Here we are, on the eve of the final day of pool. We'll see who gets to play on, as the winners today will compete for the championships tomorrow, while all losers are awarded third place in their event. All series over the next two days are split-cue and nine games. Let's begin with...
BMW RockDome, Westide: Midnight v. Ms Puppy. The blue cue champion hosts the silver cue champion of 9-ball. Modernistic's Ms. Puppy dominated game 1 to get the activities going, working a seven-ball run after Westside's Midnight scratched on the break. When Midnight then missed the 8, Ms. Puppy made the last two shots to get the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Rockers' Midnight played better in game 2, getting a few shots in, while the Union's Ms. Puppy was visible worse. However, none of that mattered in the end, as Midnight missed the 9 and Ms. Puppy tapped it in to end a back-and-forth game with a 2-0 series lead. Midnight struck back with a four-ball run-out in game 3 after another choppy start saw Ms. Puppy flounder a bit while Midnight was barely steadier. Midnight's big finish gave her a win to make it a 2-1 series in favor of Ms. Puppy. The play opened up quite a bit in game 4, with Ms. Puppy scoring a four-ball run answered by a four-ball run from Midnight. The 9 created some trouble for both players, with each one missing it twice before Midnight buried it to get the win, tying the series at 2. Midnight needed only two shots to win game 5. She made the 1 on the break, and then cut the 2 gently to the bottom side, with the cue going off the right rail and kicking the 9 back to the top left for the win, giving Midnight a stunning 3-2 series lead. Midnight played well early in game 6, but it looked like Ms. Puppy was going to swoop in late as she pieced together a three-ball run. Ms. Puppy missed her bank attempt on the 9, and Midnight stowed it to the top left to win again, surging to a 4-2 lead in the series with her fourth straight win. Ms. Puppy tried to get too fancy shooting at 6 during game 7, with her season the line. She missed contact, and Midnight used the ball-in-hand to put up a three-ball run-out, securing the series at 5-2. Midnight scratched on the 4 in the middle of game 8, and Ms. Puppy did as best she could to save some face for the series, rallying with a fairly simple four-ball run-out to take a win back, making it a 5-3 series. Ms. Puppy had a four-ball run over the middle of game 9, but she couldn't make anything of it in the end, missing the 9 late that allowed Midnight to strike it from distance to the top left, giving her a 6-3 series win. Midnight is ranked #18 for 9-ball, and will face Lorde of the Commerce Tradewinds for the 9-ball championship in tomorrow's eighth series. Ms. Puppy is the 110th player to be eliminated, and the first with a medal, while Midnight scores her second kill of the year.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Ruby v. Leandra. The blue cue has another appearance, this time opposing the red cue in 15-ball. Archtown's Ruby came up with the game 1 win in a tight game against Tysini's Leandra. Neither player had a long run, with Leandra scoring a three-ball run as the longest one, but Ruby's steady play earned her the 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Leandra had a stunning and completely unintentional win in game 2, shooting a kick-combination 4-9 attempt toward the top left that failed. Where she succeeded was driving the cue back across the table to get the 15, glancing it off the 5 and into the top right for the win to tie the series at 1 with the Arrows' Ruby. Game 3 was the most open one so far, seeing Leandra rally with a six-ball run over the middle and a hefty share of possession. Ruby made a late challenge with a three-ball run, but twice missed the 15, and Leandra potted it on her second try for the win to make it 2-1 in the series in her own favor. Game 4 returned to the chippy, short-burst style of play that appeared in game 1, and this is most favorable to Ruby, who was on the right end of the alternating momentum to get the last two balls and take the win, retying the series at 2. Leandra twice levied threats on the 15 early in game 5, missing it narrowly at the bottom side both times on complex combination plays. Leandra ended up getting the win on a three-ball run-out after a long game due to serious congestion on the table near the bottom rail that took time to clear up. Ruby had a couple of dangerous shots as well, but Leandra won by caroming the cue off the 14 to pot the 15 in the top right, retaking the series lead at 3-2. Leandra seemed to have the better shooting early in game 6, as Ruby appeared a bit lost navigating around the table. That all changed when Ruby came up for her last turn, which ended with a six-ball run-out, shooting with strong authority and precision to get the win and bring the