We're aiming for five series again today, leading off with...
Steven v. Chris v. Sprinkles at McDonald's Hall, Atlantic. Chris seemed to have the best start to game 1, defending the mediums pretty well, but he lost his grip on the game late, and Sprinkles made some inroads. Steven squashed that, and Chris offed Sprinkles before Steven tapped in Chris' last two balls for his first win. Command remained elusive for all three players in game 2, although Chris was quick to gain the mediums again. Steven ended up guarding the highs, and they again worked together against Sprinkles, with Chris dealing the last blow to her game. Steven and Chris had a bit of an awkward finish, in which Chris prevailed on his second attempt to make Steven's 14 for his first win. Steven showed a bit more confidence in game 3, with a five-ball run on his first turn. Sprinkles attacked back lightly, but Chris had to play from a weak position. Steven made a three-ball run to eliminate Chris, and then took out Sprinkles on his next turn after she failed to knock him out. Steven has two wins in the series. Chris had all of the offense on the first two turns of game 4, but Steven's third turn was a five-ball run that weakened Chris dramatically. Sprinkles then took him out on a four-ball run-out, two shots before bumping Steven to grab her first win. Steven had the first burst of quality play in game 5, but he peaked too early in defending the lows. Chris had a nice counterattack, but it wouldn't hold up as Sprinkles hit a four-ball run to take out Steven before beating Chris on her next turn for her second win. Chris had a five-ball run in game 6, including a moment of collateral damage. Steven struck back later on, weakening Chris while taking out Sprinkles, but Chris defended long enough to get a scratch, reviving Sprinkles. She would use a three-ball run to take out Steven, but Chris took the win, his second, when she missed on her last shot. Chris scratched on the break to start game 7, a poor opening turn allowing Sprinkles to establish herself with the mediums and Steven to work with the lows, pummeling Chris' highs. Steven took Chris out to go head-to-head with Sprinkles, but Sprinkles played strong defense before knocking Steven from the game for her third win. Steven had the early surge in game 8, and he looked in good shape to win it all until his early scratch derailed the effort. Chris established himself with the lows, and Sprinkles guarded the mediums well, although not well enough, as Steven took her out on a late four-ball run. He couldn't quite pot Chris' last ball, and Chris took his third win when he sank the 13 in the bottom right. Steven had a seven-ball run, which decimated the medium set that eventually came under Chris' purview. Sprinkles fought back with a four-ball run, taking Chris out in the process, but Steven won on a three-ball run-out, smartly using collateral damage to line up the final shot for his third win. Steven scratched on the break of game 10, allowing Chris and Sprinkles to pick their suits and pummel his mediums. Chris defended the lows, which proved to be a good choice, as Steven made a three-ball run to take out Sprinkles' highs, but Chris avenged his league teammate with a cut on the 9 to the top left for his fourth win, giving him the inside track for the series. Chris had an eight-ball run at the start of game 11, but he made himself a bit of a target with the effort. Steven gambled when he took the highs as his suit, and it didn't pay off, as Sprinkles won with a three-ball run-out made possible with collateral damage for her fourth win. Steven equalized the series again with a big performance in game 12. He had to protect his highs after a good start that also saw Chris take the mediums. A scratch from Sprinkles evened everyone's tally at two balls on the table, after which Steven blasted a five-ball run-out, taking out Chris and then Sprinkles for his fourth win. Game 13 saw Chris emerge with an eight-ball run, leaving him prone to a counterattack from Sprinkles as Steven found himself out early. Sprinkles did make three in a row, but Chris used collateral damage to get a line on Sprinkles' last ball for his clinching fifth win. Sprinkles qualified well with 17 points, one behind the 18 from Steven in a close and balanced series.
