We're going to aim for five series today. We begin with...
Katelynn v. Bear v. Gizmo at Pepsi Arena, Lighton. Bear had no trouble with game 1 at all, turning in a ten-ball run-out after Katelynn got nothing from the break. Gizmo never had a chance to shoot, but still earned half a point in a split with Katelynn for second place. Katelynn had a four-ball run on her first turn of game 2, and while Gizmo made a ball this time, Bear's six-ball run left his brother in a bad position. Katelynn got the best of them both, taking out Gizmo first and then Bear two shots later on her second turn for her first win. Katelynn fired off a decent break, but Bear took a six-ball run to establish himself with the mediums early on. Gizmo did a little work against both of them, but it was Katelynn with a six-ball run-out at the end of game 3, again ousting Gizmo before Bear for her second win. Game 4 was a mess for all of the players. Katelynn took mediums reluctantly off the break, allowing Bear to take a better-positioned low set. Gizmo made do with the highs, aided by both of opponents scratching. Bear would take out Katelynn in the middle of the game before an awkward battle with Gizmo that saw Bear take a sloppy win for his second victory. Game 5 saw a disjointed effort from Bear, who got nothing on the break. Gizmo chose to defend the mediums, and he and Katelynn attacked the lows quite well to weaken Bear. Katelynn took Bear out on a four-ball run, and then beat Gizmo a turn later with a tap-in on his 8 for her third win of the series. Katelynn weathered a firm attack from Bear and Gizmo in game 6, as they combined to take out most of her highs fairly quickly. Bear would betray Gizmo later in the game, taking him out first, and Katelynn attacked against Bear, getting the win on her second try at his last ball, her fourth win of the series. Bear made sure the series would reach to after lunch, picking up the game 7 win on a six-ball run-out after a strong first turn. Gizmo helped him to weaken Katelynn, who didn't defend herself that well as Bear took her out first and then Gizmo for his third win. Bear pulled even with Katelynn at four wins, striking in a five-ball run-out as he defended the medium set against her lows. Bear did have to take out Gizmo first to spark the run, but he made sure Katelynn couldn't counterattack as they hurtle toward a decisive meeting. Bear and Gizmo spent too much time in game 9 fighting among themselves, with Gizmo taking out Bear on a five-ball run, then coming up short against a nearly untouched Katelynn, who clinched advancement with her fifth win. Bear took 15 points from the series, while Gizmo is out with 4.5 points and no wins.
Solaris v. Bryant v. B. Chapman at Nissan Hall, Infinity. Chapman played well in game 1, and avoided most trouble from her opponents. Solaris saved Bryant late with a scratch, but Chapman buried both of them on a three-ball run-out, giving Solaris the second place point in her first win. Game 2 started out well enough with Chapman defending the lows and Solaris taking the highs to leave Bryant with the mediums. Things got sloppier later on, as Solaris had a scratch to revive Bryant, who then took Solaris out before scratching himself. Solaris had new life as he cranked a three-ball run, eliminating Bryant again, but Chapman banked the 15 to the top right for her second win. Bryant made a good strategic move, avoiding busting his cluster of mediums up as Chapman and Solaris fought among themselves. They each had one ball left when Bryant attacked, first taking out Solaris and then Chapman in his first win. Solaris had to wait the longest for a win, but he got his in game 4 in grand fashion, knocking out Bryant on his second shot of a seven-ball run-out in five shots. He then turned against Chapman, making two double-pots to win, with the 6 to the top side and 8 to the top left, followed by the 7 to the top right and the 9 at the bottom left on a bank. Solaris made an interesting deal in game 5 to guarantee a point when it became clear Chapman had a stranglehold on the game. Solaris flubbed a shot to gift possession to Chapman, and she took out Bryant first, after having put both of them in danger with her seven-ball run. Solaris was happy with the point despite Chapman earning her third win. Chapman made an interesting return of the favor in game 6, as Solaris had decimated both remaining sets with an eight-ball run that included some collateral damage against his lows. Bryant took the mediums to hurt Chapman more, but she went on a five-ball run-out, taking herself out of the game just before Bryant as she double-potted both of their final balls. The strange win was Solaris' second of the series. Solaris went on another deep run in game 7, a seven-ball run from the break. Bryant couldn't make anything on his first turn, and Chapman made sure he didn't get a second, pinning Bryant's last ball next to one of Solaris' mediums. Solaris made a three-ball run-out to complete his third win, gifting the second place point to Chapman. Solaris continued his strong play in game 8 with a four-ball run at the start of the game. Chapman chose the mediums instead of the lows, playing a speculative option that the lows wouldn't last long. Bryant proved her wrong, defending his lows well while weakening his opponents, but Solaris struck back and took the lead on his second turn. Chapman tried to get Bryant out, and Bryant retaliated, ultimately allowing Solaris to take out Chapman first and then Bryant for his fourth win of the series. Bryant had two turns in game 9, both of which were four-ball runs. Solaris did a bit of work on his second turn as well to clear the table up, but Bryant only countered by taking out Chapman and then Solaris on consecutive shots with his game-ending run for his second win. Chapman had to fight for everything in game 10, as Bryant led a firm opening attack to protect his lows, and Solaris followed it up by claiming mediums through an assault on the highs. Chapman defended her last ball perfectly, winning on a seven-ball run-out to equalize with Solaris at four wins, after taking him out first. Bryant did everything in his power to keep the series going after game 11, using his second turn for a seven-ball run-out that saw him betray Solaris with the sixth shot of the run, before dispatching Chapman on the final shot in his third win. Bryant wouldn't let the game get away from him in game 12, despite being out for a moment when Solaris took him out. Solaris soon scratched, giving Chapman more life and Bryant a second chance. Bryant promptly used this opportunity to take out Solaris ahead of Chapman a turn later, a conscious choice as he collected his fourth win to show favoritism. Bryant and Chapman showed more club loyalty against Solaris, shutting him down quickly in game 13 to battle head-to-head alone. Bryant got the best of Chapman in this, winning on a double-pot of the 14 to the top right and the 12 to the top left on a two-rail bank. Bryant's five wins send him to the second round, while Chapman took 18 points and Solaris hit 16 points in the close series.
