2017 Qualifiers - Day 2

We're looking to play 40 games today, but we'll bump it up to 50 if we're feeling lucky. We begin with...

A. Charlton of the Golden Pilots leading off group one with her 7-ball qualifier, using the blue cue in her season debut. Charlton got two balls in on the break, and rode that successful start to a strong 9 shot game with no errors to set a positive tone for the day. Central Warriors captain Twilight gets the next game, the league's first 9-ball of the qualifying season, which she'll play with the blue cue. Twilight had mild frustrations stemming from her empty break and a single error, as well as a bit of difficulty in corralling the 3, which led to her taking a mediocre 18 shots in the game. Back to 7-ball is where Bianca, the Southridge Defenders rookie, takes us, and she keeps the blue cue in action for her career debut. Bianca was devastatingly effective as a shooter, going empty on the break but working around obstructed shots for a score of 8 with no errors in a very confident appearance. Going fourth today is Mario, the Central Warriors rookie, who will use the red cue in his career debut in 7-ball. Mario played a very solid game, getting a ball on the break and then avoiding errors as he meticulously set himself up with tap-ins over 9 shots in the game. Finishing the group, we have Everton Eagles sophomore Kirstin shooting 8-ball with the blue cue, trying to break the curse that's fallen upon that event so far this year. Kirstin didn't get anything on the break, but she picked her way around the rack well, needing only 18 shots to clear the table, and she took no errors in the process.

Group two leads off with Southern Monarchs captain Panda shooting 7-ball with the blue cue, which has gotten quite a lot of action so far today. Panda had an unforgiving rack, getting nothing from his break and having the 7 being temptingly close to combinations but never falling, causing him to score 15 with no errors as he chased unclaimed glory. The seventh player of the day is Dreamy of the Swordpoint Blades, who will shoot her 8-ball game with the red cue in this slot. Dreamy stuck to a fairly average game, getting a lucky ball in on the break and then keeping clean with no errors among her 20 shots, many of which challenged her with their difficulty. Ms. Puppy got the next game, and the Modernistic Union captain keeps the red cue at the table for her 7-ball game. Ms. Puppy got a ball on a very crisp break, and then played a strong game from there on, taking no errors and just 7 shots to finish the appearance. Following that, Southern Monarchs rookie Hoppy plays 8-ball with the red cue. Hoppy started slow in the game, but went a hot stretch over the middle before cooling at the end again, finishing with 21 shots and an empty break with no errors to close things out. The batch ends with Sleepy B. of the Archtown Arrows shooting 7-ball with the silver cue to make her season debut. Sleepy B. had an unimaginably bad start to her game, getting nothing on the break and chasing her shots around the table until her lone error, a scratch. From there, she closed the game in 15 shots, a frustrating score.

The third batch sees Yekaterina Vasilyeva, the sophomore Victoria Spur, trying her hand at 7-ball with the silver cue, hoping for better results than the previous player. Yekaterina also came up empty on the break, and appeared to lose track of her shots, but she settled in and finished with 11 shots, including an error at the end of the game on a scratch. Continuing along, Wings, the longtime Pearl Surfer, brings the blue cue back to action for a game of 7-ball. Wings couldn't really get settled after an empty break, struggling with command and accuracy, leading him to take 13 shots with no errors in the process. Up next, Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball plays 8-ball with the blue cue in her second appearance of qualifiers. Snowball gathered control for herself, making a ball on the break and then dominating her shots throughout the game for a score of 18 with no errors involved. Goatee of the Westside Rockers gets the fourteenth game today, playing 7-ball with the blue cue in this season debut. Goatee had nothing on her break and took an error during the game, but managed to hold on at 12 shots, a respectable score for the occasionally shaky veteran. Rounding out this group, Roxy of the Freedom Cascades steps up to the table to shoot 8-ball with the silver cue. Roxy couldn't produce anything on her break, and came dangerously close to errors, but she stayed error-free and finished the average game in 24 shots, a disappointment.