series to a 3-all tie. Leandra had a threatening 3-7-15 combination try in game 7, but she pulled the 3 too wide and the 7 never connected. Leandra found a highlight when she banked the 4 off the left rail and it came back to take the 9 in the bottom right, narrowly missing the 15 on the way up. Leandra thought she was doomed when she scratched on the 12, but Ruby missed the 14 three shots later, and Leandra made the last two balls to get something for her active efforts, taking a 4-3 lead in the series. Leandra had a few more interesting shots in game 8, really putting the pressure on. Both players missed shots involving the 9 and 15 as the crowd was on its feet. Eventually Ruby got a three-ball run-out after Leandra missed the 12 at the top side, and Ruby did all those shots as tap-ins, tying the series once more at 4. Game 9 was slower due to a poor break by Ruby. This clogged a few shots up. Leandra looked to be making a late break, but missed contact on the 14. Ruby made the 14 and got good position on the 15, but missed it, and Leandra tapped it in to win the series 5-4. Ranked #81 in 15-ball, Leandra will play for the championship tomorrow against Mams of the Viewpoint Sound Meteors in the fourth series. Ruby is the 111th player eliminated, and Leandra recorded her second kill of the year.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Precious. The silver cue hosts the red cue in their first of four meetings today, this one in 12-ball. Game 1 started with plenty of pace, but quickly turned boring when each player got to their final ball. Lighton's Spirit bought herself some time with a scratch that kept Pronger's Precious in bad position, but Precious pulled back and made her last shot to win and take a 1-0 series lead. Each player gave the other a wild card ball in game 2, but the Prestige's Spirit had a scratch and lost hers. She could have used the extra flexibility, as the Tridents' Precious exploited the advantage in the end, picking the top side for her final shot to win and lead the series 2-0. Precious had a three-ball run from the break early in game 3, and then made another at the end of the game after getting into position after Spirit took a few turns to shoot aimlessly. Precious' big and commanding victory put her ahead 3-0 in the series. Precious continued to fly in game 4, making a five-ball run from the break, but ending it with illegal contact. Spirit was also ruled for illegal contact on her third shot, and Precious won from ball-in-hand to make it a 4-0 series lead. Spirit had her best game of the series in game 5, making a four-ball run and nearly getting herself set up for a nice finish. Precious spread her shots out a bit more, but a crafty shot on the 9 and 10 allowed her to set both up nicely. Spirit missed on her last ball, and Precious made her last two for the win, securing the series at 5-0. Spirit did a five-ball run in game 6, only to be answered by Precious double-potting the 11 to the bottom right and 14 to the bottom side, although she did scratch. It took her awhile to get the 1 lined up, but a good kick did it for Spirit, and she made it on her next turn after Precious illegally potted the 9. The series is now at 5-1, with Spirit avoiding a full sweep. The end of game 7 was quite interesting. It began when Spirit missed contact with the 7, giving Precious ball-in-hand. She shot the 11 to the bottom left, and then banked the 10 to the top side, but her cue struck the cue ball on its way by. The 10 was respotted. Spirit then made the 7 to the top left, and narrowly missed the 4 at the bottom left. Precious got the win when the 10 fell legally in the top side, giving her a 6-1 series lead. Spirit gave away a wild card ball early in game 8, and this one also came back to haunt her. Spirit had gotten set up for her last two shots, but Precious playing strong defense. When Spirit missed contact, Precious put away her last ball for the win and a 7-1 series lead. In game 9, nobody really had any interest in getting things going, making for a sluggish game that took many shots to finish. Spirit eventually made her last shot, cutting the 2 to the bottom right, making it a 7-2 final for the series. The #83 ranked 12-ball player, Precious will play in the finals against Chelsea of the Eastside Sharks, in the fifth series on tomorrow's schedule. Spirit is the 112th player to be eliminated, and Precious takes her fourth kill of the tournament.