Sally v. Hershey v. Lionel at Starbucks Arena, Archtown. Sally cranked a nine-ball run from the break to get her home fans hyped for game 1. Hershey and Lionel each had chances to bump the other from the game, but both failed, and Sally made the 1 on her second turn for her first win, forcing them to split the point. Sally calmed down a bit for game 2, only making a five-ball run at the start. Hershey has not adjusted to the quality of play well, as the rookie missed his first shot. Lionel claimed the lows to fight with Sally's highs. Hershey found himself out for a short time until Lionel scratched, but Lionel put him back on the bench on his next turn before falling to Sally's late push for her second win. Lionel worked hard in game 3 to get Sally out of the game, only to scratch and let her back in. Hershey just wanted to get a point, so he had no trouble ousting Lionel, and then battled directly with Sally. She managed to beat him this time for her third win after Hershey couldn't get a clear shot on Sally's last ball. Hershey finally ended Sally's reign of dominance in the series with a steady game 4 performance. Lionel claimed the mediums early on, while Sally took the lows, but they fought among themselves, allowing Hershey to sneak ahead. Lionel dispatched Sally but had no answer for Hershey's winning shot for his first victory. Sally got her revenge with a big game 5 win. Lionel and Hershey had done quite a bit of damage against her highs, but she stayed calm on a six-ball run to wipe out Lionel's lows. Then, head-to-head with Hershey, she managed to get the win through defense, her fourth of a dominant series. Sally scratched on her first turn, setting Hershey up for a deep run that did quite a bit of damage against Lionel. The veteran Lionel replied, but Sally wouldn't let him up, taking him out on the first two shots of a four-ball run-out that ended when she banked Hershey's 12 to the bottom left. Sally won her fifth game of the series to advance, while her two opponents are done for the preseason.
Cowzart v. Spice v. Dustin at BMW RockDome, Westside. Cowzart had a good run from the break and a four-ball run-out in the end, despite weathering hefty attacks from both Spice and Dustin. The two visitors damaged each other too much, making it easy for Cowzart to pick off Dustin and then Spice for his first win. Game 2 was already sloppy before Spice scratched on her second turn, which sent the whole thing into chaos. Cowzart ended up with the win, taking out Dustin first again before downing Spice for his second victory of the series. Cowzart continues to find ways to win despite not being dominant during the games. In game 3, Dustin had the best look early on with a four-ball run to protect the highs. Cowzart made a couple of small turns work, then unleashed a four-ball run-out, ousting Spice and Dustin on consecutive shots to win his third game in close fashion. Cowzart nearly marched to another win while defending the mediums in game 4, but Dustin put up enough of a fight in the end after his hot start to steal the win away, with Spice finishing in a distant last thanks to Cowzart's knockout. Dustin earned his first win of the series. Cowzart bounced right back in game 5, allowing Dustin a big six-ball run at the start that did more damage to Spice than to him. Cowzart claimed the mediums after Dustin took the lows, and Spice only got one unproductive turn before Dustin took her out. Cowzart then rallied with a four-ball run-out, including some collateral damage, to get his fourth win of the series. Dustin and Spice made an early push to get Cowzart out of game 6, but they backed off attacking his highs. This proved to be a mistake, as Cowzart knocked Dustin's mediums out on his second turn, and then used good defense to frustrate Spice. Cowzart needed a few more turns, but he won on a three-ball run-out, clinching the series with his fifth win. His two opponents are out of the event.
Sydney Sierota v. Melissa Benoist v. Frosty at Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison. Melissa started in a seven-ball run, wiping lows off the table completely. Frosty charged back on a four-ball run to confirm Sydney's departure, but Melissa's late scratch opened the door for Sydney to come back. Frosty made sure it didn't last long, making two shots to take out Melissa and Sydney for Frosty's first win. Frosty and Sydney didn't settle much between them quickly, but they had Melissa's lows out of the game within two turns before battling a near deadlock with each other for a couple more turns. Frosty ended up with the better of this, picking up her second win after the tussle. Frosty made a six-ball run off the break, forcing Sydney and Melissa to work together in game 3. Sydney started slow, but Melissa took the lows and defended them well, helped by her 5 being in the middle of a cluster. Frosty couldn't get rid of either of them, allowing Sydney to weaken Frosty some more. Melissa then made a three-ball run-out for her first win. Melissa started pretty well in game 4, with a short run to claim the highs as her own. Frosty shot back with a massive run of eight balls to take out Sydney quickly and then Melissa on her only turn for her third win. The run was so quick, Frosty didn't realize how close she was to winning until it happened. The two celebrities finally worked together in game 5, as Frosty's hot start with the highs didn't last against Melissa's lows and Sydney's mediums. Both of them weakened Frosty, with Sydney delivering the final blow on her four-ball run-out that ended with Melissa's fall for Sydney's first win. Sydney stepped her game up even more in game 6, book-ending the performance with a five-ball run that saw three balls drop on the break, followed by a five-ball