The fourth group opens with Strawberry, the Modernistic Union newcomer, shooting 7-ball with the red cue. Strawberry did very well, getting a ball on the break, and then setting up and converting the 2-7 combination to the top side, ending the game with 2 shots and no errors to vault near the top of the leaderboard. That's a tough act to follow, and Dominic, the journeyman playing with the Viewpoint Sound Meteors, will have the chance to as he shoots 7-ball with the blue cue. Dominic, as he often is, was very close to magic multiple times, but he ended with an empty break, two errors, and 13 shots as the 7 fell in the bottom side to end the game. Up next, we have the Eagles' Kirstin playing 9-ball with the silver cue to join the speed pace lead. Kirstin couldn't manage anything on her break shot, but she didn't take an error either, instead working around a difficult start to finish the game in 16 shots, ending with the 7-9 kick combination to the top right for an impressive highlight. Dusty, the one-time star for the Golden Pilots, gets the next game, shooting 7-ball with the red cue. Dusty came up empty on the break, but cruised through a fairly non-threatening rack for a palyer of her caliber, making her only error at the end with a scratch that iced her score at 10. The 20th player of the day closes this group, and that player is highly-hyped Infinity Torpedoes rookie Solaris, who makes his career debut with the silver cue in 7-ball. Solaris had no trouble in his first appearance, going empty on the break but scoring the rack in 11 shots with no errors and looking confident while doing so.

In batch five, the games start with Stephanie Livilotti, another Southridge Defenders rookie, shooting 7-ball with the silver cue. Stephanie had a little bit of everything in her game. She got a ball on the break, made illegal contact for her only error, and ran up to 12 shots due to a lack of clear shooting opportunities. Neopolitan got the next game, and the Pearl Surfers co-captain will shoot 7-ball with the blue cue as she starts her season. Neopolitan made a ball on the break and took no errors during the game, showing enough command for a three-ball run-out at the end to close on 9 shots. Going 23rd today is Torpedoes rookie Solaris, getting in his second game, which will see him use the blue cue for 8-ball. Solaris struggled early on in the game, demoralized by getting an empty break, but he settled in for 20 shots and no errors during the appearance, which is plenty acceptable. Following him is Cheddar, the North Modernistic Nighthawk, who will shoot 7-ball with the blue cue. Cheddar played a gutsy game, getting nothing on the break and missing an early deflected chance at the 7, only to make the 4-7 combination to the bottom left and end the game early at 8 shots, with no errors tallied during the appearance. The group ends with Fluffina, the Maplewood Lumberjacks captain, looking to bounce back in 8-ball with the silver cue after a bad start yesterday. Fluffina did alright, going empty on the break and taking her lone error early in the game on a scratch, before ultimately ending on 22 shots after a mid-game swoon derailed a promising series of shots.

Starting off group six, Web City Spiders captain Shadow plays 7-ball with the blue cue. Shadow had a rough go of things, scoring nothing on the break except for a scratch. Two easy misses and two errors in total later, Shadow was able to close with a still-healthy total of 12 shots for the game. Lorde of the Commerce Tradewinds is up next, using the silver cue to start her sophomore season in 7-ball. Lorde dominated throughout her game, making a ball on the break and not even thinking of erring during the 8 shots it took to clear the rest of the rack. Moving along to Waluigi, the Maplewood Lumberjacks rookie who will play 7-ball with the blue cue to lead us into the scheduled mid-afternoon break, a post-Reconstruction feature for weekday play. Waluigi's only mistake was a scratch on the break shot, as he was perfect from there on, although he did miss his 2-7 combination attempt, making the 2 on a bank to the bottom left. He had just one error in 8 shots for the game. After the break, Slinks makes her Westside Rockers pool debut with the silver cue in game of 7-ball. Slinks made three balls on the break in this game, including the 7, giving her a score of 0 shots with no errors in a perfect performance. The last player in the group is Acorn, the Lighton Prestige captain, using the blue cue in 7-ball as he tries to match the previous player's effort. Acorn had a much less positive experience, getting nothing on the break and stagnating mid-game, forcing himself into an error and 13 total shots to finish his season debut.

The seventh bunch kicks off with Oreo of the Terrace City Knights using the blue cue for 7-ball. Oreo had a mixed result for her turn, making two balls in on the break, but also suffering two errors, one at the start and one more at the end, running her up to 11 shots in total. The 32nd player drawn to shoot today is Boots, the Pearl Surfers newcomer who will use the red cue as she tries to make a good impression for her new team. She did just that, as Boots made the 7 to the bottom side on the break of the game, taking no errors and a score of 0 to impress the fans with. Following that, Americus of the Atlantic Pirates shoots 7-ball with the blue cue, trying to match the last result. Americus had an embarrassing series of missed shots, proving unable to lock things down after an empty break. She took no errors among the 15 shots necessary to complete the game. Misty, the Westside Rockers captain, was drawn next for a game of 9-ball with the blue cue. Misty is showing some serious veteran savvy through three qualifying games, needing just 9 shots in this appearance, with a couple of lucky bounces along the way. She made a ball from the break and took no errors in the game. The group is rounded out by Daisy, the Modernistic Union rookie, shooting 7-ball with the blue cue to end the afternoon session. Daisy didn't get anything on the break, making for a long session for the rookie, as she needed two jump shots to stay legal in the 13-shot appearance, taking no errors along the way.

