Today marks a finale for the round, as we send the bracket semifinals packing with six series. First up...
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Dusky v. Blizzard. The red cue is set to start in 9-ball today between these Northeastern rivals. Archtown's Dusky had a strong appearance in game 1, working a pair of three-ball runs and a nice start to the game to utterly dominate Everton's Blizzard. The latter of the runs Dusky had won her the game, and she owns a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Dusky excelled again in game 2, with a double-pot of the 1 and 2 to the right corners particularly impressive early on. Dusky faded after a failed jump on the 5, leading the Eagles' Blizzard to a three-ball run, but Blizzard missed on the 9, and Dusky tapped it in to get the win for a 2-0 lead in the series. Dusky dropped off of her pace a bit in game 3, unable to string together a long run. This opened things up for Blizzard a bit more later in the game, but Blizzard couldn't get a run either. Dusky had a chance to win but left the 9 short at the top right, and Blizzard tapped it in to win and get on the board in the 2-1 series. Dusky continued her slow fade in game 4, most notably with a scratch early in the game. Blizzard made a couple shots but both players struggled with the 6 until Dusky made it, only to scratch with an unlucky deflection. Blizzard took a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand for the win to tie the series at 2. Blizzard continued to rise, but Dusky provided better resistance this time. Dusky took over possession with a double-pot of the 3 and 4 to the right corners, but she followed that with illegal contact on the 8. Blizzard used the ball-in-hand for another three-ball run-out to get the win and a 3-2 advantage in the series. Blizzard didn't look like her best in game 6, missing a few shots and making weak contact, allowing Dusky to storm forward with a four-ball run. Dusky missed on the 8, and after a close exchange, Blizzard prevailed on the 9 to clinch the series at 4-2. Blizzard also got the win in game 7, although this one was a bit unexpected. Blizzard ended on a 6-9 slip combination to the top right to cap a four-ball run-out and make it a 5-2 series. Blizzard's blazing finish sends her back home to Chevrolet Center in Everton to host the Southridge Defenders' Hughbert in the bracket final.
Intel Center, Diamond: Rosalina v. Dusty. Wrapped around the lunch break, the blue cue is on for some 15-ball. Diamond's Rosalina showed a brilliant share of possession, using a four-ball run and a three-ball run in the early parts of the game. Golden's Dusty got a bit more crafty near the end, but Rosalina made the 14-15 combination to the top right for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Rosalina continued to play well on offense, but the Pilots' Dusty was more up to the task in game 2. Dusty had a late four-ball run before a miss on the 14, and while Rosalina made the 14, she left the 15 to be tapped in by Dusty, who scored it for the win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 saw offense a bit harder to come by, as Dusty and Rosalina battled fairly evenly for over half of the game. Rosalina broke through at the end after Dusty missed on the 11, as Rosalina won with a five-ball run-out to take the series lead back at 2-1. Dusty had the more dangerous of attacks in game 4, working some nice runs and possession. Rosalina had left the 15 close to the bottom right initially, but Dusty moved it away. Then, Rosalina had a shot on the 8 that bumped the 15 close to the top right. Dusty made the 8-15 combination this time, taking the win to retie the series at 2. Dusty began game 5 with a four-ball run after making the 4 and 6 on the break. Rosalina battled back for a fair share of possession later in the game, but a scratch while she tried for the 8 led Dusty to a crafty double-pot of the 8 to the top right and the 15 to the bottom right for the win and a 3-2 lead in the series. Rosalina didn't have instant offense in game 6, but when Dusty went cold late in the game, Rosalina dominated possession until the end, wrapping up her win with a three-ball run-out as the series stands tied again at 3. In game 7, the players were more than happy to take their offense in short bursts until Dusty tried and failed for a 9-15 kick combination. Worse for her, she left the combination lined up straight for Rosalina, who converted to take the series 4-3. Rosalina will head to UPS Hall in Maplewood to visit the Lumberjacks' Diddley in the bracket final. Dusty is the 97th player eliminated, ending her strong comeback season, while Rosalina has her third kill of the year.