Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Marsell v. Tigerette. The Industrial Derby leads us off in 15-ball with the blue cue. Game 1 was a mess for both players. Commerce's Tigerette had some good play at the start, but the 7 shut both her and Whitewater's Marsell down. With frustrations rising, Tigerette got the lucky draw to make the 15 after exchanging single shots for most of the second half of the game. Tigerette holds a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Tigerette had an improved effort in game 2, making a five-ball run early on. The Shores' Marsell refused to go quietly, making five of the last seven balls over two turns, but one of the ones that went to Tigerette was the 15, giving her another win and the 2-0 series lead. Game 3 saw another close battle after Tigerette had another bad break. The early stages saw the players exchange makes from ball-in-hand and misses just after. Marsell was the first to break the pattern, giving him a slight edge toward the end, and he converted the 15 when Tigerette couldn't to get the win, making it a 2-1 series now. Tigerette put in a decent challenge with a four-ball run near the end of game 4, challenging an earlier four-ball run by Marsell near the middle of the game. Tigerette's run came just short of being a winner, as she left the 15 standing, and Marsell made it to tie the series at 2 with his win. Tigerette had a clear edge in game 5, and it grew as she ran a five-ball stretch over the middle, spinning off the 7 into a double-pot with the 15. That spin would destroy her, as it took the 15 in the bottom right but also created a scratch to give Marsell the win. Marsell luckily took the series 3-2, and will host Diamond Gems rookie Rosalina in the bracket quarterfinals.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Frosty v. Peach. Expansion sides clash in 12-ball with the silver cue in this series. Stonebridge's Frosty had a mixed break, sinking one of each. North Modernistic's Peach didn't appear keen on capitalizing for awhile, but her poor shooting soon gave way to a five-ball run-out in a surprising twist that sent the visitor to a 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Peach had a solid start in game 2, but quickly found herself backed into a corner by the more experienced Wolves' Frosty, who had her own unique game with positioning. Frosty was better set up at the finish, inducing some collateral damage by potting one of Peach's balls, which amounted to nothing when Peach couldn't counter. Frosty got the win to tie the series at 1. Frosty was on the verge of victory, just needing to position her last ball at the top left corner, but Peach did enough with defense and a couple of spurts of offense to hold her off. Frosty never got a shot direct to the pocket, and Peach made her last two balls to snag the win and regain the series lead at 2-1. Peach gave away a wild-card ball on the break in game 4, giving Frosty a bit of an advantage, but Peach did well to force Frosty to return the favor later, and then Frosty also gave up her own wild-card ball. With Peach in the lead, the game turned sloppy until Peach jumped the 4 to cut the 9 into the top left for the win to clinch the series at 3-1. Scratching was a problem in the lame-duck game 5, but Peach nearly overcame her erring issues while Frosty was vulnerable. Frosty had illegally potted the 4 at the top right, giving Peach ball-in-hand for her last two shots, but she couldn't bank the 9 to the bottom left, and Frosty got the narrow win. Peach took the series 3-2, and will be on the road for the bracket quarterfinals. The do or die series left Frosty as the 33rd player eliminated, while a pressured Peach made her first career kill.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Whiskers v. Hoppy. After lunch, the silver cue is back in action in the Southwest for a battle in 10-ball. Infinity's Whiskers had a good break in game 1, and she played well throughout the game until missing on the 10 at the end. This allowed Southern's Hoppy to take the win despite being slightly outplayed, good for a 1-0 series lead to Hoppy. The Monarchs' Hoppy had an even better effort in game 2, making a three-ball run from the break. This led to a slow middle part of the game as the Torpedoes' Whiskers struggled to get any offense going. Hoppy then ended the game early with a three-ball run-out capped by her 6-10 combination to the bottom right to give her a 2-0 series lead with another win. Game 3 saw a resurgence from Whiskers, who played well early