We're on to the fourth game day of the round. As mentioned yesterday, there will not be any games on Thursday. We'll try to play four series today, beginning with...
Shelley v. Chicky Phil v. Graham at Nissan Hall, Infinity. Graham had the first run in game 1, but Shelley followed up in defense of the highs very nicely with a five-ball run to pressure both of her opponents. Graham took out Chicky Phil easily, but Shelley would take the win many turns later after breaking the stalemate. Shelley had a strong performance in game 2 as well, taking the highs from the break, and then ripping a six-ball run-out on her second turn to beat Graham early with his weakened mediums before taking out Chicky Phil and the lows for her second win of the series. Shelley couldn't get anything on the break in game 3, allowing Chicky Phil to erupt for an eight-ball run as he claimed the lows. Graham fired back over four turns, taking out Shelley early and ultimately winning on a three-ball run-out for his first victory. Shelley put in a firm counterattack as she claimed the mediums in game 4. Graham soon followed up with the lows, leaving Chicky Phil to suffer an early exit on Shelley's next turn as she got lined up for the win. Graham countered a bit on his second turn, but Shelley took her third win of the series. Chicky Phil showed a very positive offense in game 5, challenging both players with his first turn in defense of the highs before winning on a three-ball run-out on his second turn, with Graham getting the point for second place. Chicky Phil scratched on the break in game 6, leaving Graham to claim the highs and Shelley to take the lows before he got another turn. Shelley knocked Chicky Phil out on her second turn, but she couldn't beat a crafty Graham, who took his second win of the series on his third turn. Shelley put up a good effort early in game 7, but she proved to be no match for Chicky Phil's game in defense of the lows. Graham weathered most of the storm and had a chance for a later counterattack, which failed, allowing Chicky Phil to strike Graham's 12 in for his second win. Chicky Phil popped out with a nine-ball run from the break in game 8, including some collateral damage. Graham took a pair of highs down to claim the lows, and Shelley went empty before Chicky Phil offed Graham and Shelley on consecutive shots for his third win of the series. Game 9 dragged on for quite awhile after Shelley initially claimed the lows. A scratch from Chicky Phil gave his opponents new strength, but they couldn't knock him out. Chicky Phil still fell first thanks to Shelley's double-pot of the 9 and the 13, but she missed on the 12, and Graham took his third win with a well-hit shot on the 4. Game 10 saw Graham take the mediums with a nice six-ball run at the start. Shelley quickly claimed the lows, and Chicky Phil made it a fairly even game after one turn each. Graham failed on his second turn, allowing Shelley to make a three-ball run-out for her fourth win, taking out Graham last. Shelley didn't have her brightest outing in game 11, allowing Graham and Chicky Phil to dominate the performance. Graham made a late push gain the lead, and Chicky Phil took Shelley out on a short run before Graham took his fourth victory with a three-ball run-out. Graham could have done a bit better with the highs early in game 12, but his lack of potency on offense left Chicky Phil and Shelley to pick up short runs to weaken him. Chicky Phil would prevail with a five-ball run-out in the end, bringing the series level at four wins apiece after he deflected the 6 off of his own 1 to end Shelley's mediums. Chicky Phil started well in game 13, but that was a short-lived joy for him, as Shelley countered with a short run and Graham took a seven-ball run in defense of the mediums. Shelley's 3 gave Graham trouble, and she made his last two balls before he had another chance. Shelley took the decisive win to get to the third round.
Cassandra v. Goldy v. Ice Cream at Intel Center, Diamond. Cassandra scratched on the break in game 1, allowing Goldy to pace the start with her highs, but Cassandra stormed back and won on a five-ball run-out on her third turn, beating Goldy for four shots before finishing her first win on Ice Cream's lows. Ice Cream again had a big role in setting the tone for game 2, but after Goldy knocked Cassandra from the game, Ice Cream couldn't make much of an attack. Goldy held on through some lean turns before potting Ice Cream's last two balls for her first win. Goldy started with a five-ball run from the break in game 3, a big push that helped her later in the game. Both Ice Cream and Cassandra countered on short runs on their first turns, but Goldy stepped up with a three-ball run-out to beat them both on her second turn, with Cassandra getting the point for second place. Game 4 saw a rough start from Goldy despite her taking mediums from the break. Cassandra quickly took the highs, but a second turn scratch brought Goldy back after Ice Cream had ousted her. Ice Cream still ended up with second place in the end, unable to hold off a four-ball run-out from Cassandra, whose redemptive performance late in the game earned her a second win. Goldy returned the attack well in game 5, wasting her first turn but letting a nine-ball run-out loose on her second turn. Ice Cream was the last one standing, but powerless to stop Goldy after she previously wiped out Cassandra in earning her third win of the series. Ice Cream can't seem to catch a break in this series, falling to a combined effort from Cassandra and Goldy this time. Cassandra had the better of the offense in defense of the lows, beating Ice Cream early and taking out Goldy at the end for her third win in six games. Goldy returned to form at the end of game 7, blasting a six-ball run-out after a fairly muddled start to the game for all three players. The critical shot was a double-pot of the 4 to the bottom left and the 5-9 combination to the top left, which set Goldy up for the winning shot on the 5, giving her a fourth win in the series. Goldy kept up the good work in game 8, challenging Cassandra directly at the end of this game. The two battled briefly, and then Goldy took her fifth win of the series, earning the right to advance to the third round.
