Sprint Hall, Victoria: Yekaterina Vasilyeva v. Nicole. The silver cue gets the start today, playing 12-ball for this series. Victoria's Yekaterina started game 1 quite well with a three-ball run, but scratched after a four-ball run by Nicole to put the host in some trouble. Nicole couldn't get positioned fast enough, and Yekaterina enjoyed a three-ball run-out for the win to take a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Nicole took advantage of a scratch from the Spurs' Yekaterina in game 2, which hampered the host's start. Nicole made a decent early run to establish herself, and while Yekaterina did get a four-ball run in response, she fell short against Nicole, who tied the series at 1 with her win. Nicole made a couple of iffy mistakes in game 3, twice sending a second ball to a pocket, and the latter of these instances proved costly, as it gave Yekaterina ball-in-hand for her last shot, which she made to win and earn a 2-1 series lead. In game 4, Yekaterina had a five-ball run from the start in a burst of great play, but she couldn't corral the final ball. Nicole chipped back with a three-ball run, and then her failed 14-13 combination ended with the 14 getting deflected into the top side, allowing her to make the 13 cleanly to the bottom left for the win, retying the series at 2 as well. Game 5 had a bit of everything, as Nicole's break gave Yekaterina a wild-card ball, and Yekaterina returned the favor later by giving Nicole two of them from play. Yekaterina still almost won, but her last shot was a missed bank, and Nicole made her bank shot to the top side to win and take the series 3-2. Nicole will be on the road again in the bracket quarterfinals, at Samsung Arena in Whitewater to face the Shores' Shaggy. This ended Yekaterina's sophomore season, as she's the 26th player eliminated and Nicole's first kill of the year.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: A. Charlton v. Paps. The silver cue stays at the table for a series of 8-ball. Golden's Charlton made a good impression in game 1 with her early run, but she had to battle as the game went on. Eastside's Paps did not make it easy, and he had a four-ball run going before potting Charlton's last ball, the 8 to an uncalled pocket, and the cue for a scratch that gave him the loss and Charlton the 1-0 series lead. The Pilots' Charlton had another good effort in game 2, pacing play once again and keeping the Sharks' Paps from getting as close as he did before. Charlton had a lucky bank on her final ball, but drained the 8 cleanly for the win and a 2-0 series lead. Charlton didn't have the cleanest game 3, and with two scratches setting her back, Paps nearly had a breakthrough. Instead, Paps' four-ball run ended with a miss on the 8, and Charlton made a three-ball run-out by banking the 8 to the bottom side to clinch the series at 3-0 with another win. Charlton attacked quite well in game 4, nearly making a ball on the break and then rallying with a four-ball run on her next turn. Paps tried to keep up but fell short in the end, as Charlton used one shot to get good position and then make the 8 for a win and 4-0 series lead. Charlton opened game 5 with a six-ball run, which Paps answered with a five-ball run on his first turn. The game ended two turns later with Charlton potting the 8 to the top right for the 5-0 series sweep. Charlton heads to Everton to visit the Eagles' Puff III in the bracket quarterfinals at Chevrolet Center.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Isabella v. Oreo. The red cue comes on for the first series after lunch, also in 8-ball. Atlantic's Isabella had a hot start to game 1 with a nice three-ball run from the break, and she outplayed Terrace City's Oreo at the end as well, potting the 8 before Oreo had a chance. Isabella leads the series 1-0. The Pirates' Isabella had a decent game 2, but it didn't start all that well, as the Knights' Oreo had the initial three-ball run. Isabella played a patient game and got back into it, and eventually won as Oreo couldn't sink her last balls. The win put Isabella ahead 2-0 in the series. Isabella tried a similar strategy in game 3, but she couldn't get through her suit fast enough. Oreo played slightly better, helping her gain ground in the middle and at the end, and she made the last two balls with a kick and a cut to get the win, making it just a 2-1 series lead for Isabella now. Oreo made sure to pick up the pace in game 4, trying to beat the rookie with a speed element. It worked quite well, as Oreo's four-ball run left her with the 8 at tap-in range, and Isabella didn't get a counterattack going, so Oreo tapped in the winner to tie the series at 2. Isabella found the perfect response in game 5, using a six-ball run to put Oreo into a panic and then patiently getting onto the last two shots through traffic. Isabella's win helped her advance on a 3-2 series win, and she'll host the Southern Monarchs' Hoppy in the bracket quarterfinals at this venue.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Spirit v. Mams. A longtime star meets one on the rise in this series of 9-ball with the silver cue. Neither player had a good game 1, and Lighton's Spirit appeared to especially struggle, unable to find the right angles for any of her shots. Viewpoint Sound's Mams had better luck at the end, making the 7-9 combination to the bottom left for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Spirit had a much better game 2, making a nice run at the start and another in the middle of the game. The end let her down, as she couldn't get onto the 8 at all, and Mams made it and the 9 on her final turn to get the win and a 2-0 series lead for her late effort. Spirit thought she played well enough to win in game 3 as well, but Mams had other plans. She kept things even in a choppy game, but Spirit had the first chance at the 9 and left it short at the bottom right on a frustrating shot. Mams made the tap-in to clinch the series at 3-0. Game 4 saw a reversion to the style of play in game 1. Spirit's usually even-keel gave way to a short temper in this game, a product of losing the series, but Mams didn't raise her intensity enough and Spirit managed to get a win this time, cutting the series to 3-1. In game 5, Spirit knew she didn't have her best, and Mams had one of the better individual efforts of the series with a four-ball run and then the last two balls at the end for the win. Mams took the series 4-1 with her win, advancing to the bracket quarterfinals at Ebay Center in Queens, facing the Flames' Max in that series.