We're back in action for the final push to the finish this summer. Unlike last year, games will not be held on a daily basis. Most Saturdays will be off days, and a good portion of the Fridays will be shorter schedules, as well as an abbreviated Sunday effort at times. Still, there will be plenty of time to finish up this tournament and get next year's expanded edition going. Today, we begin with...
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Alyssa v. Oreo. The silver cue will lead things off in a series of 15-ball to begin the day. Game 1 was definitely a feeling-out process to get things going again, until Terrace City's Oreo scratched aiming at the 5. Oceanside's Alyssa took control from there, eventually winning with the 8-15-10 and 8-15 combinations back-to-back at the top right for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Knights' Oreo seemed to gain the late momentum, including a four-ball run, after the Waves' Alyssa missed contact, but Alyssa made a bank of the 15 to the bottom side for a win and 2-0 lead in the series. Oreo kept herself alive with a bold game 3, taking advantage of a less-sharp Alyssa, whose scratch after the 11 allowed Oreo to run out the final four balls and make it a 2-1 series. Oreo took advantage of two set up shots from Alyssa in game 4, as her early shot got the 15 to the top right, and she later made soft contact on the 8, setting up Oreo for an 8-15 combination to win the game and tie the series at 2. Oreo and Alyssa combined for a bad game in game 5, but Alyssa had the final mistake with a bad bank attempt, and Oreo buried the 15 to take the series 3-2. Ranked #67 for 15-ball, Oreo will travel to Tysini's Cisco Arena to face the Hummingbirds' Princess in the third round.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Marsell v. J. Garcia. The new red cue shaft (Red 3.0) debuts competitively in this 7-ball series, a Southeastern Rivalry to boot. Royal's Marsell wasted no time in sinking the 7 in the top side for game 1, beating Southridge's Garcia with her own trick to take a 1-0 series lead. The Defenders' Garcia shot back with a 2-7 combination from ball-in-hand to the top right after the Crowns' Marsell couldn't get legal contact on the 2 in game 2, and the play tied the series at 1. Garcia pulled off a bit more magic in game 3, getting the 2 on the break and then watching her missed cut on the 1 see the cue carom off two rails to push the 7 into the bottom right, giving her a 2-1 series lead. Garcia didn't let Marsell see the table in game 4, sinking the 7 in the top left from the break to secure the series at 3-1 with the spectacular shot. Garcia looked solid with a three-ball run in the middle of game 5, but Marsell won, using the now spare shaft in a cramped spot to take the 7 to the top right. Garcia claimed the series 3-2, advancing her #88 ranked 7-ball campaign to the third round, where she'll face the Blades' Shawn in Swordpoint's Gillette Center.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Gizmo v. Rainmane. The red cue will continue its three-series introduction tour with a Northeastern Rivalry series in 10-ball. Central's Gizmo took a somewhat messy game 1 from Rainmane of Web City, using her misses to chip away until he got the win and a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 went much better, with the players exchanging three-ball runs from the start. The Warriors' Gizmo got the advantage with a three-ball run-out at the end, scoring the 10 off a carom from the 9 to the top side, making it a 2-0 series lead for the host. The Spiders' Rainmane got revenge in game 3, battling firmly with Gizmo in a fast game that saw Rainmane take the upper hand late and use it as momentum to grab the win, making it a 2-1 series lead for Gizmo. Gizmo regained possession, dominating in game 4 and using a three-ball run-out of nicely set up shots to win and clinch the series at 3-1. Rainmane had a lot of pressure on Gizmo in game 5, outplaying him early but needing the mercy of him missing on the 10 with the spare shaft to score the 10 in the bottom right. The series ended 3-2 for Gizmo, who is ranked #44 for 10-ball and will host Chelsea of the Eastside Sharks in the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Acorn. It's a captains clash in the British Derby, as the red cue stays on with 10-ball. Everton's Goldy had a good start in game 1, but fell apart with three misses on the 9. Lighton's Acorn made it from ball-in-hand, and took the 10 at the top right for the 1-0 series lead. Game 2 didn't end any easier after the Prestige's Acorn made a three-ball run, as it took multiple