Tigerette v. Cobalt v. Fuchsia at Nike Field Events Center, Commerce. Tigerette made quick work of her pair of sophomore opponents, blasting a four-ball run from the break and a three-ball run-out at the end despite taking some hits from Cobalt and Fuchsia on their turns. Cobalt fell first, and then Fuchsia, as Tigerette earned her first win of the series. Cobalt had a big eight-ball run in game 2, six of which were against his opponents after some collateral damage. Tigerette weakened him further in claiming highs, but Fuchsia took her out on her second turn, only to fall on Cobalt's second turn with his tap-in on her 10. Cobalt picked up his first win of the series. Cobalt didn't get much on the game 3 break, allowing Fuchsia to pick up the slack as she defended the mediums. Tigerette and Cobalt cut into her lead at times, but Fuchsia held them off with a four-ball run-out, allowing Tigerette to take the point for second place. Tigerette had a brutal six-ball run to start game 4 on her first turn, including a triple pot that sent the 14 and the 4 to the top right and the 3 to the bottom right. Cobalt had a chance to select a set, but he failed, and Fuchsia took the lows, leaving Tigerette to take both of them out on her second turn, starting with Cobalt's highs and ending with Fuchsia's lows for her second win. Cobalt made a big push on his second turn in game 5 after a hot start from Tigerette put her in a favorable position. Cobalt made a five-ball run, taking Tigerette out, but making a long shot on the 6 easy work for Fuchsia, who picked up her second win in the process. Tigerette made a big six-ball run as she defended the mediums in game 6, and she nearly picked up the win with her effort, knocking Cobalt from the game. Fuchsia fired back, unwilling to settle for a point as she made a four-ball run-out to keep her last low on the table in her third win. Fuchsia and Cobalt got snippy with each other in game 7, allowing Tigerette a lot of leeway in defending the mediums through a strongly packed cluster near the top right. Tigerette offed Cobalt first once again, and then finished her three-ball run-out with Fuchsia's last two balls, earning her third win in the process. Tigerette crushed an eleven-ball run in game 8, twice committing acts of self-sabotage as she tried to line up the final ball. This nearly proved costly, but neither Fuchsia nor Cobalt could make a counterattacking run. Cobalt did enough to formally claim the mediums, but Tigerette banked in his 6 on her next shot, winning her fourth game with the shot to the top side. Tigerette followed that up with a massive ten-ball run-out from the break in game 9, denying both Fuchsia and Cobalt a shot, as they'll split the final second place point awarded. Tigerette advances to the second round with five wins, while Fuchsia scored 13.5 and Cobalt scored 5.5, both insufficient for a second chance in the event.
