We're set to finish the second round in this post, with the other eight series not played in the previous post going here. We begin with...
Max and Ruby, of Free Fallin', against Jennifer and Stephanie, the Livilottis. The red cue is up for this series. Ruby didn't have a strong break, and Jennifer made Free Fallin' pay for it with her five-ball run for the Livilottis. Max answered with a five-ball run himself, and things got a bit stagnant from there until Ruby missed on the 8. Jennifer banked the 2 to the bottom left and then sank the 8 in the top right for the win and a 1-0 series lead in good form. Ruby looked like quite the threat in game 2, helping Free Fallin' get into position with a three-ball run that nearly won the game after Jennifer had a bad turn. Ruby couldn't quite bank the 8 into the top side at a bad angle, and Stephanie swooped in with a five-ball run-out for the Liviottis to take a 2-0 series lead with. Free Fallin' lack good angles for their later shots in game 3, feeling the pressure of the hard-charging Livilottis. Ruby got forced into an error with her shot, and Stephanie had no trouble icing the game with the last two shots to secure the series at 3-0. In game 4, Jennifer never got to make an impact after her empty break, as Stephanie's three-ball run stood no chance against a pair of four-ball runs from Ruby and Max, with Max's sufficing for Free Fallin' to pick up the win in a very fast game, cutting the series to 3-1. Ruby kept game 5 fast as well, working a four-ball run from her break. The Livilottis tried to keep pace, but Max's three-ball run between them caused trouble with positioning, and Stephanie couldn't get a try at the 8. Ruby buried it to make it a 3-2 final for the series, favoring the Livilottis as they advance to face the Quarterbacks Jake and Marsell in the third round.
The red cue is also up for the second series in this post, acting as the tool for Tigerette and Cheddar of Grand to take on the Woodelands, Lexi and Caitlin. Lexi and Cheddar were the only reliable players in game 1, each scoring a four-ball run to pace their teams' attacks. The Woodelands ended up getting lucky once the game stalled, as Tigerette's erratic kick led the 8 to the bottom side for a gift win that saw Grand fall behind 1-0 in the series. Lexi played well in game 2 as well, working most of the offense for the Woodelands. An unlucky miss from Cheddar ended her late run, and set Lexi up to make the final three shots with authority, which she did to give her side a 2-0 series lead. Tigerette thought she had left the series to rot at the end of game 3 when she missed on the 8, but Caitlin couldn't get a good shot on it, and Cheddar was able to save Grand from elimination with a long strike on the 8 to make it a 2-1 series as the Woodelands have lost a bit of their leverage. Cheddar ruined most of the good chances Grand had of getting the win in game 4, and Tigerette's final shot on the 11 that got blocked on the deflection toward the top right sealed the deal, as Lexi stepped up to cut the 8 in and win the game, clinching the series at 3-1. Grand went out in grand fashion, shutting out the Woodelands in game 5, as both Lexi and Caitlin struggled to make anything of their shots. The Woodelands did win the series 3-2, and they will advance to the third round, where Bells and Hoot, the Otherentals, await them.
For the third series, the blue cue is in action, with the Mismatch of Boots and Strawberry going against Darkest Night's Nightfur and Midnight. Darkest Night drastically outplayed the Mismatch in game 1, with Nightfur making a deep run early and getting enough support on the back end of the game from Midnight to pick up the win and an early 1-0 lead in the series. Darkest Night had a decent game 2, but both teams left opportunities on the table. The Mismatch led for most of the game, but Strawberry didn't carry her share of the load, and faltered in the end. This left Nightfur with a relatively straight shot on the 8 that she couldn't put away, allowing Boots to salvage the win and tie the series at 1 despite neither team doing all that well. Midnight appeared to use a strategic scratch in game 3, leaving Mismatch with no shot on the 8 from the kitchen. Boots and Strawberry both had missed attempts, and then Midnight came back around on a three-ball run-out to snag the win and retake a 2-1 series lead for Darkest Night. Form has not been particularly strong during this series, making either side vulnerable in their next match. Strawberry awoke from her two-game slumber in game 4, busting out for a five-ball run-out on her second turn as Midnight proved unable to shut the game down with illegal contact ending her modest run. Strawberry's big sequence of shots makes it a 2-2 series and leaves the final game to determine who advances in a very difficult series thus far. Boots' four-ball run in game 5 made quite the impact for the Mismatch, but Darkest Night did not stand down. They attacked relentlessly, and capitalized when Strawberry missed the 8 near the top right. Midnight made a savvy choice, opting for easier shots to retain position, and then cut the 8 in for the win, giving Darkest Night the 3-2 series win. They will play host to the Second Generation, Puff II and Twinkie II, in the third round.