run-out after neither Melissa nor Frosty could claim a suit on their turns. Sydney's second win saw her visitors split a point. Sydney had another strong five-ball run off the break in game 7, but the opposition mounted a more forceful reply this time. Melissa took the highs as her set, and Frosty went with the lows, both chipping into Sydney's lead in the game. Sydney fired back, and the game was fairly even when Frosty unleashed a four-ball run-out, ousting Melissa and then Sydney for her fourth win of the series. Game 8 saw Frosty come up empty on the break, but neither Sydney nor Melissa could get anything on their first turns. Frosty ended up defending the mediums, but it was a six-ball run by Sydney that wiped out Melissa and put Frosty on the edge. Sydney won a turn later, her third of the series. Frosty struck first with a short run in game 9, but it didn't hold up well for her highs. Melissa chose mediums and did damage to both of the front-runners, but it was a six-ball run-out from Sydney that decided the game, and she managed to deny Frosty a point as Sydney scooped up her fourth win. Sydney didn't have much of a chance in game 10, as Frosty targeted her specifically on a seven-ball run that took out her lows, but Melissa extended the series with one of the best defensive efforts of the tournament yet, pinning her 8 to Frosty's highs to keep it safe. Melissa picked at Frosty and then beat her in a race to get her second win of the series. Melissa refused to let the series go quietly, and Frosty's aggressiveness toward Sydney quickly turned game 11 into another one-on-one battle. Melissa and Frosty didn't play all that well against each other, but they kept Sydney out of the game, and Melissa eventually made Frosty's last two balls to earn her third win. Melissa continued her late surge with a six-ball run along the bottom rail from the break in game 12. Sydney soon followed it up after Frosty's miss with a five-ball run that saw Frosty knocked out of the game. Melissa would make Sydney's last two balls, putting all competitors at four wins in the series for a decisive final game. Game 13 saw Sydney take the upper hand with the lows on an early run after an empty break from Melissa. Frosty tried to attack directly at Sydney, still unconcerned about Melissa, who had a small counterattack on her second turn. Sydney took Melissa out first, and then faced up and beat Frosty a turn later for her critical fifth win to advance. Frosty qualifies at 17.5, while Melissa took 15.5 points in the series.
Smokey v. Shiny v. Pauline at Intel Center, Diamond. Shiny thought her strong first turn, which saw her take the lows to protect, would be enough to get her through game 1. She was on the right path as Smokey took out a vulnerable Pauline, but he didn't stop there, winning two turns later as Shiny proved incapable of potting Smokey's last ball, giving him his first win. Shiny went perfectly unchallenged for two turns in game 2, but Pauline took the lows on her second turn, and she did so by damaging Shiny's highs quite a bit. Smokey then swooped in on a three-ball run-out, knocking out Shiny first and then Pauline for his second win. Pauline had the best start to game 3, but by the end, it didn't seem to have much impact. Pauline found herself out of the game at one point, but Smokey's scratch revived her, and she took him out first before beating Shiny for her first win of the series. Shiny didn't dominate in game 4, but she battled closely with Pauline and Smokey to protect her chosen lows. Pauline seemed to be the biggest threat, but Shiny managed to get Smokey out first before knocking out Pauline for her first win. Shiny had a big start with a four-ball run from the break, and Pauline took lows to leave Smokey with a weakened medium set. Smokey attacked well in the game, none better than at the end when he took out Pauline and then Shiny on his three-ball run-out for his third win in five games. Smokey didn't get very much traction in game 6, and Shiny and Pauline attacked the lows, which became his suit, rather readily. Pauline's attacks were not dangerous, but again she found herself first out in a close finish that ultimately fell to Shiny for her second win. Shiny didn't get to enjoy the benefits of leading off in game 7, as she went empty on the break. Smokey followed with a seven-ball run, and Pauline knocked Shiny out on a four-ball run that followed. Smokey protected the mediums well, and made Pauline's last two balls on his second turn for his fourth win of the series. Pauline had the jump on game 8 right from the start, making a five-ball run that left both opponents frustrated. Shiny eventually laid claim to the mediums, which would be costly for her, as Pauline took her out first and then Smokey on her two-shot finish to her second win. Pauline was put in an early deficit by Smokey and Shiny in game 9, as they left her with the damaged lows. Shiny then protected the highs just a bit better than Smokey did for his mediums, beating him with the last two shots of the game to take out Pauline and Smokey back-to-back for her third win. Smokey found himself out of a sloppy game 10 rather quickly thanks to Shiny, who then used a brilliant defensive move to stymie Pauline, who tried and failed to get the 4 in a pocket. Shiny took out Pauline's 7 for her fourth win, pulling even with Smokey in the series as it approaches its end. Smokey needed just an eight-ball run-out in game 11, capitalizing on an empty break by Shiny to get the win by taking her out first, and then Pauline. Shiny remains in the qualifying fight with 15 points, while Pauline is out at 11.
That's all for today's action. Tomorrow should bring another five series to the table.
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