For the night session, group eight is led off by Paps of the Eastside Sharks, who will play 9-ball with the red cue. Paps had some iffy situations to get out of, but he did so with much poise, avoiding an error among his 15 shots, which could have been lower with some more aggressive shots. Next up is Jake of the Royal Crowns, who has the silver cue up for a game of 7-ball to start his qualifying season. Jake had only one error after his empty break, a solid mark given the openness of the game, and he closed it out in 10 shots, establishing himself on the good side of the average. Moving along, Tysini Hummingbirds captain Princess keeps the silver cue at the table for another 7-ball game. Princess suppressed a bit of frustration with the course of her debut, as she took two well-earned errors and needed 13 shots to close out the game, in an all-around difficult appearance. The 39th player to shoot today is Delila of the Atlantic Pirates, as the captain makes it three in a row for the silver cue and 7-ball games. Delila looked to be in her best form in years, taking the rack in only 9 shots with no errors despite coming up empty on the break, which has been fickle so far tonight. Rounding out the group, Commerce Tradewinds veteran Ice Cream plays 7-ball with the silver cue to keep the streak going. Ice Cream got stuck with a whammy in this game, getting nothing from the break and no clean leaves throughout, taking 19 shots with one error in the enraging game.

The ninth batch opens with Snowball shooting 9-ball with the red cue, hoping a change of pace will help change the direction of the results. Snowball got her wish, and while she couldn't make anything on the break despite being close on both right corners, she took only one error among 13 shots to complete the game and set the league pace for the event currently. Diamond Gems captain Smokey gets the next turn, reverting to silver cue and 7-ball and hoping that Ice Cream's game was an anomaly. Smokey did just about his best, getting a bit unlucky not to get anything from the break, and then navigating unclear shots well enough to end with 10 shots and no errors in the appearance, a very strong showing. The 43rd player chosen today is Snowball again, as she shoots 10-ball with the blue cue to establish the new league pace for events. Snowball didn't do so well at the start, taking all three errors early on despite making two balls on the break, but she settled in over the middle and finished with a score of 19 overall. Following that game, Sugar, the new Harrison Specter, plays 7-ball with the blue cue. Sugar went from good to bad to great all over the course of 5 shots that she needed to finish the game. The good was a ball on the break, quickly followed by her lone error, a scratch, and then the great cluster-buster that sent the 7 to the top left. The batch closes with a game of 7-ball with the silver cue for Bright of the North Modernistic Nighthawks. Bright couldn't quite get anything on the break, but he avoided taking an error in the rest of the game, working efficiently to score 9 shots only.

The last group of the day begins with Ruby, the Archtown Arrows star, shooting 7-ball with the silver cue. Ruby got nothing on the break, but went on a six-ball run after that, only getting lucky when the 1 caromed to take the 4 at the bottom left. Ruby made the 7 later, scoring 8 shots with no errors in the stunning appearance. Going 47th today, Capital City Sharpshooters captain Chris keeps the silver cue at the table for more 7-ball in his season debut. Chris got a bit unlucky with an early error after an empty break, both of which conspired to contain him a bit too well, and he ended on 13 shots with the single error. Fuchsia, the Midland Predators rookie, gets the next game, also using the silver cue for a game of 7-ball. Fuchsia did alright in her game, scoring a ball on the break but also taking an error among the 11 shots she needed, and it required some gutsy play at the end to keep things in line, including a kick to pot the 7 in the top left for the finisher. Going next is Pacific Volcanoes superstar captain Starlight, who will keep the silver cue 7-ball theme going in another extended run for the combination. It is starting to become a troublesome combination, with Starlight needing 13 shots despite making two balls from the break, and she took one error in the process. The night ends with a debut for Puff III of the Everton Eagles, as she starts her season in 7-ball with the blue cue in hand. Puff III didn't quite get anything from her break, but she made up for it with 10 shots and no errors in a pretty strong appearance.

That's all for today's 50 games. We'll see how the pace for games per day settles in as we go along. Tomorrow, we'll do this again.