The red cue returns for its final appearance of the round in today's fourth series, featuring the Italian Plumbers Mario and Luigi against Destiny's Sierra and Spirit. The Italian Plumbers had clear pipelines for their game 1 win, with Mario and Luigi each working a nice run while maintaining bad positions for Destiny's Sierra and Spirit. Mario made the last two shots for the win and a 1-0 series lead. Destiny looked much sharper in game 2, as they collapsed a defense around the bottom right and forced Luigi to shoot into it. He failed to get anything from the shot, and the remnants of the defense allowed Spirit to pick around for a five-ball run-out for Destiny, tying the series with the Italian Plumbers at a game apiece. Luigi thought his five-ball run over the middle of game 3 would be enough to carry the Italian Plumbers, as they were shutting out Destiny at that point. This didn't last, as Sierra made a couple of shots and played impeccable defense, forcing Mario into illegal contact. Spirit did the rest, working a six-ball run-out for the win and a 2-1 series lead in favor of Destiny. Sierra couldn't quite complete a run-out, settling for a four-ball run and leaving the 8 in a surprisingly good position, as Mario capitalized with a five-ball run-out using some excellent deflections to get into the proper spaces to pick up the win for the Italian Plumbers, retying the series at 2. Luigi made a huge mistake on his second shot, after Sierra's five-ball run ended in a scratch. Luigi shot hard but missed his mark and put the 8 in motion, where it banked twice and found the bottom right pocket illegally, gifting Destiny with the win and the 3-2 series win all at once. Destiny dodged a bullet to advance to the third round against Farm and Forest's Chicky Phil and Panda.
In the fifth series, the blue cue returns to action with the Daughters of Delila, Fluffina and Precious, facing the Italians, Bianca and Isabella. The Daughters of Delila saw their opening five-ball run end in a scratch from Fluffina, allowing the Italians to develop an offense. It took awhile to round into form, but the Italians made a late charge through Bianca's five-ball run-out and won the game for a 1-0 series lead to stun the veteran duo they oppose. Bianca did a lot of the work for the Italians in game 2 as well, but she had to weather a strong attack from Fluffina. Isabella provided the highlight with a kick to sink the 12 in the bottom side, but she missed on the 8 two shots later, and Precious proved a bit more accurate to grab a win for the Daughters of Delila, tying the series at 1. Fluffina seemed to be the only player who was shooting with regular consistency in game 3, as the other players struggled. Isabella and Precious were particularly prone to missing their shots, and Bianca couldn't keep up with Fluffina. The Daughters of Delila star Fluffina scored a four-ball run-out to bring the game to its merciful end, and this gave her team a 2-1 lead in the series as well. Game 4 saw Fluffina once again pacing the field, as Bianca and Isabella worked hard to catch up, take the lead, and then choke it away with multiple misses on the 8 for each of them. Bianca even gave away the final ball the Daughters of Delila needed, and Precious converted the shot on the 8 to the top right for the win, clinching the series at 3-1. In game 5, the Daughters of Delila thought they were on track for another win, but Precious missed the 8 to cap a five-ball run and Fluffina also whiffed on the shot after Isabella's strategic scratch. Bianca pieced together the three-ball run-out for the win, making it a 3-2 series. The Daughters of Delila will face another Delila Enterprises duo in the third round, featuring Americus and Princess of Dogtown.
