2018 Qualifiers - Day 8

We're back for another day of games, with the exact number to be determined. We begin with...

The Commerce Tradewinds rookie Rosemary shooting 9-ball with the red cue. Rosemary made a ball on the break, but would take two errors during the game to mitigate the benefit, ultimately ending with 15 shots in a decent but unremarkable performance. The Victoria Spurs' Yekaterina Vasilyeva is next up, playing 12-ball with the silver cue. Yekaterina had a slow finish despite a solid start, although she had nothing on the break. Yekaterina also took no errors, and closed with 19 shots. The North Modernistic Nighthawks sophomore Luigi goes third today, with the blue cue in hand for 8-ball. Luigi shot quite well in this appearance, needing only 20 shots without an error to get through the game. He had a ball on the break and looked in control of the game at all times. The Golden Pilots' veteran Strut gets the next game, making his season debut in 7-ball with the red cue. Strut had a less than conventional path to 10 shots for the game, going empty on the break and collecting two errors before a fortunate alignment for the 4-7 combination developed, which he made in the bottom left. Southern Monarchs sophomore Hoppy closes the group with 9-ball and the red cue. Hoppy ended up benefiting from her only error on her first shot after an empty break. It pushed the 9 close to the bottom right, and she ended with a double-pot of the 3 to the top right and the 9 to the bottom right for a score of 5 shots.

Group two leads off with Victoria Spurs captain Spice playing 8-ball with the silver cue. Spice had a good turn going despite her empty break, but while her early misses were productive, far more occurred late in the game without benefit. She would also add one error among her 22 shots before finishing the game. The Tysini Hummingbirds Charli makes her long-awaited season debut in 7-ball with the blue cue for today's seventh game. Charli just barely hung on for most of her shots, struggling early but avoiding errors before surging late to finish in 10 shots in a crazy game. Continuing along, the Pronger Tridents sophomore Spot plays 9-ball with the red cue. Spot made a ball on the break, but between two errors and four rattled-out shots, he played himself out of a good game and ended up at 17 shots instead. The Tysini Hummingbirds captain Princess keeps the game on 9-ball, but brings the blue cue to the table. Princess couldn't make anything from the break, but she kept a steady hand and only took one error among her 14 shots, a strong performance from the experienced captain. The Freedom Cascades veteran Roxy brings the group to an end with 9-ball as well, returning the red cue to action. Roxy produced a wonderful game, taking no errors and getting a ball on the break before closing in a quick 13 shots full of well-placed and hard contacts.

The third group gets going as the Stonebridge Wolves sophomore Cobalt plays his 9-ball with the silver cue. Cobalt picked up a ball on the break, but he was slow to strike early on, and this weighed him down, pushing his score to 16 shots without an error in the game. Next up is the Modernistic Union sophomore Daisy, who has the silver cue in hand for 9-ball as well. Daisy did just about everything right in her game early on, making two balls on the break, but while she took no errors, slow play on the 6 and the 9 inflated her score to 15 shots for the effort. Todavía Stills rookie Anton comes in for the next game, playing 10-ball with the silver cue. Anton got nothing out of a chaotic break, but his 1-7 combination attempt to the bottom right, while failed, set him up nicely. He would make the 9-10 combination via a short-range deflection of the cue off the 1 to the top right, and the 8 dropped in the bottom right for icing on his 2-shot, no errors cake. The Diamond Gems' Cassandra continues her comeback tour in 9-ball with the red cue. Cassandra couldn't make a ball on the break, and she struggled initially, even taking an error after her first surge. She finished strong at 15 shots in a decent performance. Wrapping up the group, Kirstin of the Everton Eagles plays 10-ball with the red cue. Kirstin had a seemingly slow start, but after an early error, she made the 2-4 combination to the top right and the 2-10 to the bottom right to end with 5 shots and just the one error.

Batch four begins with Harrison Specters rookie Rudolph playing 8-ball with the blue cue. Rudolph had a poor outing, lacking pace at the start and taking two errors with missed contact and a scratch on the same shot. He had no precision on his late shots, and barely scored 30 with a double-pot of the 7 and 3 to the left corners at the end. Violetta, the Queens Flames star sophomore, plays 8-ball as well, but with the silver cue. Violetta looked sharp in this appearance, taking two balls on the break and needing just 19 shots in total to get through the game, taking no errors for a clean outing. The Pacific Volcanoes' Leonette is next, hoping to correct early struggles as she plays 9-ball with the silver cue. This effort was a massive success, despite taking an empty break. Leonette used the 1-8-7 combination to the top right on her first shot after the break, and then set up a 3-5-9 combination to the bottom right to end in 4 shots without an error. The 19th player drawn today is Violetta, as the Flames star returns for her second game of the day, 9-ball with the red cue. Violetta had her first bad game of qualifying, making a ball on the break but taking two errors and miscuing before her shot on the 9 to inflate her score to 18 shots for the game. At the back of the group, the Maplewood Lumberjacks' Gabe plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Gabe didn't do anything big, with only minor frustration from the slow start and early error. He would clean up the pace of play later on, finishing with 18 shots for the game.

