Just three series today as we adjust the schedule for more even games over the rest of the round. We begin with...
Kyle v. Rudolph v. Neopolitan at Ebay Center, Queens. Rudolph got off to a great start with an eight-ball run in game 1, which allowed Neopolitan to pot the last high ball to bench Kyle. Neopolitan continued a slow build by playing defense to keep her ball on the table, which worked in the end as she beat Rudolph head-to-head for her first win. Game 2 saw Rudolph improve on his previous effort with a ten-ball run-out, giving half a point to each of Neopolitan and Kyle, the latter not even getting a chance to take a shot. Rudolph had another good run in game 3, going four balls on his second turn, which damaged Kyle in particular. Neopolitan ended up taking Kyle out to face Rudolph directly, and once again, she got the better of him, taking out his four balls before he could get her last one. Neopolitan can be proud with two wins in the series so far. Kyle didn't do himself any favors in game 4, scratching on his second turn to give each of his opponents an extra ball. They promptly eliminated him, with Rudolph dealing the last blow, and Rudolph also managed to hold off Neopolitan in a slow battle for his second win. Rudolph made a five-ball run in game 5, heavily targeting the medium set as he defended the lows. Neopolitan and Kyle each had a miss, but Neopolitan claimed the highs by knocking Kyle out on her second turn, and she once again bested Rudolph despite his advantage. Neopolitan earned her third win so far. Game 6 saw Kyle get more involved in the attack after Rudolph built a five-ball run. Kyle also struck a deep run, putting Rudolph in trouble. Neopolitan finished him off, and then held on against Kyle despite his late advantage. Neopolitan made Kyle's last two balls for her fourth win. Kyle made his presence felt again in game 7, pulling strings in the middle and late parts of the game, including with a three-ball run-out to settle a close finish after Neopolitan came up short. Kyle's balanced attack helped him get a win, and he left second place to Rudolph this time. Neopolitan appeared to be out of game 8 as well, as Kyle had taken her out on a late run, but his scratch let her back in, and she would win with a three-ball run-out for her clinching fifth victory, taking out Rudolph and then Kyle. Rudolph qualified at 11 points, while Kyle is already out of the running with his 4.5 points.
Mario v. Prism v. Ms. Puppy at Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central. Mario started well in game 1, attacking the highs while defending the lows, but Prism stole the show with her run on her first turn, wiping out Mario's lows. Prism then left Ms. Puppy an awkward shot, and took her out on the next turn for her first win. Prism had an awful break in game 2, leading to a painfully slow process in the end. Prism wasn't a part of this, getting knocked out by Mario early on, but Ms. Puppy's lack of shooting precision caused her to take a tough loss again, as Mario picks up his first win of the series. In game 3, Mario and Ms. Puppy again had the clear advantage, taking out Prism before her second turn. At the end, both players had chances to win, but it was Ms. Puppy prevailing on the second try for her first win. Prism figured things out again in game 4, pummeling a five-ball run on her second turn to take out Ms. Puppy before turning her attention to a close battle she ultimately won over Mario for her second win. Prism had another poor break to lead off game 5, and it led to a bit of confusion. Ms. Puppy ended up defending the high suit against Mario and the lows, and they worked to take out Prism first. Then, Mario finally got the better of Ms. Puppy after a slow battle that saw each of them miss twice on the other player's last ball. Mario took his second win of the series. Mario had all the makings of a good performance with his game 6 break, but an early scratch reversed that. He oddly selected highs from the break, which became a favored target of Ms. Puppy and Prism over the next two turns, the latter wiping him out at the end of turn 2. Prism did this to start a three-ball run, which left just one of Ms. Puppy's lows on the table. Ms. Puppy fired back but couldn't take out Prism, who finished the job at the bottom side for her third win. Ms. Puppy showed a bit more poise in game 7, responding to a strong break by Prism with a nice opening run. Mario and Prism each got their shots in after that, but Ms. Puppy had a four-ball run-out in the end, taking out Mario and Prism in turn for her second win of the close series. Prism had the chance to go on a deep run in game 8, but she couldn't make an early shot. She chose to defend the lows, while Ms. Puppy took the highs. Mario was in trouble early, but managed to pull even before Ms. Puppy ousted him and Prism on the last two shots for her third win. Ms. Puppy seemed to have a good grip on game 9 at first, but both Prism and Mario pushed her medium down. Mario took over the advantage late, holding four on the table, and while Prism knocked out three of them, he shot back to take out Ms. Puppy first and then Prism to even things at three wins apiece. Prism had a huge five-ball run to start game 10, burying the high set very quickly. Ms. Puppy made sure that set belonged to Mario before attacking Prism's lows, and despite another deep run from Prism, she would end up finishing last for the game. The cringe-worthy finish saw Mario take out Prism but fail to hit Ms. Puppy's ball, and Ms. Puppy then knocked Mario out for her fourth win. Prism ensured at least one more game after a crazy game 11. Ms. Puppy scratched on the break, leading to chaos as Mario had an early miss and Prism took the mediums. This balance existed to the end, where Prism broke out on a three-ball run-out to take out Mario and then Ms. Puppy to earn her fourth win. Mario forced the series into a decisive game after game 12 opened in poor form for all of the players. Ms. Puppy eventually claimed the lows, and Mario protected the mediums, while Prism took the highs and was eliminated in due time. Mario and Ms. Puppy then battled, with Ms. Puppy's miss on the 10 from short range allowing Mario to bank the 4 to the bottom side for his fourth win. Game 13 was a little bit of everything, as Mario took the lows to defend. Ms. Puppy got the mediums, and played well, but a five-ball run from Prism gave her a late advantage. Mario couldn't stop Prism, but Ms. Puppy took her out and then Mario on a three-ball run-out to secure the series with her fifth win. Mario ended up with 16 points for qualifying, while Prism scored 15.
