2018 Qualifiers - Day 12

We're back and ready for another standard day of games. We begin with...

Rotation and the blue cue for the sixth appearance of the year by the Westside Rockers' Slinks. Slinks did a wonderful job in this game, making two balls on the break and taking her only error for accidentally touching the 15 with her cue stick. She ended on 22 shots in the game, setting a positive tone for the day. The Central Warriors' returnee Noelle gets the second game today, using the blue cue for 8-ball. Noelle could have done better, but a tough distribution after the break and two errors slowed her down, forcing her to take 26 shots to clear the table in this appearance. Dominic of the Southern Monarchs goes next, using the red cue in 10-ball. Dominic went empty on the break and took one error early, but his final shot was deflected off the 5 to push the 10 to the top right to end in 9 shots, a perfect execution to secure a good score. Taylor Swift of the Commerce Tradewinds follows that with her 9-ball game with the blue cue. Taylor couldn't make a ball on the break, but she did get an early finish despite her one error, ending on 15 shots as she made the 8-9 combination to the bottom right. The group ends with the Lighton Prestige's Spirit making her long-awaited season debut in 7-ball with the silver cue. Spirit made three balls on the break, with the 2 in the bottom right, the 3 in the top right, and the 5 in the bottom left, and then needed 8 shots to finish the game, but she took no errors in a positive debut.

The Infinity Torpedoes' Shelley leads off group two with her 12-ball game, using the blue cue. Shelley stepped up in a big way, making two balls on the break before taking her only error for a scratch on the first shot from play. She didn't let it hold her back, ending with 16 shots and the one error in a quick game. Moving along, the Victoria Spurs' Yekaterina Vasilyeva plays Rotation with the blue cue. Yekaterina showed her class in this appearance, taking only one early error despite an empty break. She would close in 22 shots, an impressive score given the circumstances. Harrison Specters captain Twinkie II goes next, using the red cue for 12-ball. Twinkie II made a ball on the break and played fast early on before moving to a cautious and patient approach later on, which worked to end her turn in 20 shots without an error. The ninth game of the day goes to the Boston Swifts' Sweetheart, who uses the blue cue for 9-ball. Sweetheart had an up-and-down outing, making a ball on the break but scratching. This was the first of her four errors, with the rest coming from a frustrating and fruitless chase of the 4 around the table that ruined the game, which ended with 23 shots. Wrapping up the group, Salmo of the Eastside Sharks uses the silver cue in 9-ball for his third appearance with the team. Salmo put in a starring performance with only 6 shots to his name after making a ball on the break. He took no errors as he ended the game early with the 5-9 combination to the bottom right, a clean and brilliant play.

Group three gets going as the Infinity Torpedoes captain Smudge shoots 10-ball with the blue cue. Smudge had a poor outing this time, getting nothing on the break and picking up three errors for her troubles among the 23 shots it took to clear the table. Lighton Prestige newcomer Nicole plays next, using the blue cue for 8-ball. Nicole didn't have her best, narrowly getting nothing from her break before her only error a couple of shots into the game. She lost control at the end, needing 26 shots to finish as she chased the last four balls around the table. Whitewater Shores captain Bear takes today's 13th game, using the silver cue to play his 8-ball. Bear had nothing on the break, but he also didn't take any errors, wiping the stripes off the table quickly before finishing the game at 19 shots in a good performance. After that, Terrace City Knights rookie Melissa Benoist returns for 12-ball with the blue cue, her third game in two days. Melissa made a ball on the break, and she stayed strong in positioning, working her way to the end efficiently. She did take one error for missed contact late, but she finished with 19 shots for a productive game. Rounding out the group, the Commerce Tradewinds rookie Rosemary brings us into 15-ball with the silver cue. Rosemary changed her approach in this game, showing no fear of errors and taking three of them on scratches after making a ball on the break. It worked, as she finished with 25 shots in a good game.

The fourth batch kicks off with the Boston Swifts' Puff II hoping to get a good Rotation game with the red cue. Puff II is putting her rough start behind her, collecting only 18 shots with a ball on the break and one early error in this beautiful performance. Following that, the Pearl Surfers veteran Boots shoots 8-ball with the blue cue. Boots needed only 19 shots with one error to get through the appearance, while also getting nothing on the break. The veteran had decisive and crisp shots to build the good game. Stealth of the Swordpoint Blades is up next, using the red cue for his 8-ball game. Stealth had a rough game, unable to get clear shots early on. He had a nice run in the middle of the game and took no errors, but the empty break and slow start left him with 26 shots at the end. The 19th player to shoot today is Harrison Specters star Sydney Sierota, who plays 10-ball with the silver cue. Sydney had some early trouble getting clear shots after a poor break, and she would also take two errors in the game before ending on the 9-10 combination to the top left to close at 20 shots. More 10-ball is on the way to bring the group to a close, as the Commerce Tradewinds' Niki appears in the event with the blue cue. Niki suffered two errors after an empty break to start the game. She ended on an 8-10 combination to the bottom right after many failed trick plays before, taking 18 shots for the appearance in total.