shots on the 9 and the 10 before the Eagles' Goldy finished it to tie the series at 1. Early in game 3, Acorn left the 10 at the bottom right, and Goldy kicked the 1 off the top rail, contacting the 1 with the right spin to drive the cue toward the 10, potting it for a 2-1 series lead on a highlight-reel shot from the host. Acorn had a strong finish in game 4, in which Goldy did a lot of the grunt work to clear things up. Acorn ran out the last four balls with precise shooting and positioning, giving him the win to tie the series at 2. Goldy got frustrated throughout game 5, and this worked in Acorn's favor, especially with his late defense drawing her into a foul, giving him ball-in-hand for a three-ball run-out to take the series 3-2. Ranked #33 in 10-ball, Acorn is through to the third round.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Kirstin v. Juno. Arriving late to the party, the blue cue is finally up for 7-ball. Southern's Kirstin had a three-ball run from the break in game 1, but staggered a bit as Modernistic's Juno applied pressure, only to leave the 7 short. Kirstin tapped it in, winning the game and taking a 1-0 series lead. The Union's Juno didn't let game 2 slip away like the last one did, working a four-ball run-out to topple the Monarchs' Kirstin, including a long bank to send the 7 to the top right to tie the series at 1. Juno continued to play well with a four-ball run in game 3. Kirstin replied with a hard shot on the 6, and she scratched, allowing Juno to strike the 7 to the top side for the win and a 2-1 series lead. Kirstin had a stunning finish in game 4, equalizing the series at 2 with a double-pot of the 5 to the bottom right and a carom to send the 6 to the top right, followed by a top-rail kick to pot the 7 in the bottom right. Kirstin claimed game 3 in fine form as well, using an early double-pot of the 2 to the top right and 6 to the bottom right, as well as a sharp hit on the 7 to take the series 3-2. Ranked #56 for 7-ball, Kirstin will hit the road for a third round series with the Warriors' Dustin in Nestle's Warriors Hall in Central.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Cheddar v. Shiny. The silver cue comes back in for 15-ball, and the completion of this series will put round two at half completion. Whitewater's Cheddar made two big mistakes in game 1, ending a four-ball run with a scratch and missing on the 15 from ball-in-hand after Shiny's late three-ball run ended in a scratch. Shiny of Web City handled the tap-in to take a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 lacked any spectacular runs, but the Spiders' Shiny picked up the win after the Shores' Cheddar made a few additional mistakes, and Shiny now carries a 2-0 series lead. Cheddar again failed to limit her mistakes in game 3, and while Shiny was far from perfect, she was able to close the game out, with the win securing the series for her at 3-0. Cheddar finally got a win in a sloppy game 4, outlasting the poor shooting from Shiny to strike the 15 to the top left, making it 3-1 in the series. Cheddar managed a strong finish again in game 5, working a five-ball run-out with precisely taken shots, beating Shiny but falling 3-2 in the series. Ranked #32 in 15-ball, Shiny will host Shelley of the Infinity Torpedoes at Web City's Home Depot Forum.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Fluffina v. Starlight. Here's a big series, with the two stars facing off in Accuracy with the blue cue. Maplewood's Fluffina had a suffocating performance in game 1, while Pacific's Starlight ventured around a bit and ended up with a 1-4 loss, giving Fluffina the 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Starlight played better in game 2, and it came at the expense of the Lumberjacks' Fluffina, who fell apart dramatically in the 3-7 loss, as the series is now tied at 1. Fluffina made a mess of game 3, falling behind early before Starlight slipped to tie things at the end of regulation. Fluffina scratched on both of her shots in overtime, and Starlight finished with the 7 to win 4-5 and take a 2-1 series lead. Fluffina answered back with a dominant game 4 effort, pushing Starlight around en route to an 0-6 win that retied the series at 2 and gave the host all the momentum for the final game. Starlight came to play in game 5, shooting a perfect round to beat Fluffina 0-2 and take the series 3-2. Ranked #65 in Accuracy, Starlight will host Diamond Gems captain Smokey at Verizon Field Events Center in Pacific in the third round. Fluffina became the twelfth player to be eliminated this year, and Starlight collected her second kill of the year.