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Watermelon v. Shawn. Captains meet in this 10-ball series with the red cue. Pearl's Watermelon seemed to have an edge in game 1, as Midland's Shawn was just a bit off on his shots. Watermelon really clamped down on her final turn with a three-ball run-out ending in a 6-10 combination to the top right for the win and a 1-0 series lead. Momentum shifted constantly in game 2, as the Surfers' Watermelon started well, saw the Predators' Shawn make a three-ball run, then slip, and then Watermelon lost control with a miss on the 7. Shawn capped the thrilling game with a three-ball run-out for the win to tie the series at 1. Shawn had a terrible break for game 3, but nearly benefited from it in the long-term, working a four-ball run during the game. Watermelon, frustrated with the lack of clear shots, finally got two chances on the 10 when Shawn missed his only try at it. Watermelon converted for the win and a 2-1 series lead after a tough battle. Watermelon returned the favor with a poor break for game 4, and Shawn likewise had a good game against it, picking up the win on a five-ball run-out that ended with him double-potting the 8 on a two-rail bank to the bottom left and the 10 to the bottom right on the deflection. Shawn's win retied the series at 2. Shawn had a hot start in game 5, getting a good break and a nice run from it. Watermelon kept the pace even and fought hard in the game, eventually make the 10 to cap a three-ball run-out and give her a 3-2 series win. Watermelon is set to host Boston Swifts star Puff II in the bracket quarterfinals at this venue. Watermelon picked up her second kill of the year in this series, while Shawn is the 28th player eliminated this year.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Jennifer Livilotti v. Jasmine. Two personal rivals clash again in Accuracy with the silver cue. Game 1 started terribly for Terrace City's Jennifer, who fell behind in only a couple of shots and appeared doomed to lose. Freedom's Jasmine, however, had a complete collapse when she missed her last five shots, and Jennifer held on long enough to win 4-5 for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the start was similar, with the Cascades' Jasmine holding and then slipping out of the lead. This time, however, she stayed poised enough to force overtime, and her overtime break kept her in charge. Both players went deep into overtime until the Knights' Jennifer missed on the tenth ball, and Jasmine claimed the 3-4 win to tie the series at 1. Game 3's final score made it look worse than it was, but only Jennifer's lazy shooting and a jammed ball at the bottom left made it a 4-5 game. Jasmine fell behind early and couldn't keep up with Jennifer in the end, as Jennifer retakes the series lead at 2-1. Jennifer produced an awful break in game 4, which greatly reduced the quality of play, especially early on. Things were tied for most of the game, until Jennifer left Jasmine with no shot on the final ball. They each missed once more, but Jennifer pulled away with the 4-5 win again to clinch the series at 3-1. In game 5, a much greater break came from Jennifer, who controlled play for awhile. Jasmine briefly held the lead, then let it go, and with the game already decided at the final ball, Jennifer elected to miss her last shot so she could take another 4-5 win in her 4-1 series win. Jennifer advances to visit Capital City SuperCenter and the Sharpshooters' Missy in the bracket quarterfinals.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Whiskers. The Cascades captain returns home for a series of 12-ball, also with the silver cue, against the Torpedoes veteran. Game 1 saw Freedom's Jasmine get off to a good start before positioning became a problem. Lucky for her, Infinity's Whiskers didn't play smart, twice losing successful shots due to overfilling pockets. This gave Jasmine time to make her last ball after a scratch, and she did for a 1-0 series lead on her win. The Cascades' Jasmine again set the tone in game 2, and again, it was a slow moving game full of strategy. The Torpedoes' Whiskers just about had her last shots lined up when Jasmine made her final ball for the win to go ahead 2-0 in the series. Jasmine picked up the pace in game 3, working a three-ball run from a very favorable break. Whiskers tried to battle back, but even with a wild-card ball in her favor, she couldn't get the last couple of shots to fall, and Jasmine made her last two balls to secure the series at 3-0 in the win. Jasmine raised the pace again in an excellent showing in game 4, needing only three turns to get the win. The second was a four-ball run, and the third had her cut the 4 to the bottom side from a nearly impossible angle to get the win over Whiskers to push the series to 4-0. Whiskers finally got herself a win in a gutsy game 5, which saw her give Jasmine a wild-card ball and play just enough defense to make it not matter. Jasmine still won the series 4-1, and will host her bracket quarterfinals series in this event.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Hoot v. Blizzard. The final series today is in 9-ball with the red cue. Game 1 took a fairly even distribution of shots and quality, but it was a late mistake from Viewpoint Sound's Hoot that turned it around. His scratch on the 7 led Everton's Blizzard to make the final two balls from ball-in-hand for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Hoot had a bit of a scratching problem early in game 2, with two such instances turning the cue back to the Eagles' Blizzard. Hoot did clean up his game later, but Blizzard still made a three-ball run-out for the win to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Blizzard did practically everything in game 3, making an eight-ball run from the break, but her cut on the 9 left it just short at the bottom right, and Hoot's only shot was a tap-in on the 9 for the win to cut the series to 2-1. Hoot didn't quite dominate in game 4, but Blizzard was in no state to match his pace, and didn't even come close to winning. Hoot had a couple of good runs, and played the cue off the 8 to take the 9 in the top right for this win, good enough to tie the series at 2. Blizzard made a tough game very simple at the end, grinding out the first half of game 5 against Hoot before unleashing her four-ball run-out for the win. Blizzard took the series 3-2, and will travel to Web City's Home Depot Forum to face the Spiders captain Shadow in the bracket quarterfinals.
That's all for the games today. We'll be back with Tournament action on Monday, although you can catch the week 25 finale of cricket on the site and on Twitter
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