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Crystal. The red cue is the host to the silver cue this time, with the game shifting to 8-ball. Queens' Crystal struck first in game 1, but Pacific's Leonette struck the hardest, ripping a six-ball run after Crystal thinned things out. Leonette made her last two balls on her next turn, good for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Leonette made a four-ball run in game 2, but went silent from there, allowing the Flames' Crystal to pick away until she finished the game, getting the win to tie the series at 1. Crystal had a bad break in game 3, and for her, the game ended just as it started. She shot into a cluster from the kitchen, trying to get the 7 closer to a pocket. The 8 rolled out of the chaos and fell into the top side, gifting Leonette a win to shift the series back in her favor at 2-1. Crystal looked fairly frustrated to take a scratch late in a pitiful game 4 performance, but Leonette couldn't corral the 8 when she had the chance, and Crystal got to make two shots in a row for the win, retying the series at 2. The poor breaking is beginning to wear on these two players with long games. Crystal looked much better in this game, gaining a bit more patience as she did all her damage in two turns, with a five-ball run and a three-ball run-out to get the win as she came from behind on Leonette. Crystal leads the series 3-2 now. Crystal could have had the series by now if she hadn't made so many mistakes. In game 6, she took a four-ball run to get onto the 8, but then made the 8 illegally on the next turn after Leonette chipped back with a three-ball run. Leonette took another gifted game, and this made it a tied series at 3, as the players have not played at a championship level to this point. Clearly having not learned her lesson yet, Crystal gave away another game to Leonette, losing game 7 as she tried to extend a fledgling run but instead ended up with the 4 rocketing back to carom the 8 into the top right illegally. Leonette has only earned one win, but leads the series 4-3 thanks to Crystal's generosity. Crystal continued to have a dominant share of possession, and she didn't squander it all in game 8, making a four-ball run early and meandering around until a four-ball run-out became convenient at the end, giving her a win to retie the series with Leonette at 4. Crystal made a huge effort to play defense with one ball left, but Leonette cleverly picked it apart and then exploited the opening as part of her four-ball run-out, winning the game and the series 5-4 despite making only two 8 balls during the series. Ranked #56 for 8-ball, Leonette is lucky to advance into the finals to play in tomorrow's seventh series against Dustin of the Central Warriors. Crystal is the 113th player knocked out, despite putting up a very valiant effort, and Leonette claimed her fourth kill of the tournament.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Gradley v. Twinkie II. The red cue stays in, but the blue cue is returning to action for 7-ball. Harrison's Twinkie II continued to keep her team rooting for something, using a missed contact by Boston's Gradley to ignite for a finishing run, earning an easy win for a 1-0 series lead. The Specters' Twinkie II looked to be in danger when she snookered herself for the 6, but the Swifts' Gradley missed an easy shot on the 7, and Twinkie II collected the rebound to make it a 2-0 lead in the series for herself. Game 3 didn't see either player using much in the way of good shooting techniques. Many easy shots were missed, allowing Twinkie II to hang in long enough to put up a four-ball run-out, good enough to win and increase her grip on the series as she leads 3-0. The usually composed Gradley lost his cool in game 4, slamming his stick after a senseless scratch, and Twinkie II made a three-ball run-out in short order to take another sloppy win and make it a 4-0 series lead as she hurtles toward the championship series. Game 5 was a little bit better than the previous installments, but the shooting was still bordering on poor. Twinkie II lost it when her attempt to get the 7 with a carom off the 6 failed, and Gradley made both balls to snag the win, cutting the series to 4-1 as he starts to mount an improbable comeback effort. Twinkie II killed the comeback quite swiftly, pardon the pun, in game 6. Gradley had a miss on the 3 after making the 2, and Twinkie II used the 3 as the catalyst to her five-ball run-out for the win, clinching the series at 5-1 in the process. Gradley saved a bit of face in game 7, watching Twinkie II assemble two three-ball runs but miss narrowly on the 7 at the bottom right. Gradley tapped the 7 in, getting a win back to make it 5-2 in the series. Twinkie II fired back in another poor game, as game 8 barely went in her favor and required a handful of misses from both players before it could be decided. Twinkie II owns a 6-2 series lead going into the final game. Twinkie II appeared to have the game 9 win after a slow start, but her five-ball run-out ended in a scratch, handing another freebie over to Gradley, with the series final at 6-3. Twinkie II is ranked #9 in 7-ball, and will oppose Citrus of the Diamond Gems in tomorrow's first series. Gradley is the 114th player to get eliminated, and Twinkie II scored her fifth kill of the year, just one off the league lead.