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Stephanie Livilotti v. Sweetheart. The red cue is in for 15-ball now in this Southeastern battle. Southridge's Stephanie had some good luck early in game 1, getting her runs to get a shot longer than they should have. When this luck dried up, Boston's Sweetheart took over, dominating the middle, but Sweetheart had two late errors that allowed Stephanie to make the last three balls for the win and a 1-0 lead in the series. The Defenders' Stephanie got the better of the Swifts' Sweetheart again in game 2, but it was a close battle featuring many short and choppy runs. Stephanie got the edge when Sweetheart missed on the 14, allowing Stephanie the last two balls after building momentum late, and the win made it a 2-0 series. Stephanie had to do a bit more work in a tough game 3 appearance, as she and Sweetheart were settling for contact more than making shots over the first half. Stephanie put an end to that with an eight-ball run-out, the surge lifting her to a 3-0 series lead. Stephanie didn't have as good of a shooting posture in game 4, and after busting a cluster with the 15, it became connected to the 4. Sweetheart ended the game with a three-ball run-out, making the 4-15 combination easily in the top side to cut the series to 3-1. Game 5 was the worst of the series by a long shot, with frustration settling in after a long battle for the 9. Neither player could sustain a run without scratching, furthering the difficulties, and Sweetheart was the lucky one to get a clear look at the 15, which she buried with force for the win to make it a 3-2 series. Sweetheart again rose to the challenge in game 6, having to come up with an answer to a five-ball run by Stephanie. Sweetheart elected to make things tough at the end, and Stephanie's shots didn't allow her to adjust, giving Sweetheart a slow but clear path to the win that tied the series at 3. Stephanie and Sweetheart did battle again in game 7, with Stephanie holding the early game and Sweetheart picking up steam in a slow and frustrating finish, but Sweetheart missed the 14-15 combination to the bottom right. Stephanie converted the same shot to win the game and the 4-3 series, and she will travel to the home venue of the next series winner for the bracket final. Sweetheart is the 98th player to be eliminated this year, while Stephanie records her first career kill in the effort.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Ms. Kitty v. Hoppy. A veteran and a rookie meet in a Coastal Division 15-ball battle. Southern's Hoppy seemed to get a lot of the possession in game 1, including an early three-ball run after an error from Pacific's Ms. Kitty. Hoppy missed on the 5 though, a critical mistake that led Ms. Kitty to sink it in the top side and take the 15 in the top right on a double-pot for a 1-0 series lead with her win. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty wanted to use the same strategy in game 2, but the Monarchs' Hoppy refused to play along, so Ms. Kitty blasted a seven-ball run. Shaken, Hoppy tried to get back in the game with a three-ball run, but a scratch on the 13 allowed Ms. Kitty to make the last two shots for the win and a 2-0 advantage. Game 3 saw Ms. Kitty return to her primary strategy, and it nearly paid off, as Hoppy had done decent work early in the game. Ms. Kitty tried the 3-15 kick combination, but missed narrowly, leaving the 15 at the bottom right where Hoppy would pot it in combination with the 8 later on to get on the board for a 2-1 series. Game 4 saw tensions snap for Ms. Kitty, who finally got fed up with playing a slow, counter-attacking style with crafty combinations. She showed visible distress at missing the 9, and Hoppy calmly picked up some of the offense after a down performance for her as well. Ms. Kitty had a chance to get the win anyway, but missed on the 14, and Hoppy closed the game to tie the series at 2 with her sloppy win. Hoppy had a better break in game 5, but her offense didn't approve with it. Ms. Kitty actually showed a bit more growth, although it was Hoppy going on the late three-ball run that would have worked had she not scratched on the 14. Ms. Kitty took over with ball-in-hand, striking the 15 to the top right to regain the series lead at 3-2. Ms. Kitty took it upon herself to create her own offense in game 6, making a three-ball run from the break and keeping her shots dangerous throughout. Hoppy wasn't too worried, making Ms. Kitty's double-pot of the 7 to the top left and the 15 double-kissed off the 10 and the cue to bottom left all the more surprising. Ms. Kitty's wonder shot sealed the series for her at 4-2. By the end of game 7, neither player much cared about who would walk away with the win, and with tensions rising again, Ms. Kitty let her miss on the 15 be short so that Hoppy could drill it into the bottom left. Ms. Kitty walked away with a 4-3 series win, and she will host the Southridge Defenders' Stephanie in the bracket final at this venue. Hoppy finds her rookie campaign at a close as the 99th player eliminated, while Ms. Kitty takes her first kill of the year.