Hoppy v. Chelsea v. Zach at House of 10 Windows, Del Sur. Hoppy had a decent start in game 1, partially mitigated by a scratch from Chelsea on her first turn that kept Zach hanging around. Chelsea was later punished for the scratch, as Hoppy and Zach worked together to get her out of the game. Hoppy would get the knockout, and then managed to hold off Zach until she won on the next turn. Game 2 belonged firmly to Zach and Chelsea, as they each used their first turns to pummel the highs, weakening Hoppy immediately. Hoppy got a couple of shots in, but Zach dealt the death blow to her and damaged Chelsea in the process, giving him his winning advantage a couple of turns later after exchanging short runs. Zach earned his first win of the series. Chelsea had an early mistake in game 3, costing her a chance to pressure Hoppy. Instead, Hoppy earned the chance, taking highs to bully Chelsea's lows. It worked, as Hoppy knocked Chelsea out to go head-to-head with Zach, which was a battle Hoppy won readily with her advantage in balls on the table. Hoppy has two wins now. Zach got back in game 4, battling with Hoppy again at the end and prevailing this time after a disappointing effort from Chelsea. This pulled Zach even with Hoppy at two wins. Zach had a poor break in game 5, but he made it work out in the end, as Hoppy and Chelsea casually attacked his mediums while more ferociously going after each other. Zach swooped in with a six-ball run-out at the end, taking out Chelsea before Hoppy for his third win. Zach had a similar break to lead off game 6, getting few positive results from it. The shooting was poorer this time, until Chelsea unleashed her four-ball run-out to take out Zach and Hoppy within shots of each other for her first win. Zach had to hold on tight in game 7, although he did force Chelsea to take the medium set when he selected highs after Hoppy took lows. Hoppy later scratched to revive Chelsea, but Zach assembled a three-ball run-out from the kitchen, sinking Chelsea and then Hoppy for his fourth win. Zach only got the break shot in game 8, as Hoppy erupted for a nine-ball run, and Chelsea claimed the remaining high ball to earn herself a point. Chelsea did make three of Hoppy's five balls, but Hoppy responded with one more shot on her second turn for the win, her third of the series. Chelsea had a beastly six-ball run in game 9 that put Zach and Hoppy on edge. Hoppy finally betrayed Zach on her third turn, making both highs to keep herself alive with the mediums. She made it a five-ball run to put herself even with Chelsea, and it was a battle Hoppy would win, as Chelsea couldn't get clear looks and ended up gifting a great final shot to Hoppy. The win put Hoppy back on par with Zach at four apiece, with Chelsea far behind at one win. Chelsea didn't want to let the series end yet, putting on another strong run to get the early advantage. Chelsea then knocked out Hoppy to face a reeling Zach head-to-head, where she would get the win with a nice pair of shots two turns later. Chelsea has her second win in the series. Zach made an assurance of game 11 being the deciding game, taking out Chelsea early on with a four-ball run. He didn't account for the home fans rallying Hoppy into a remarkable five-ball run-out, taking Zach from perfect to second place as Hoppy secured the fifth win to advance. Zach qualifies at 16 points, while Chelsea is already out with 9.
That's all for today. There should be four series tomorrow before potentially some action over the weekend.
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