Group five opens with the Harrison Specters' Lexi Woode shooting 10-ball with the silver cue. Lexi showed a better look with a ball on the break, but took two of her three total errors with a straight scratch on her first shot from play. She ended the game strong, taking 18 shots for her score. The 22nd game today goes to the Specters captain Twinkie II, who returns for Rotation with the red cue in her second game today. Twinkie II tried to play honest early on, but with small returns, she turned to a reckless style, accruing seven errors after her empty break to finish in 28 shots with a late burst. The Web City Spiders' Sugar is next, playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Sugar had a ball on the break, but some bad positioning in the middle of the game and a single error caused her score to inflate to 16 shots, especially as no combination plays developed. Luigi of the North Modernistic Nighthawks is set to shoot his 10-ball game with the blue cue. Luigi had three errors for a scratch, an illegally potted ball, and illegal contact after an empty break. He needed 24 shots to end the game early on a 7-10 combination, frustration clearly getting the better of him by the end of the turn. At the back of the group, the Queens Flames captain Crystal plays 8-ball with the blue cue. Crystal had a frustrating game, taking three errors among her 30 shots after an empty break, consistently getting snookered by her shots.

The sixth group starts with Southridge Defenders sophomore Bianca playing Rotation with the blue cue. Bianca had a rough-looking start to the game, but only took one error, settling in during the middle and late stages to finish with 24 shots in the appearance. Next up is the Oceanside Waves rookie Jason V. debuting in 7-ball with the silver cue. Jason looked solid despite an empty break, taking no errors over a fairly average 11 shots to complete his first career outing. Moving along, the Diamond Gems' Cassandra plays 12-ball with the blue cue. Cassandra had a ball on the break, and she strategically took the stripes out quickly before turning to the solids, which gave her a bit more work. She would need 18 shots even with plus positioning skills to complete this game. Jennifer Livilotti of the Terrace City Knights gets the 29th game today, shooting 10-ball with the silver cue. Jennifer was another casualty of 10-ball today, with nothing on the break and three errors in a seemingly impossible sequence of bad positions and tough angles on the few clear shots she had among the 24 it took to end the game. Commerce Tradewinds captain Tigerette wraps up the group with her 12-ball game with the blue cue. Tigerette showed patience after an unlucky break netted nothing. She took no errors in the appearance, closing in 18 shots as she worked sections of the table very proficiently.

Group seven is headed by North Modernistic Nighthawks rookie Gal Gadot playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Gal made a ball on the break, helping her early on, but she faded from her quick pace late in the game, needing 21 error-free shots to complete the effort. The Knights' Jennifer Livilotti comes back to the table for more 12-ball with the silver cue. Jennifer had nothing on the break and started slowly with an error, but she closed better than most, needing only 18 shots for the game to complete her appearance. Lionel of the Commerce Tradewinds is the 33rd player called to shoot today, using the red cue in 10-ball. Lionel had words for the league after shooting 22 with three errors and nothing on the break in what's quickly becoming the least-favored event again. Boston Swifts captain Patches is back in action today with the red cue in hand for 15-ball. Patches had a very eventful game, with a ball on the break, two double-pots, and three errors among her 23 shots as she finished early. The final shot was a double-pot, deflecting off the 11 to take the 15 at the top side, while the 11 dropped in the bottom right after a two-rail carom. Her sister, the Golden Pilots legend Dusty, shoots 9-ball with the silver cue to round out this bunch. Dusty looked to be down and out with an empty break and a quick three errors before turning things around, making a couple of shots and the 6-9 combination to the bottom right to salvage a score of 14 shots for the game.

The final group sees the Freedom Cascades newcomer Stripes jump in for 8-ball with the silver cue. Stripes had a poor outing in this one, needing 25 shots with one error and an empty break as the final solid proved much more elusive than expected. The Web City Spiders' Shiny goes 37th today, using the red cue in 8-ball. Shiny also took an early error after an empty break, but she was a bit quicker late in the game, needing only 22 shots to get through another fairly average performance. The Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball is next to play, using the silver cue in her 9-ball game. Snowball didn't take any errors in the game despite her empty break, showing command on her shots and closing the game in 14 shots for a score right around the league average. After that, Tysini Hummingbirds third-year rising star Charli XCX plays 9-ball with the silver cue as well. Charli tried to get a big break, but nothing came of it, and she would take two errors before closing the game at 18 shots. She had at least two early attempts at the 9 denied on deflections. The Torpedoes' Shelley closes the day with her Rotation game, using the blue cue in this appearance. Shelley did make a ball on the break, but her three errors and lack of a game-changing run in the game put her at 29 shots for the appearance.

That's it for the games today. Tomorrow, we may play 50 or more, depending on timing, as we enjoy some positive momentum after today.