on in keeping steady with Hoppy. Whiskers then had a three-ball run late in the game, but missed the 10 on her only chance, giving Hoppy the win as she tapped it in to secure the series at 3-0. Whiskers made an impression in game 4 after Hoppy committed illegal contact. Whiskers converted the 4, then took the 6 and 8 to the left corners before a 7-9-10 combination to the top right for the win, cutting the series to 3-1. In game 5, the players battled evenly to bring the series to a close, with Whiskers popping up just in time at the end to get the win. Hoppy took the 3-2 series back home, where she will host another Torpedo, the rookie Solaris, at House of 10 Windows in Del Sur in the bracket quarterfinals.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Dusky. The red cue makes its first appearance today in Rotation. Pacific's Starlight got off to a great start with a three-ball run from the break, but Archtown's Dusky quickly tied the game a couple of turns later. Starlight struggled to get ahead again, but she did, and won 8-3 with a three-ball run-out that ended on a 9-14 combination to the bottom side. Starlight leads the series 1-0. The Volcanoes' Starlight didn't have the same pace on her game 2 effort, but the Arrows' Dusky didn't challenge very much with a poor shooting performance throughout. This allowed Starlight to again cruise to victory, winning 8-3 for a 2-0 series lead. Starlight held two leads in game 3, the opening lead that Dusky successfully covered, and then a four-ball run that pulled her ahead again. Dusky fought back in pieces, tying the game late before finally winning 8-7 to make it a 2-1 series with her persistent effort. Starlight built up a bit of a lead again in game 4, but Dusky charged back on a four-ball run tie the game before her offense fell off. Starlight had just enough in the tank to pick up the win at 8-7, securing the series at 3-1 in her favor. Starlight had a four-ball run from the break in game 5, but she couldn't make that lead hold. Dusky needed two turns to tie the game, and the two players battled hard until Dusky made the 15 to win 8-7. Starlight got by on a 3-2 series win, and she will host the Whitewater Shores' Twinkie III at this venue in the bracket quarterfinals.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Dusty v. Salmo. The blue cue gets a turn in Rotation as a star faces a rookie. Golden's Dusty struck first in game 1, but had to weather quite the storm from Lighton's Salmo in the middle of the game. The rookie held the lead for awhile, but Dusty rallied back, eventually getting the 8-6 win to take a 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Salmo showed remarkable efficiency in game 2, countering a three-ball run from the Pilots' Dusty on the break with a four-ball run to take the lead. Dusty did get one back, but Salmo had a three-ball run to get on the brink, and then won 8-4 on the next turn to tie the series at 1 with the quick game. Dusty rebounded pretty well in game 3, making a nice early run and then holding off Salmo before another three-ball run solidified her lead. Patiently, Dusty awaited a clear shot at the end, and converted on the 12 to win 8-4, retaking the series lead at 2-1. Salmo charged forward with a massive and impressive four-ball run at the start of game 4. Dusty never really answered it, although she did pull herself back into the game. Salmo shut the door with a 12-15 combination to the bottom right to win 8-5, tying the series again at 2. Dusty and Salmo tangled as equals in game 5, with Salmo standing out for a 4-9-8 kick combination to the bottom left. Dusty tied the game, and it stayed tied for quite awhile until Salmo broke free at the end to win 8-5. Salmo's upset 3-2 series win takes his bid to UPS Hall in Maplewood, where he will face the Lumberjacks' Bryant in the bracket quarterfinals.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Bear v. Sweetheart. Two experienced veterans meet in this 8-ball series with the red cue. Boston's Sweetheart wasted no time in establishing herself with a pair of three-ball runs. Whitewater's Bear just made a pair of shots to avoid the shutout, followed by Sweetheart winning with the last two shots of the game for a 1-0 series lead. The Shores' Bear replied with a huge six-ball run on his first turn of game 2. The pace slowed down after this, although the Swifts' Sweetheart kept it interesting with a four-ball run, but Bear eventually shut her down to get the win and tie the series at 1. Sweetheart had a strong outing in game 3, but