 1-6 final, giving Puff I a 4-0 lead in the series. Puff I had a highlight reel shot in game 5, a triple-pot that sent the 12 to the top right, the 7 to the top left, and the 1 to the bottom right, all directly. All her fancy shots did nothing to save her from a loss, as Lionel played his best game of the series in winning 2-4, making it a 4-1 series final. Puff I advances her #20 ranked Accuracy bid, and she'll host Bryant of the Maplewood Lumberjacks at this venue in the bracket semifinals. Lionel is the 55th player to be eliminated from the tournament, represented as Puff I's second kill.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Charli XCX v. J. Garcia. The blue cue is the next one to get a series of Accuracy in. Southridge's Garcia managed to gain a nice lead early in game 1 as Tysini's Charli floundered around the table, but she soon focused, and Garcia lost control, losing 3-5 in the end to give Charli the 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Defenders' Garcia buckled down and played perfectly from end to end, winning 0-4 over a shaky Charli of the Hummingbirds, and the series is now tied at 1. Garcia fell off of the gold standard she set in the last game, missing simple shots throughout game 3 and racking up a loss that ended up with a final score of 1-4 favoring Charli, who leads the series 2-1. Game 4 saw the players turn a bit lazy in shooting, including a spate in the middle that saw things become tied at 3 after a series of misses. Garcia got the worst of the latter half of the game, with Charli coming in for a 4-5 win to secure the series at 3-1. Garcia played admirably in game 5, doing fairly well, but Charli kept pace with her pretty fiercely and ended up with the 2-3 win. Charli took the series 3-2, and the #57 ranked Accuracy player will know her opponent after the final series of the round, although she will host whoever advances.
HP Field Events Center, Eastside: Graham v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The silver cue is on for 8-ball now. Eastside's Graham controlled the pace of play in game 1 pretty thoroughly, even as Victoria's Yekaterina made a four-ball run to make it close. Graham had control after she scratched, and cruised to the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Yekaterina did better in game 2, working a three-ball run and favorable defensive positioning at the end to shut down the Sharks' Graham on his last two balls. He missed, and Yekaterina tapped the 8 to the bottom side, winning to tie the series at 1. Graham had no one to blame but himself for the loss in game 3. He had Yekaterina dead to rights, needing just one more ball plus the 8, but he left the 8 short, and then failed to kick it in the bottom left, allowing Yekaterina to pot it on her second try after coming back from a bad scratch, giving her the win and a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 started with a racking error, as the rack was for 15-ball, not 8-ball. This was brought to attention when Yekaterina saw the 8 fall in the bottom right, but since the rack was invalid, she had to try again. She shot a good break, but that was it for her in game 4, and Graham took over with a dominant effort, ending on a sharply played three-ball run-out for the win, retying the series at 2. Game 5 went very streaky on both sides, with the players exchanging two or three balls at a time on most turns. This made it a quick game, with Yekaterina getting an edge late and making her last two shots to win and take the series 3-2. Ranked #94 in 8-ball, Yekaterina travels next to Home Depot Forum in Web City, facing the Spiders' Sugar in the bracket semifinals.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Twinkie III. The blue cue is back for a series of 10-ball. Boston's Puff II had a failed attempt to jump the 7 to get to the 4, but Whitewater's Twinkie III couldn't make the 4 after the mistake, and Puff II, before shooting the 5-10 combination to the top right, winning for a 1-0 series lead after game 1. Game 2 was a frustrating one for the Shores' Twinkie III, who was twice caught for illegal contact, helping the Swifts' Puff II pick up the win with the second one. Puff II made the 6 from ball-in-hand, and then buried the 7-10 combination to the bottom right to make it a 2-0 series lead for herself. Twinkie III had her best game of the series in game 3, working a four-ball run and nearly getting the 10 in the end, but she left it short, and Puff II stole the win with a tap-in, sealing the series at 3-0. Twinkie III finally got a win in game 4, making a three-ball run-out after a sub-par effort from Puff II that saw her turn over possession quite a bit as Twinkie III cut the series to 3-1. Game 5 played out about as evenly as possible, right up to the end of the game, where Twinkie III narrowly missed the 10 at the bottom right and Puff II mopped it up for the win and a 4-1 series win. Ranked #14 in 10-ball, Puff II will host Lorde of the Commerce Tradewinds in the bracket semifinals at this venue. Twinkie III is the 56th player to be eliminated from the tournament after this loss, and Puff II finally has her first kill despite being a strong contender for the Players Cup MVP nomination.