Crystal v. Lorde v. Stripes at Ebay Center, Queens. Lorde had the first burst, a five-ball run, to claim the highs in game 1. Stripes and Crystal both made shorter runs in response, and Lorde then took out Stripes on a three-ball run before Crystal defended her last low and beat Lorde on a straight shot for her first win. Crystal had a very productive two turns unchallenged in defense of the lows in game 2. Lorde was the first to make a shot outside of Crystal's turns, and she took the mediums, leaving Stripes with the highs. Crystal would beat them both on a three-ball run-out on her third turn, with Stripes scraping out the extra point. Crystal came up with an ugly win in game 3, her third of the series. The players all lacked incisive shooting in this game, although Crystal did pick up a seven-ball run later in the game. This wiped out Stripes but also caused collateral damage. Lorde should have had the win, but frustration caused her to miss her shot, and Crystal held on long enough to win. Lorde made amends for her collapse in the last game by getting the win in game 4. She challenged Crystal's highs immediately with her own lows, and got some help from Stripes in the middle. Lorde then picked up her first win with a pair of shots, gifting Stripes the second-place point. Game 5 started slowly all around, although Stripes took highs and Crystal took lows with a five-ball run. Lorde challenged back as well, and the players remained fairly even until a scratch by Crystal at the end. Stripes would get the win, as Lorde took out Crystal and Stripes made a pair of shots for her first victory in the series. Lorde had a firm attack at the start of game 6, putting both of her opponents on edge. Crystal shot back on a big run to knock Lorde out of the game, but she couldn't get around Stripes' defensive posture, and Stripes would eventually make Crystal's last three balls to take her second win in the series. Game 7 saw another push from Stripes, but Crystal did most of the heavy lifting. The two players combined quite efficiently against Lorde, putting her out of the game quickly, but Crystal again struggled to get around Stripes, and the latter player held on to win on a four-ball run-out with collateral damage for her third win. Game 8 featured a decent start from Crystal and Lorde, but a slow finish after Lorde offed Crystal on her third turn. Lorde and Stripes did battle until a scratch by Lorde revived Crystal, who would take Lorde out to battle with Stripes herself. This led to a quicker finish in Crystal's favor for her fourth win of the series. Crystal put the series to rest after making three mediums from the break in game 9. Lorde hung around with those mediums longer than expected, but a scratch doomed her, as Crystal took over and won her fifth game of the series to advance to the third round.
Klaus v. Taylor Swift v. Isabella at McDonald's Hall, Atlantic. Taylor had a solid start in game 1, but facing two sophomore teammates will prove tough in this series. Isabella and Klaus focused on Taylor's lows, beating her down eventually, and Isabella picked up her first win in the series after Klaus flubbed a shot. Taylor again tried hard to keep up in game 2, but Klaus and Isabella remained focused on her lows this time. Klaus had the upper hand with the highs, and he used this advantage to take Taylor out a shot before offing Isabella for his first win. Taylor had a better effort in game 3, but she couldn't keep her highs on the table this time either. Klaus dealt her the death blow this time, but Isabella hung around long enough despite Klaus' late push to pick up her second win in the series with a tap-in on his 3. Isabella didn't get anything on the break in game 4, and it nearly cost her. Klaus had a five-ball run, and Taylor decimated the co-hosts with her four-ball run, but they held on. Klaus took a four-ball run to wipe Taylor out again, but Isabella bested Klaus with her shot to finish the game for her third win. Isabella ripped a collateral damage-filled eleven-ball run in game 5 on the first turn, and she tried to leave Klaus an easy shot but messed that up. Taylor poached a point instead, wedging herself between her opponents despite Isabella still earning her fourth win. Klaus had the better offense in game 6, although Isabella defended the mediums pretty well too. Klaus took the highs, and they both pounded away at Taylor's lows, beating her on Klaus' second turn. Klaus finished that turn as a four-ball run-out for his second win in the series. Isabella was denied again in game 7, as Klaus' bad break and Taylor's eight-ball run to take out Klaus sapped her momentum. Taylor beat her on the next turn for her first win in the lopsided series. Isabella finally clinched the series in game 8, as Taylor wasted her break, and Klaus and Isabella pummeled her for it. Klaus would finish second, being a good teammate to let Isabella take the series now.
That's all for today. Same thing tomorrow before a day off.
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