FedEx Arena, Eastside: Taylor Swift v. Rosalina. These two larger-than-life superstars meet in Accuracy with the blue cue. Diamond's Rosalina came out of the gate relentless in game 1, unwilling to a miss a single shot. Eastside's Taylor kept pace for awhile, but Taylor would miss twice toward the end of the game and Rosalina took the 0-2 win for a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, things got markedly worse for the Sharks' Taylor, as she missed a plethora of shots in the middle and near the end of the game. The Gems' Rosalina couldn't go perfect again, but she did do more than well enough to win with a 1-6 score and a 2-0 series lead to her name. Rosalina appeared to have a similar effort going in game 3, as Taylor fell behind early, but Rosalina crumbled with a string of misses late in the game. Taylor held her ground pretty well once she got the lead, winning 3-5 to make it a 2-1 series. Rosalina got even with Taylor in game 4, holding the game as a tie for most of the rack after Taylor's brilliant two-ball break. Rosalina pulled ahead when Taylor tried a risky combination, and then made Taylor miss again late to secure her win at 3-5 and give herself a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 had a horrendous start thanks to Rosalina's bad break, with Taylor somehow coming out of the early part behind. Taylor had a terrible time making shots, and while Rosalina faded later in the game, Taylor dropped as many shots herself and lost 4-7. Rosalina took the sloppy win for a 4-1 series lead, clinching her third advancement as the league-leader in remaining bids. Rosalina had another bad break in game 6, this one a little more offense-inducing then the previous game. Rosalina fell behind early this time, and while she was always a shot away from Taylor, she couldn't catch up and fell further behind late. Taylor took the 2-4 to make it a 4-2 series. Taylor didn't have a good break in game 7 either, and she was lucky that she got an early lead and was able to make it last. Rosalina just wanted to get out of the series, accepting a loss by a 3-5 score in the final game. Rosalina still won the series 4-3, and will travel to Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center in Boston for the bracket final against the Swifts' Gradley. Rosalina also joined the league lead in kills with 4, making Taylor the 100th eliminated player this year.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Lexi v. Peach. The last series of this round is in 12-ball with the silver cue. Harrison's Lexi got off to a fine start in game 1 with a four-ball run, which was abbreviated due to a scratch. North Modernistic's Peach remained unassuming for most of the game until she had a late four-ball run. Lexi, desperate to win, missed contact on her kick, and Peach took her last two shots from ball-in-hand for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Peach had a ball on the break in game 2, but remained mostly quiet after that. The Specters' Lexi fared no better, as neither player could produce a deep run, so they settled for short turns that eventually favored Peach when she made her last two balls after Lexi removed her defense. Peach has a 2-0 series lead. Lexi began her comeback with a strong effort in game 3. Lexi struck early with a three-ball run after Peach made a ball on the break. Over the next two turns, Lexi added a pair and then her final ball to the top side after some fortunate positioning to get the win and cue the series to 2-1. Lexi had a confident start in game 4, making a three-ball run early on to hold off Peach at first. Peach didn't stay down long, and by the end, her long run got her onto her last two shots. Lexi stormed back, getting onto her final ball, but she couldn't get a clear line, and a failed kick shot allowed Peach to take her last two balls from ball-in-hand for the win and the 3-1 advantage. Peach knew the game 5 break had let her down even as she made two stripes, as the distribution on solids was much better. Lexi quickly took over possession, and while she didn't immediately pull away, she had the late advantage with positioning after a nice run. Peach missed contact on her last ball, having already overcome a setback, and Lexi took the ball-in-hand to make her last two shots and push the series back to 3-2. Lexi gave away a wild-card ball on the break of game 6, but twice came within a shot of not making it matter. The 4 refused to drop for her at the bottom left, allowing Peach to sort through the chaos that consisted of her remaining shots until she could pot her last two balls with the flexibility advantage. Peach secured the series at 4-2, and exchanged harsh words with Lexi after the game. Game 7 started off reasonably enough, but by the end, Peach had given away a wild-card ball and lost her composure, allowing Lexi an easy path to victory when she finally made the 4. Peach took the series 4-3, and will travel to GE Stadium Events Center in Southridge to face the Defenders captain Debby. Peach also took her third kill of the year on Lexi, who had three kills before her elimination as the 101st player to fall.
That's it for this round. Tomorrow (that's right, no break!) we begin the bracket finals, a four-day process that will see 24 bids advance to the medal stage of the Tournament. I will have standings and a schedule later tonight before resuming play tomorrow. Cricket may or may not happen tonight due to the extra obligations in administration.
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