HP Field Events Center, Eastside: Graham v. Rainmane. The silver cue makes its last appearance of the round in Accuracy. Web City's Rainmane until game 1 was fully under control to miss a shot, the only blemish being on the last ball in her 1-3 win over Eastside's Graham as she took a 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Rainmane lost all sense of control in game 2, making a mess of it after holding an early lead, and the Sharks' Graham only half-confidently picked up the 4-5 win to tie the series at 1. Rainmane bounced back well in game 3, getting the win as Graham fell out of a tie late in the game, and Rainmane confidently finished with a kick of the 1 to the bottom right to seal a 3-5 win to earn a 2-1 series lead. Rainmane clinched the series at 3-1 with a win in game 4, losing her early lead as Graham entered a spell of good play, but he missed the 14 on a bank attempt on his last shot, and Rainmane put it in the top left for the 2-3 win. Graham ended up with the win in game 5, winning in overtime with his first shot after Rainmane missed to make it a 2-3 game. Rainmane still took the series 3-2, and the #91 ranked Accuracy player will travel to Del Sur's Microsoft Center to face the Monarchs' Shannon in the bracket semifinals. Graham is the 57th player eliminated from the tournament, and Rainmane has her first kill because of it.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Marsell v. Taylor Swift. The blue cue is in to finish the round with three straight series, beginning in 15-ball. Game 1 saw the players exchange shots almost evenly through the latter half of the game, with Eastside's Taylor lined up to capitalize, making the 15 when Royal's Marsell missed it to take a 1-0 series lead with an unimpressive win. The Crowns' Marsell nearly made a mess out of game 2, receiving ball-in-hand when Taylor of the Sharks scratched late. Marsell made the 14, but got bad position for the 15. Taylor also missed, and Marsell made it the second time, with his win tying the series at 1. Marsell dazzled in game 2 as well, winning with a 4-15 kick combination after Taylor had tried it and left the 15 very short at the bottom right, making Marsell's trick easier after a solid game. Marsell leads the series 2-1 now. Taylor tried a late three-ball run, but when she went for the 15, she left it painfully short, handing the game and series away to Marsell as the host tapped it in to snag a win and secure the series at 3-1. Marsell came on strong to finish off game 5, capitalizing on lazy shooting from Taylor to get the last four balls over two turns for the win and a 4-1 series win. Ranked #65 in 15-ball, Marsell will host Smudge of the Infinity Torpedoes in the bracket semifinals from this venue. Taylor had a terrible sophomore season, eliminated with a poor record but the 58th player to go out, while Marsell has his first kill in a do-or-die situation.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Snuggle v. Puff I. The middle set for the blue cue's closing act is 8-ball. Puff I of Modernistic came out hot in game 1, working the stripes set while deftly avoiding the 8 that Oceanside's Snuggle left close to the top right. Snuggle couldn't de-cluster his suit, and Puff I won on a three-ball run-out for a 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Snuggle came out with a vengeance in game 2, shooting vigorously on a four-ball run to scare the Union's Puff I, who later answered on a six-ball run. This later looked to be for nothing, but a miss on the 8 by Snuggle gave Puff I all the room she needed to pot it for the win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Game 3 started with the players exchanging four-ball runs in a hot opening pair of turns, but things cooled down a bit later. Snuggle ended up taking the lead in this one, and he eventually won by banking the 8 to the top side after a previous bank to the bottom side failed. This cut the series to 2-1. Puff I had done well in building her game up in game 4, working around the table methodically. Snuggle blew it all apart to pull even with a five-ball run, and he made the 8 on his second try, a long bank to the bottom right, to tie the series at 2. Snuggle burst out of the gate with a big run in game 5, going five balls before working his way through the rest of the game on his later turns. Puff I had a good defensive structure, but it couldn't hold up over time, and Snuggle grabbed the win to complete the 3-2 series win comeback. Ranked #44 in 8-ball, Snuggle travels to Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central to face the Warriors' Dustin in the bracket semifinals.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Smokey. The final series of the round sees the blue cue play Accuracy. Diamond's Smokey played a perfect game 1, and while Pacific's Starlight was close, an early miss came back to haunt her as Smokey won 0-1 and took a 1-0 series lead in his dominant outing. The Gems' Smokey nearly made it back-to-back perfect games, but the Volcanoes' Starlight suckered him into a late miss after missing four straight shots herself, blowing the game wide open as Smokey would win 1-4 and take a 2-0 series lead. Smokey made an encore performance in game 3, playing just as he did in game 1, and he once again 0-1 against a vastly frustrated and strong-shooting Starlight, who has helped keep the series competitive despite being down 3-0. Starlight finally picked up a win, taking game 4 pretty easily by a 1-2 score, forcing Smokey into two quick misses to get the advantage she refused to let go of. Smokey still leads the series 3-1. Smokey fired back with a 2-4 win in a relatively uninteresting game 5 that saw a few good shots and a few misses in a fairly normal balance. Ranked #70 for Accuracy, Smokey will travel to Cisco Arena in Tysini to face the Hummingbirds' Charli in the bracket semifinals.
That's all for the third round. Here's how the weekend looks, in my opinion. We'll have a standings update very soon, and a new schedule will be published tomorrow. The Bracket Semifinals should start on Sunday. Cricket may be played multiple times this weekend, and hopefully at least once. As we look forward, there should be a cricket schedule published when I have time to make one. It will detail every single game to be played this year prior to them being played, so it can be used as a reference. That's about all I have to say for today. We'll be back shortly.
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