it took awhile to look like it. Bear gained the early lead, but Sweetheart answered with a five-ball run, which Bear countered with a three-ball run. Sweetheart then tapped in the 8 to the bottom left for the win, regaining the series lead at 2-1. Bear challenged right back in game 5, getting the early lead and supplementing it with a later five-ball run to get him onto the 8. Sweetheart made a couple of balls but couldn't run out the rack, falling as Bear tapped it in to the top right for the win to retie the series at 2. Sweetheart had to hold on tight in a whirlwind game 5, as she had the lead, lost it to a four-ball run by Bear, and then recovered herself with a three-ball run-out to take the win and the 3-2 series win. Sweetheart's resilient play will send her to the bracket quarterfinals at Capital City SuperCenter, where she meets the Sharpshooters' Chris.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Princess v. Nightfur: Two beleaguered captains clash in 8-ball with the blue cue. Tysini's Princess had a bit of a slow start in game 1, but she did well for herself in the long run, making a four-ball run before Royal's Nightfur potted a ball. Nightfur tried to pull back, but didn't come close, and Princess won two turns later to take a 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Princess took only two shots in game 2, a successful break and then a horribly unfortunate kick on the 4 that sent the 8 straight to the top side to gift a win to the Crowns' Nightfur to tie the series at 1 on an odd play. In game 3, Nightfur did better to earn a win instead of having it fall to her. Princess led for about half of the game before Nightfur unleashed a five-ball run of tap-ins to get onto the 8, which she made a turn later despite Princess' attempt at defense. Nightfur now has a 2-1 series lead, while Princess is struggling with confidence. Game 4 started off a bit slowly and even featured rising tension as the players lagged behind the pace of play. Princess erased all of that, at least for herself, when she put up a silky smooth six-ball run-out, getting a couple of glancing kicks in and great positioning for the win to retie the series at 2. Nightfur had the lead for most of game 5, getting a strong opening run after Princess' alright break. Nightfur just had a bit of trouble with the end, and Princess made it very close with her four-ball run that agonizingly left the 8 at the bottom side. Nightfur got the tap-in to win, taking the series 3-2. Nightfur returns home to host the Diamond Gems' Pedey at Royal's Kraft Forum in the bracket quarterfinals. Princess was eliminated in this series, the 34th player sent out, while Nightfur earned her first kill of the year.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Roxy. The last series today is in 15-ball, using the silver cue. Freedom's Roxy had one fairly good turn in game 1, but she couldn't weather the late attack from Capital City's Missy, who capped the game on a three-ball run-out, with the 11-15 combination to the top right as her winning shot for a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Missy continued her solid play in game 2, but the Cascades' Roxy provided more of a challenge in a faster-paced game. In the end, Missy got possession late and ended with the 10-15 combination on a sharp cut to the top left to win again and move her series lead to 2-0. Roxy continued the trend of ending the game on a combination, making game 3 end quite early after Missy had a poor leave. Roxy's eyes lit up when she had a chance to shoot the 5-15 combination to the bottom right, and she made it to pull a game back in the now 2-1 series. Game 4 almost looked to break the combo trend, as Missy had a four-ball run and a lot of momentum toward the end of the game that could have carried through the full rack. Instead, her defensive play to leave Roxy with no clear shot on the 13 resulted in a spinning kick-combination for Roxy, going 13-15 to the bottom side to tie the series at 2. Roxy had another dazzling shot to get the early win in game 5 after Missy had taken the bulk of the early possession again. In a cluster, Roxy poked the 3-15 combination cleanly to the top right to take the series 3-2, earning her a trip to Kraft Forum in Royal to visit the Crowns' Nightfur in the bracket quarterfinals.
That's all for today's Tournament play. Tomorrow, we end Round A2 and move along to administrative tasks and some time off. There will be cricket played tonight, live on Twitter
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