The sixth series has the blue cue up again, with the teams being the Big Bears Roxy and Nikolai, going against Easter and Whiskers, Atomic Aunt. The Big Bears laid out a perfect trap play, with Nikolai setting up shots at three corner pockets, one as a defensive play. Whiskers had to shoot into the trap at one point, and this made it easy for Roxy to sink a four-ball run-out, mostly on tap-ins, for the win a 1-0 series lead for the Big Bears over the Atomic Aunt. Game 2 was a bit less clever for the Big Bears, but a lot luckier, as the game went pretty evenly throughout. Whiskers held Atomic Aunt back, with Easter having to do much of the work to keep them competitive. Roxy got things set up well for Nikolai, and he complied, making the last two shots after Easter missed on the 8 toward the top side to give the Big Bears a 2-0 series lead. Atomic Aunt survived game 3, but just barely. Easter's five-ball run from the break ended in a scratch, and Nikolai led the charge for the Big Bears, but they came up short when Easter had a three-ball run-out a couple of turns later after some work from Whiskers to line things up. The series stands at 2-1 for the Big Bears currently. Easter took a very misguided shot at the end of a cluttered and frustrating game 4, and her scratch set the stage for Roxy to swoop in with the death knell, as the Big Bears took this win on the last two shots to make it 3-1 in the series. After a six-ball run from Easter early in game 6, Roxy refused to let Atomic Aunt have the satisfaction of earning their win, as her errant shot on the 5 knocked in the 8 early to gift away a win. The series finished at 3-2 for the Big Bears, who will challenge Kirstin and Niki of Davidson's Conquest in the third round after this series win.
For series seven, the Founders Acorn and Oreo face the Checkers Gizmo and Bear, with the blue cue's last appearance of the round coming in this series. Acorn made a huge four-ball run from the break, setting the tone in game 1 for the Founders. Bear scratched on his only turn of the game, while the Checkers were being shut out, and Acorn cashed in with three more. Oreo iced it with a crafty kick to sink the 8 in the top right for a shutout and 1-0 series lead for the Founders. The Checkers nearly returned the favor in game 2, but they ended up surrendering a five-ball run to the Founders' Acorn on his second turn, making it a much closer game in the end. Acorn tried to draw himself into position, but this failed, and Gizmo had an easy cut on the 8 to the bottom right to get the win, tying the series at 1. Bear found the highlight reel with a kick combination going 15-2-12 to the bottom left off the right rail in game 3. This was where things started going downhill for the Checkers. Bear's three-ball run was their last extended offensive run, and Oreo and Acorn charged back into the game. In the end, it was Oreo striking the 8 after Bear had a miss on the 14, and the win for the Founders restores their series lead at 2-1. Bear was responsible for the loss in game 4 for the Checkers that saw the duo eliminated, as he scratched on one turn, and then failed to complete a run on his next turn, twice allowing Acorn possession that he used to grab the win the second time, clinching the series at 3-1. In game 5, Acorn saw a lot of chances for the Founders go to waste, especially under the pressure of a five-ball run from Gizmo early on. Bear contributed good position for the Checkers, and he ended up with the winning shot as well after a miss from Oreo. The series ended 3-2 for the Founders, who will play host to a red-hot Muscle and Medicine side in the third round.
Finally, the second round ends with the Angel Bears Bright and Wings facing Twinnest, featuring Neopolitan and Ice Cream. The silver cue closes out the round with this appearance. Twinnest had a very disjointed attack in game 1, allowing the Angel Bears plenty of time to slowly carve through the defense and assemble small runs to get the win. Wings was able to ice the game with a shot on the 8 after Neopoltian's light miss on the 5, giving the Angel Bears a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 was frustrating for both sides, with tensions nearly boiling over thanks to a lot of missed shots. Twinnest was able to overcome the issues first, mostly because of scratches committed by the Angel Bears. Neopolitan finally iced the game very late to tie the series at 1 with their win. The Angel Bears had a bit more traction in their game 3 performance, and late misses from both Neopolitan and Ice Cream doomed the Twinnest offense. Ice Cream's miss was particularly painful, a straight-line shot that rattled out and left Wings with a straight tap-in on the 8 to the bottom right to gain a 2-1 series lead for the Angel Bears. Bright and Neopolitan battled directly, exchanging five-ball runs early in the game as the teams battled for leverage. Wings got a little more than Ice Cream, and the game turned defensive until Neopolitan's missed contact allowed Wings to finish the game on his terms, giving the Angel Bears the win and a 3-1 series lead. The Angel Bears fell out of form in game 5, allowing a deep run to Neopolitan and a supporting run by Ice Cream. The Angel Bears also had scratching problems, and this allowed Twinnest back in the game, as Neopolitan banked the 12 to the bottom left on a threaded-needle shot, before potting the 8 for the win. The series ended 3-2 for the Angel Bears, who will oppose Spice and Sugar, the Forgotten Generation, in the third round.
Tomorrow, the entire third round is schedule. Friday's schedule then holds the final three rounds, and that would ice this special edition tournament. If there's any requirement for overflow, that will occur on Saturday.
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