Gabe v. Nicole v. Blizzard at UPS Hall, Maplewood. Gabe never had a chance in game 1 thanks to a deep five-ball run by Nicole on her first turn. Blizzard followed it up with a short turn that saw her claim the highs, and she eliminated Gabe. Nicole returned fire, but Blizzard won with a four-ball run-out that saw her double-pot the 8 and 9 to the top side to begin her path to her first win. Nicole pulled off a huge eight-ball run in game 2, wiping the lows off the table right from the start. Gabe made a shot against Nicole to preserve a point, and while Nicole was not clinical in her finishing against his highs, she did manage to pick up the win, her first, after a few parries back and forth. Gabe was the one with the big run in game 3, making an eight-ball run and putting Blizzard on the spot on her first turn. She made his 7, but couldn't get much other traction against Gabe, who eventually won his first game on a pair of tap-ins. Game 4 lacked a big run as the other games had seen, instead opting for choppy play and short runs. Nicole was on one when she scratched, a critical error to her game, as it gave Gabe a direct route to take her out of action. Blizzard, in a much less threatening position, couldn't do enough against Gabe to prevent him from winning his second game. Blizzard restored the usual form of play with an eight-ball run in game 5, pinning both of her opponents in bad positions. Gabe and Nicole worked together for awhile, weakening Blizzard's power, but their respective hunger for a point doomed them, leaving Blizzard to knock out Nicole and Gabe on consecutive shots in her second win. Gabe had a good start in game 6, taking the highs with his first run. Nicole followed up to claim the mediums, and both of them left Blizzard in a precarious position as she made a small counterattack. Gabe then finished off Nicole on a four-ball run that left Blizzard with only one ball, which she shot around on both sides to pot Gabe's last two for her third win. Blizzard cracked a seven-ball run from the break of game 7, a huge performance for herself that put her lows in a position of strength. Gabe followed up with a four-ball run, taking Nicole out of the equation again in this seemingly two-player series. Blizzard then potted his 8 and banked his 10 to the top side for her fourth win. Game 8 featured more of the choppy playing style preferred by Gabe and Nicole, as Blizzard didn't make anything on the break. Gabe took the highs while Nicole went for the lows, and while it took some time to get Blizzard out, no thanks to Gabe's scratch, she was the first to fall. Gabe then came from behind to beat Nicole for his third win. Gabe didn't get anything on the break, allowing Nicole to claim the mediums and Blizzard to take the highs, making it difficult for Gabe to defend the lows. The end was remarkably close in game 9, as Nicole betrayed Gabe due to an easier shot, and then she banked in Blizzard's last ball on the next turn for her second win. Blizzard tried to protect the highs in game 10, while Nicole had the mediums, leaving a vengeful Gabe with the lows. This worked out pretty well, as Gabe split the even game open with a four-ball run, taking Blizzard out. Two turns later, Nicole just bested Gabe for her third win, leaving plenty to be settled in the series. Game 11 saw Blizzard finally put the series to rest, battling her way to defend the lows as Gabe put up a particularly vicious attack toward her. Nicole was the first to fall on Blizzard's three-ball run-out, as she clinched advancement with her fifth win. Gabe sits at 15 points, while Nicole is already out with 11.
Chicky Phil v. Stinky v. Dusty at Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific. Chicky Phil started well in defending the lows, but Stinky made quick work of Chicky Phil on a seven-ball run. Dusty nearly got a point without shooting, but she and Stinky sparred a bit, with Stinky prevailing for his first win. Chicky Phil didn't have to wait long for his revenge on Stinky's efforts, attacking Stinky's highs early in game 2. Dusty piled on and helped eliminate Stinky, although it was Chicky Phil doing the honors in the end. Chicky Phil then ousted Dusty for his first win. Game 3 was a bit slower to develop in terms of targeting, although Chicky Phil and Stinky appear to have a bitter rivalry brewing. Dusty made an error at the end, nearly knocking herself out, which allowed Stinky an easy tap-in to oust her before making the last two highs to also beat Chicky Phil for his second win. Game 4 saw Chicky Phil establish himself with the highs pretty well, and Dusty made the lows her own at the expense of Stinky and the mediums. Dusty put Stinky into a hole, and while he struck back a bit, Chicky Phil took him out on the first shot of a four-ball run-out that gave the host his second win. Dusty was happy to fly under the radar with choppy and short runs in game 5, and it worked well, as she casually combined with Stinky to take out Chicky Phil early. The problem for Dusty was vulnerability, as Stinky took her out in two turns since most of her balls were near pockets, while his were safer in the middle of the table. Stinky earned his third win with the effort. Dusty again didn't play either opponent directly too much, but she found herself unable to pick up a win after Stinky was taken out of the game on a four-ball run by Chicky Phil. The host instead made Dusty's last ball on his second try for his third win of the series. Dusty rocked a seven-ball run in game 7, drastically harming both opponents. Stinky didn't get anything on his first turn thanks to a scratch, allowing Chicky Phil to shift the balance of power, taking Stinky out with a couple of Dusty's balls. Dusty couldn't build off her run, and fell to a three-ball run-out by Chicky Phil, his fourth win of the series. Dusty didn't have the same urgency on her shots in game 8, allowing Stinky and Chicky Phil to push her around in a fight to get at each other. Stinky actually had a large possession advantage, but Chicky Phil erased it on a three-ball run-out for his fifth win of the series. Both Stinky and Dusty are out of the secondary qualifying process.
That's five series and 50 games today. Look for more of the same tomorrow.
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