Intel Center, Diamond: Cassandra v. Crystal. The silver cue is back up for 8-ball in this series. Queens' Crystal started behind and backed herself into a corner when she pinned her 4 on the 8. Diamond's Cassandra probably didn't need the help, but Crystal put herself out when the 6 bumped the 8 in, and Cassandra gained a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Cassandra lacked a good break in game 2, and the Flames' Crystal ran six balls early to pace her attack in an easy win, tying the series at 1. Crystal didn't carry the same pace in game 3, but she still outplayed Cassandra at the start to cruise fairly easily to the finish, winning when Cassandra scratched. Crystal made the 8 easily and went up 2-1 in the series. Cassandra appeared to have game 4 in her grips until Crystal made a five-ball run to tighten the game, and she pulled back even more late to snatch the win and steal the series at 3-1. Game 5 finally worked for Cassandra, as she maneuvered around Crystal and put up a three-ball run-out for the win. Crystal took the series 3-2, and her #75 ranked 8-ball campaign travels to Commerce's Nike Field Events Center to face Tradewinds rookie Lorde in the third round.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Panda. The blue cue gets into 10-ball action for this series. Whitewater's Twinkie III did well in game 1, especially for a kick on the 7 to the top right through traffic, and while Southern's Panda held his own, he fell behind 1-0 in the series after a scratch gave Twinkie III the clear shot on the 10. In game 2, the Monarchs' Panda should have lost due to a scratch, but the Shores' Twinkie III butchered a 7-10 combination. She later came around after sloppy play and scored it to gain a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 saw more of the same from Panda, decent play until a late scratch, and Twinkie III made the last two shots from ball-in-hand to seal the series at 3-0 with her win. With the pressure to perform gone, Panda broke up the sweep in game 4, allowing Twinkie III to shoot some shots after illegally potting balls before capitalizing late to get a win and make it a 3-1 series. In game 5, the usual course of events got flipped, with Twinkie III's scratch leading to Panda's 7-10 combination at the bottom right, making it a 3-2 final for the series. Twinkie III is ranked #38 for 10-ball, and she'll advance to the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Goldy v. Easter. The silver cue is up for 12-ball now, as Goldy tangles in another battle between captains. Todavía's Easter put on a strong showing, making the first five balls potted in game 1, but Everton's Goldy went on a four-ball run with a defensive finish that drew illegal contact. Goldy made her last two from ball-in-hand, winning for a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 played much tighter, with the Stills' Easter earning a wild card ball from the Eagles' Goldy's break. However, things went awry, and Easter struggled to get positioned. A late shot saw her give Goldy a wild card ball, and two shots later, Goldy won for a 2-0 series lead. Easter held on in a scary game 3, as Goldy made a big press late but couldn't legally hit her last ball. Easter took her last two shots from ball-in-hand for the win, cutting the series to 2-1 as she tries a comeback. Goldy squashed the comeback in game 4, winning as she earned a wild card ball, while Easter couldn't quite recover from Goldy's aggressive defensive positioning and had to foul away to have any chance. Goldy claimed the series at 3-1. Easter fired back with a strong game 5, winning on a three-ball run-out after rallying back from Goldy's good opener. Goldy still took the series 3-2, and her #44 ranked 12-ball bid is through to the third round now.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Shannon. The blue cue gets another turn at 7-ball in this series. Harrison's Twinkie II got off to a dream start by making the 7 on the break to the top left, as well as the 1 in the bottom side, keeping Southern's Shannon at bay as Twinkie II owns a 1-0 series lead. The Specters' Twinkie II didn't have the same quick end in game 2, but the dominance was higher, as she worked a five-ball run-out to take a 2-0 series lead over a hapless Shannon of the Monarchs. Twinkie II wasted no time in securing the series at 3-0, triple-potting the 4 to the bottom right, the 2 to the bottom side, and the 7 to the top left on the game 3 break. Shannon saved some face with a good game 4 showing, winning with a four-ball run-out with a double-pot of the 5 to the bottom right that kicked the cue back to take the 6 at the top left on the carom. Twinkie II still leads 3-1. Shannon pulled back with a slower win in game 5, working a three-ball run-out to make it a 3-2 series win for Twinkie II. The #9 ranked 7-ball player, Twinkie II is set to host Misty of the Westside Rockers in the third round at this venue.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo v. Leonette. The final series of the day will see the red cue play 8-ball. Terrace City's Oreo started game 1 pretty well, but lost a bit of ground when Pacific's Leonette worked a four-ball run. They played pretty even until the end, where Oreo pulled ahead again and won for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Knights' Oreo seemed to hold an advantage, but the Volcanoes' Leonette caught up and won when Oreo twice missed the 8. Leonette's win tied the series at 1. Oreo pulled back in game 3, getting a bit behind Leonette from the start but scoring a four-ball run and narrowly missing the 8 the first time before tapping it in at the bottom right for the win to take a 2-1 series lead. Leonette never saw the table in game 4, but she didn't have to when Oreo's fourth shot was a little too adventurous, and she potted the 8 illegally in the top side to hand Leonette a win and make it a 2-2 series. Leonette had the early advantage in game 5, but let Oreo back into it in the end. They tangled with a ball each to go before Leonette made two simple shots to take the win and a 3-2 series win. Ranked #56 in 8-ball, Leonette will host Twilight of the Central Warriors at Pacific's Verizon Field Events Center in the third round.
That's all for today's games. Tomorrow should be more or less the same amount.
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