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Acorn v. Nightfur. The red cue hosts the silver again as both return to Lighton for a series of 10-ball. Lighton's Acorn had a good share of the possession in game 1, even with a scratch. Royal's Nightfur messed up her chance from ball-in-hand with a scratch herself, and two shots later, Acorn made the 7-10 combination to the top right for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Nightfur thought she had some positive momentum building in game 2, but her miss on the 7 wiped it all away when the Prestige's Acorn burst out for a four-ball run-out, taking the game and a 2-0 series lead. Nightfur definitely took the better of play in game 3, putting up a four-ball run late in the game but making a critical miss on the 9. Nightfur didn't expect Acorn to find position on the 10, but he did anyway, and he made the last two shots to get the win and move to 3-0 in the series. Nightfur worked in a tight space in game 4 after Acorn was called for illegal contact. Nightfur didn't change the position, burying the 2-5 combination and 2 to the top right, and then two shots later, she made the 10 by caroming the cue hard off the 4 to drive it to the top right as well for the win, cutting the series lead owned by Acorn to 3-1. Nightfur kept her pace up in game 5, but she lost a bit of accuracy in this game, and Acorn capitalized on it pretty readily. Acorn ended the game with a sharp four-ball run-out to get the win and move to a 4-1 series lead, getting himself on the verge of advancing. As the sixth series of the day, there's a break for refreshing in the middle, and they resumed in the evening. Acorn dominated in game 6, needing only two turns to clinch the series as he went for a four-ball run from the break and a six-ball run-out after Nightfur's solitary miss on her only shot of the game. Acorn took the series at 5-1 with this win. Nightfur played better in game 7, in part because it couldn't have been worse than before. She had a three-ball run at the end, but the last ball was potted illegally. Acorn deferred possession back to Nightfur, and she shot the 10 wide at the top right, allowing Acorn to come in and make it as a tap-in to move ahead 6-1 in the series. Nightfur made a big push in game 8, scoring a four-ball run early on and answering Acorn's three-ball run with a pair herself. The only problem she faced was on the 10, where she scratched as she made it, allowing Acorn to take it from ball-in-hand and steal another win to move to a 7-1 series lead. Nightfur again played a strong game, finding a three-ball run in game 9, but Acorn had a better finish, closing out with his second attempt at the 10 to get the win and ice the series at 9-1. Acorn is ranked #33 in 10-ball, and the dominant series effort sees him through to the finals, where he meets Puff II of the Boston Swifts in the year's last Cola Wars Derby during tomorrow's sixth series. Nightfur fell as the 115th player eliminated, and Acorn took his fourth kill.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Shannon v. Bryant. The silver cue hosts the red cue in their last meeting, playing Accuracy. Maplewood's Bryant didn't face much of a challenge from Southern's Shannon in game 1, watching her fade late to the tune of Bryant taking a 3-6 win to earn a 1-0 series lead with his solid performance. With all the cue switching, it's tough to get comfortable, hence a high final score in game 2. Thing were going well until the Lumberjacks' Bryant missed a couple shots. From there, he and the Monarchs' Shannon were tied more often than not, causing overtime. Both missed their first shots in the extra rack, and then Bryant lost it 5-6 with a second miss, allowing Shannon to tie the series at 1. Bryant started game 3 with absolute dominance, hardly letting Shannon in the game at all, but he faded around the middle of the game, and the last ball gave both of them fits. Shannon missed it twice, allowing Bryant to win with his second try by a 4-5 score, and he took a 2-1 series lead. Shannon got a bit gutsy in game 4, losing a small lead at one point and then holding even until Bryant scratched as he made a ball. Shannon made the second-to-last ball, and Bryant couldn't avoid the 2-3 loss, with Shannon's win tying the series again at 2. Bryant had a slick double-pot of the 13 to the bottom right and the 4 to the top side in game 5, making the highlight reel. He nearly regretted that play, missing his next shot, but Shannon had a pair of late misses, and Bryant struck the 10 from distance to the top left to seal up a 1-2 win and regain the series lead at 3-2. Bryant played a perfect game in game 6, and Shannon wasn't all that far behind him, keeping pace as well as she could until she took a miss. This was all it took to tip the game to Bryant, who held on