We'll get a little more of the Cutthroat Tournament played today as we ease back into regular playing time. We begin with...
Celestia v. Snowball v. Peach at AT&T Hall, Oceanside. Game 1 saw Snowball produce a good start and finish in her first win of the series. Peach was the beneficiary of Snowball's lapse in the middle of the game, as she put up a six-ball run to ensure Celestia's third-place finish this time. Snowball had no hesitation to claim lows in game 2, and with another big six-ball run from Peach on her first turn, Celestia's game was over without a shot. Snowball got the upper hand late against Peach to take her second win of the series. Snowball made it three in a row with a brilliant five-ball run-out in game 3, taking out Celestia early again before wiping Peach's last three balls out. The game ended with Snowball banking the 7 to the bottom left in perfect form for the third win. Snowball used her advantage in game 4 to full effect, after a nice run to take out Celestia after her scratch. Peach shot back on the next turn, but Snowball had the upper hand and used it with a collateral damage play on the last shot to get the win, her fourth of the series. Peach and Celestia managed to put aside their early differences to keep the series going in game 5. They combined, albeit a bit clumsily, to take out Snowball in three turns, and then Peach grabbed the win by giving Celestia an unwinnable shooting position. It was Peach's first win of the series. Peach and Celestia flipped roles a bit in game 6, as Peach's early five-ball run represented an early peak. Snowball fought back to put both players in danger, but Celestia's third turn resulted in a win as she took out Peach, who had just taken Snowball out a shot before. In game 7, Celestia couldn't get anything on the break, and she ended up with highs after Peach took lows and Snowball got mediums. Peach betrayed Celestia late in the game, taking her out first, and that left Snowball with a cut on the 2 and a cut-deflection on the 4 to take out Peach. This was Snowball's fifth win, earning her an automatic pass to the second round. Peach finished with 9 points, and Celestia had only 4.
Violetta v. Charli XCX v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva at Ebay Center, Queens. Things did not start well for Violetta in game 1, but she held on well on her second turn to knock out Yekaterina. In a head-to-head battle with Charli, Violetta came close but couldn't quite hold on, as Charli deposited the 2 in the bottom side for her first win. Yekaterina recovered, playing with urgency in game 2. She closed out the game with a five-ball run-out, first eliminating Charli before turning her attention to Violetta's last two balls. Yekaterina recorded her first win with the effort. Violetta found herself out of game 3 rather quickly, but a scratch by Yekaterina reopened her campaign, and she and Charli combined to take Yekaterina out. Charli had a chance to get the win, but couldn't convert, and Violetta made things level with her first win on the next turn. Violetta stayed on the table for the whole of game 4, but she had trouble with finishing off Yekaterina at first, and then she couldn't knock out Charli after she was revived by Violetta's scratch. Charli took both of them out in revenge for her second win. Violetta made things tough on both Charli and Yekaterina early in game 5 with her five-ball run, but she couldn't produce another big run. Instead, Charli made a three-ball run-out, taking out Yekaterina quite vindictively before pushing Violetta aside to take her third win. In game 6, Charli got to set the tone despite an empty break, and she chose lows. Her third turn proved intriguing, as she scratched, allowing Violetta to promptly eliminate Yekaterina. Violetta couldn't follow up, and Charli's three-ball run-out netted her a fourth win in the series. In game 7, none of the players could really get a grip on the game. Charli had the best look, and she made it count later in the game, pushing Yekaterina out of the way before beating Violetta head-to-head again for her fifth and final win to advance. Violetta took 9 points, while Yekaterina had just 3 points from her one win.
Klaus v. Kodiak v. Caitlin Woode at McDonald's Hall, Atlantic. Klaus did well in game 1, although Kodiak had the better start. He had Caitlin on the ropes almost immediately, but a scratch brought her back into the game, and she would actually finish second. Klaus took out Kodiak first before using a deflected shot to beat Caitlin for the win. In game 2, Caitlin was the only player not to get knocked out at some point. Klaus had taken Kodiak out before a scratch on his second turn, and then Kodiak returned fire later, only to also scratch. Kodiak would be taken out first when Caitlin assembled her last run, and she won with a bank on the 3 to the top side, her first win in the series. Klaus and Caitlin dominated in game 3, combining to shut down Kodiak relatively fast. Klaus dealt the final blow there, but couldn't follow up on Caitlin on the next shot, and she instead potted his 8 for her second win. Caitlin got nothing out of the break in game 4, allowing Klaus and Kodiak to do a lot of work with establishing themselves early on. Kodiak would take Caitlin out on his second turn, and then he returned fire against Klaus a turn later to pick up his first win of the series. Klaus worked well on his second turn of game 5 to take Kodiak out of the game, but Caitlin made a two-turn rally to get close before her scratch revived Kodiak. He promptly paid her back by knocking her out, and then he dueled with and won against Klaus for his second win of the series. Klaus got revenge on Caitlin in game 6 after her win three games prior. The two players quickly knocked out Kodiak, much like in the last game. Caitlin didn't scratch this time, but she also couldn't put pressure on Klaus, who eventually corralled her 3 for the win, his second of the even series. Game 7 would be pivotal for all involved, which almost meant bad news when Klaus took an early exit at the hands of Caitlin. This would be undone by Kodiak's scratch, and Klaus stayed under the radar for the rest of the game. Caitlin took out Kodiak, but couldn't get a shot on Klaus' 8, and he picked off her remaining four balls over three turns for his third win of the series. Game 8 was a battle of runs, with Caitlin going six deep early on to leave both of her opponents in trouble. Kodiak piled onto Klaus with a four-ball run, but Klaus stayed alive and took Kodiak and then Caitlin down with a four-ball run-out for his fourth win of the series. Klaus used his second turn in game 9 to go on a mean eight-ball run, taking Caitlin out after she had carefully selected the medium set. Kodiak kept the series going with a four-ball run-out, wiping Klaus' lows off the table for Kodiak's third win in the series. Klaus did the majority of the damage in game 10, nearly claiming the series without a true second place decision. Caitlin saved herself some trouble, claiming highs after lows were off the table, but her scratch revived Kodiak. Klaus would be the first one out for good, thanks to Kodiak, but Caitlin sealed the deal with a shot on the 3 to get the win, her third of the series. Kodiak and Caitlin worked together well to get Klaus out of game 11, ensuring at least one more game for the series. In the end, Kodiak made his shot after Caitlin missed hers, giving him his fourth win of the series. Caitlin had to navigate unfriendly waters in game 12, but she took highs early. Kodiak chose mediums on his first good shot, after a failed play by Klaus, and it would not work out for him. As Caitlin took her fourth turn, the play was even, but she made a four-ball run-out to win, knocking Kodiak out before Klaus to earn her fourth win and set up a decisive final game. The even series came down to an even game 13, as each player had just one ball standing when Klaus came up for the last turn. Caitlin had pushed it to this point, and she was rewarded with second place as Klaus dispatched Kodiak first, and then Caitlin, for his fifth and final win. Klaus advances with the series win, while Caitlin goes with 18 points and Kodiak owns 13 at the end.
That's all for today. The plan for tomorrow is four series or 40 games, whichever takes longer.
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