After yesterday's opening of the new round, we get into the groove of standard play. We'll have another eight series today before taking at least one day off, potentially two. Let's begin in...
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Sweetheart v. Cobalt. This match between a veteran and a rookie is in 9-ball with the silver cue. Boston's Sweetheart didn't have a clean game 1, playing poorly in the early going as Stonebridge's Cobalt paced play. Sweetheart caught a break later when Cobalt stumbled on the 8. Sweetheart made the last two balls for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Sweetheart established herself with a luck-based three-ball run in game 2, double-tapping two balls in. The Wolves' Cobalt shot well to get back in the game, but Sweetheart finished the game with a cut on the 9 to the bottom right to earn a 2-0 series lead with her win. Sweetheart had a slower start in game 3, but found her shot on a four-ball run that nearly went farther. Instead, her miss on the 7 set up a three-ball run-out for Cobalt, who kept his series alive by winning to cut it to 2-1. Game 4 saw neither player form a run. Cobalt had the best chance at a win, but he missed the 9 twice, and Sweetheart was able to make it on her second try after a spate of bad shots to get the win and clinch the series at 3-1. Sweetheart dominated in game 5, winning with a three-ball run-out a turn after another three-ball run. Cobalt had his chances but got outplayed by Sweetheart, who won the series 4-1 and will travel for her bracket quarterfinals series.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Bear v. Bells. The blue cue comes on for the other pre-lunch series today, in 10-ball. Whitewater's Bear got the best of a bad game 1, making enough shots at the right times to get around an even poorer performance from Todavía's Bells. Bear leads the series 1-0 after the sloppy win. Game 2 went much better for both sides. The Shores' Bear made two balls from the break, but was answered by a three-ball run from the Stills' Bells, who could have had more except for her kick that left the 6 standing. Bear countered with a four-ball run-out from here, getting positioning and a 9-10 combination to the top right for the win, giving him the 2-0 series lead. Bear had trouble with legally potting balls in game 3, leaving things wide open for Bells, who picked up the slack on a five-ball run. Each player missed the 10 twice before Bells could make it on her third attempt after Bear cut it too thin at the bottom right. The win by Bells makes it a 2-1 series. Bells had the best run of play in game 4 as well, right at the end with a three-ball run-out after she had battled with Bear to clean up a poor break. Bells' finishing run was enough to tie the series at 2. Bear figured out his game just in time in game 5, as Bells dominated with a four-ball run but couldn't corral the 8. Bear made the 8 and the 10 on tap-ins for the win and a 3-2 series win. Bear advances to the bracket quarterfinals.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Mams v. Kirstin. After lunch, the blue cue gets to play Accuracy. Viewpoint Sound's Mams couldn't quite make her lead hold up against Everton's Kirstin. She fell into a tie, which forced overtime, and there Mams had two misses, allowing Kirstin to gain the 3-4 win for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Eagles' Kirstin made two balls on the break and continued to play well from there, missing only once in the middle. The Meteors' Mams had a chance to make it interesting late in the game, but a pair of misses to finish left Kirstin with a 1-4 win and 2-0 series lead. Game 3 was played much tighter, as Mams brought her best to meet Kirstin this time. A late miss put the game into a tie, and Mams missed on the overtime break, giving Kirstin an easy shot for the 1-2 win and the 3-0 clincher. Mams had a much stronger outing in game 4, coinciding nicely with a swoon from Kirstin, who never recovered from an early miss. Mams took advantage of Kirstin's poor play to earn a 2-5 win, cutting the series to 3-1. Game 5, a lame-duck game, saw both players ease off their shots a bit, resulting in a sloppy 4-5 win favoring Kirstin to give her a 4-1 series win over Mams. Kirstin will be on the road for her bracket quarterfinals series.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Stinky v. Wario. The red cue's only series of the day pits a veteran against a rookie in Rotation. Freedom's Stinky saved himself a lot of trouble by building up an early lead against Victoria's Wario, which helped when the visiting rookie made a late push. Stinky weathered the attack, then won 8-5 for a 1-0 series lead when he made two shots in a row. The Cascades' Stinky took a different approach in game 2, watching as the Spurs' Wario gained the early lead. Stinky then charged back with a five-ball run, and the two scrapped for the lead after that, with Stinky emerging in the end ahead 8-6 for the win and a 2-0 series lead. Wario won game 3 based on Stinky's inability to capitalize on Wario's shaky play. Wario did well to build a nice lead early on, but he was inefficient despite the 8-3 win which kept him going in the 2-1 series still favoring Stinky. In game 4, Wario had some of the same struggles, but Stinky was not as forgiving this time. He had a nice three-ball run to gain the lead in the middle of the game, and then ended with a pair of nice shots, but none beat his curved shot on the 3 that helped him get on the board. Stinky won 8-4, taking the series at 3-1 with the confident bounce-back game. Stinky made quick work of game 5, bursting out to a massive lead in two turns. Wario got a couple of balls back, but Stinky shut things down with an 8-2 win to walk off with a 4-1 series win. Stinky is in line to host a bracket quarterfinals series.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: A. Charlton v. Gradley. Southeast Division players spar in Accuracy with the blue cue in this series. Golden's Charlton nearly played a perfect game 1, and while Boston's Gradley was not bad, he couldn't match that shooting proficiency. Charlton cruised to a 1-3 win for a 1-0 series lead after her good game. The Swifts' Gradley flipped the script in game 2, playing a very strong game himself while the Pilots' Charlton faltered numerous times early in the game. Gradley held his ground, and Charlton had no chance to catch up his Gradley's 1-5 win to tie the series at 1. Charlton continued to slip in a weak game 3, struggling near the start of the game. She still almost had a chance to win, as Gradley fell hard at the end of the game, but held on for a 4-5 win to make it a 2-1 series lead in his favor. Game 4 saw both players squander chances late to gain control of the game, which resulted in a trip to overtime. Charlton had the break and elected to shoot soft given her poor angle, but she got no drawback, and Gradley hammered the rack, sinking a ball to secure a 3-4 win and 3-1 series win in one shot. Game 5 saw more wasted opportunities for Gradley, and this time it would cost him in regulation, as Charlton gained a late upper hand and pushed him around until she won 3-4. Gradley still took the series 3-2, and will head to Subway Arena in Stonebridge to face the Wolves rookie Prism in the bracket quarterfinals.
Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Lionel. It's a match between best friends in 7-ball with the silver cue. Both players seemed evenly matched this time, but Commerce's Lionel had a slight edge of Diamond's Smokey. Lionel was able to make the 7 after Smokey missed it, giving the visitor a 1-0 series lead for the winning shot. Game 2 was more of the same for the Tradewinds' Lionel, who only differentiated himself from the Gems' Smokey by making the 7 when Smokey couldn't pull off the medium-range shot. Lionel now leads the series 2-0, but it could easily have gone the other way. Game 3 went more favorably for Smokey, as he picked up the win in a strong outing. Lionel had a scratch in the middle of the game, and this turned the tables for Smokey to make a few shots, earning the win with possession to cut the series to 2-1. Lionel made sure game 4 lasted only two shots, as Smokey scratched on the break and Lionel used ball-in-hand to secure the series at 3-1 with a 1-7 combination to the bottom side. Lionel finished off the series with a dominant game 5, making five of the seven balls with a four-ball run early and the 7 at the end for the win. Lionel defeated Smokey 4-1, and Lionel will travel again in the bracket quarterfinals.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Bandit v. Salmo. It's a battle between rookies as the blue cue returns for some 12-ball. Swordpoint's Bandit got two balls on the break of game 1, putting Lighton's Salmo on the spot immediately. Salmo did well to get himself in position on his final shots, but Bandit was quicker, and used ball-in-hand from Salmo's missed contact to make his last two balls. Bandit leads the series 1-0 with the win. The Blades' Bandit avoided any single long run in game 2, but he was forced to pick up the pace when the Prestige's Salmo made a three-ball run to get onto his last ball. Bandit got lucky he didn't scratch when shooting his own final ball, but Salmo pulled off an unlikely kick on the 4 to the top left to win anyway, tying the series at 1. Salmo made a deep five-ball run from the break in game 3, but his error was to give Bandit a wild-card ball. Bandit made him pay in two turns, making all five of his remaining balls for the win and restoring his series lead at 2-1 in the process. Game 4 saw a lousy break from Bandit, making things difficult for both players. Salmo's problems reached a head when he potted a ball for Bandit, a wild-card ball Bandit used for flexibility as he made his final two shots to win and secure the series at 3-1. Salmo did better to control his shot in game 5, and a couple of rookie mistakes from Bandit made it even easier for Salmo to get the win with his final two shots coming from ball-in-hand. Bandit still won the series 3-2, and will host his bracket quarterfinals series as well.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Prism v. Panda. Today's final series is also with the blue cue, in Rotation. Stonebridge's Prism certainly had the more creative and highlight-worthy shots in game 1, making a double-pot of the 4 and 11 to the top left at one point. Southern's Panda, while less flashy, played a more practical game, working his way to an 8-5 win and a 1-0 series lead in the comeback. Game 2 went far less smoothly for either player. The Monarchs' Panda had an awful break, and this led to short runs and choppy shooting. The Wolves' Prism held a brief lead early on, but Panda took over and retained the lead to the end in an 8-5 win to put himself ahead 2-0 in the series. Panda started with a hot break, earning a three-ball run pretty quickly. Prism recovered by the middle of the game to tie it, but Panda pulled away to an 8-4 win with his four-ball run-out, clinching the series at 3-0 with the nice finish. Panda hit the highlight reel on a double-pot in game 4, making the 5 on a spinning cut to the top side from a terrible angle. The spin then took the cue to the 12-9 combination at the bottom right to complete the stunning play. Panda followed it up with another double-pot, cutting the 6 to the top side and then hitting two rails before the cue drove the 15 to the top right, leading off a three-ball run-out that clinched his pretty 8-3 win over Prism to make it a 4-0 series. Prism redeemed herself a bit in a dominant game 5, capitalizing on a fairly nonchalant effort by Panda to win 8-1. Panda still took the series 4-1, and he will host a bracket quarterfinals series for his troubles.
That's all for today's series. We'll be back on Monday at the latest, with a half-chance at Sunday being the return to action this weekend.
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