for an 0-1 win to extend his series lead to 4-2. Game 7 had a thrilling finish to its regulation time, as the players made exceedingly more difficult shots to keep things level. Bryant got the last laugh, leaving Shannon with a bad position to shoot the overtime break from, and he made his one shot to win 2-3 and seal the series at 5-2. Game 8 was taken a bit lazily, with many misses throughout the game. These misses were evenly distributed, and led to Bryant taking the overtime break. He couldn't make a ball, and Shannon was there to finish the game, winning 6-7 as she cut the series to 5-3 with the sloppy win. Shannon played much better in game 9, taking the game pretty sharply to Bryant, who held on for awhile before falling behind, and he eventually lost the game 1-3. Bryant still took the series 5-4, and the #74 ranked Accuracy player heads into the finals against Charli XCX of the Tysini Hummingbirds, playing in tomorrow's third series. Shannon is the 116th player to be eliminated from the tournament, and Bryant recorded his fifth kill to stay one step back of the lead in that category.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Dustin v. Easter. The final series pits silver against blue in Rotation for the last championship round bid. Todavía's Easter struck first in game 1, and while Central's Dustin tied it early on, Easter had a wacky three-ball run to pace the late-game attack, cruising to an 8-3 win for a 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Dustin didn't stay down long, rallying with a four-ball run in game 2 to stake out a lead. The Stills' Easter had a fairly crazy five-ball run to gain the lead over Dustin, but Dustin closed an 8-6 win with a solid three-ball run-out, tying the series at 1 in the process. Dustin took control of game 3 fairly early on, and he tangled with Easter a couple of times along the way, as the leads alternated between the two until Dustin pulled away for another 8-6 win to make it a 2-1 series lead for himself. Easter broke away from Dustin in game 4 with a five-ball run, before missing on a shot. Dustin played a bit defensively for awhile, keeping Easter away from the target ball and the 14 she left at the top left. Finally, Dustin made his reply with a six-ball run-out, executing his shots brilliantly to take the 8-7 win and make it 3-1 in the series. Dustin had a bad break in game 5, but he used it to his advantage, keeping the main cluster intact for a long time to prevent Easter from getting to her shots. Dustin scored a lot off of ball-in-hand, but Easter eventually broke through with a five-ball run, including a crazy cluster-buster that double-potted the 14 and 15. Easter tied it on her next turn, but Dustin iced the game at 8-6 a couple turns later, moving his series lead to 4-1. Easter expertly made the highlight reel in game 6 as she tried to mount a comeback against the heavily-leading Dustin. Easter made the 10 to the bottom right on the 8-10 combination, and the 11-15-13 to the top right on the deflection by the cue ball for the double-pot. Easter made it a four-ball run, adding a crazy around-the-table shot on the 8 that drilled the 11 to the bottom right, but she scratched while making the 8. Dustin made the 8-12 combination to win 8-5, securing the series at 5-1. Dustin had his worst break in game 7, barely scattering anything, but after a tussle with Easter, he charged up for two three-ball runs, the latter earning him the win by an 8-4 score as he pushes the series lead to 6-1 in an absolutely dominant series for the veteran. Dustin was shakier than usual with his effort in game 8, taking a large lead early but finding himself unable to shut it down quickly. Easter chipped back often, but failed to catch all the way up, and her missed contact on the 12 allowed Dustin to ice an 8-6 win to make it 7-1 in the series. Easter finally got one back in game 9, although her late shenanigans nearly allowed Dustin to find his way back into the series. She finally made the last shot she needed to win the game 8-6. Dustin still took the series easily by a 7-2 score, advancing his #45 ranked bid into the finals to face off against Diddley in a Rivalry match in Rotation, which is tomorrow's second series. Easter is the 117th player eliminated, and Dustin's clinched the league lead with seven kills.
Tomorrow, the main portion of the tournament ends, preceded by the Hutton Cup Finals that should wrap up tomorrow morning. It's Championship Thursday, June 9, 2016 for the UPCL to wrap up the bulk of the sixth tournament and third cricket season. The blog will go a bit quieter once those things are done, as administrative tasks will be done behind the scenes to get organized for the end of this season and the beginning of the next one. Sleep well and get ready for the biggest day in league history.
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