Group five opens with Whitewater Shores rising star Marsell playing 7-ball with the blue cue in his highly anticipated season debut. Marsell disappointed many fans this time, taking an empty break. He didn't have an error in the game, but he struggled, especially with the 3, needing 16 shots to finish. Twinkie II of the Harrison Specters is the next player drawn, playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Twinkie II made a ball on the break, and she played clean for the whole game. She would fade in pace starting with the 6, but she still completed the effort in 13 shots. The Queens Flames sophomore Hannah gets the next game, playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Hannah took an early error and also made a ball on the break, an eventful start to the game. Things cooled down later, and she finished quietly at 16 shots, an acceptable effort. Bryant of the Maplewood Lumberjacks plays next, keeping the blue cue at the table for his 8-ball appearance. Bryant started out great, with two balls on the break, but an early error and bad positions on later shots stalled him. He would finish with 24 shots and the one error for the game. Going 25th today is Boston Swifts stalwart Gradley, who plays 9-ball with the silver cue to finish the batch. Gradley didn't need much fortune, as skill alone got him a ball on the break and kept him away from errors with simple and straight shots. He closed with 13 shots for the game, a strong output for a full-rack effort.

The sixth group is headed by the Whitewater Shores' Twinkie III, who plays 12-ball with the silver cue. Twinkie III had a bad outing, making a ball on the break but taking three errors and chasing two balls around the table to get position at the side pockets at the end. It took 27 shots to complete the effort. The Infinity Torpedoes' Shelley keeps the silver cue in action for her 8-ball qualifier. Shelley made a ball on the break, and she didn't let her two errors sully the appearance, playing well until the end as she finished in 21 shots despite her mistakes. Today's 28th game belongs to Hummingbirds captain Princess, as she plays her second game of the day in 10-ball with the red cue. Princess dazzled with a pair of balls on the break, and then doubled down with excellent command and precision. She took the game in 10 shots without an error, ending with a 7-10 combination to the bottom right to top a remarkable outing. Following that, the Spurs captain Spice returns for her second game of the day in 9-ball with the blue cue. Spice didn't get anything off the break and struggled to make shots early on. She would take three errors and 19 shots for the game before ending on the 8-9 combination to the top right. Rounding out the bunch, Boston Swifts superstar captain Patches plays 9-ball with the blue cue, hoping to avoid the Boston Curse that's befallen her team this qualifying season. Patches indeed avoided the curse, getting nothing on the break but closing the game in just 8 shots with one error for missed contact toward the 3.

Group seven starts with Freedom Cascades captain Jasmine using the red cue in 7-ball for her season debut. Jasmine had nothing on the break and took two errors early in the game trying to be creative, and then she finished with 11 shots, the mistakes marring an otherwise solid outing. The Shores' Twinkie III is back again, the first player to breach the boundary with Rotation. She used the red cue, and ended up making a ball on the break and accumulating six errors to grease the game along. Four of those errors were intentionally played, and she ended with 27 shots, generally a positive score for the event. The Archtown Arrows' Dusky gets the next game, using the silver cue in 9-ball. Dusky made a couple of balls on the break, and she didn't suffer any errors during the game. She faded late but still finished at a healthy 13 shots for the effort. The Eastside Sharks' Cubby makes his second appearance of the year in the 34th game of the day, using the blue cue for 8-ball. Cubby was doomed from the start, with a poor break and then an illegal potting of the 8 on his second shot. He would take one more error before he cleaned up his game and actually ended well at 23 shots, but the six errors take away from what could have been. The group wraps up with Web City Spiders sophomore Ted playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Ted was very narrowly denied from a ball on the break, but he replied with poise, taking out the rack in 12 shots with one error for an efficient performance.

Batch eight sees the Lighton Prestige's Katelynn step in for 9-ball with the silver cue. Katelynn couldn't pot a ball on the break, and she took one error early on for blocking the motion of the cue ball after a shot. She would recover from this nicely, ending in 6 shots with just one error after potting the 4-9 combination in the top side. The Royal Crowns star Kayla is the 37th player called today, and she'll use the red cue for 8-ball. Kayla had nothing on the break, and she struggled a bit early on, going with shorter and choppier turns. She would finish the game without an error, but it did take 23 shots to complete. The new Taylor Swifts arrives in Commerce next, as the Tradewinds' big offseason acquisition debuts in 7-ball with the silver cue. Taylor's debut was rough, as she took nothing on the break and suffered two errors to finish with 13 shots despite ultimately shooting well. Continuing along, the Pronger Tridents sophomore Potter plays 9-ball with the red cue. Potter did not play well. His break was empty, and he chased the 1 for quite awhile. He miscued on the 2, missing contact for his only error, and then surged before fading to a total of 18 shots in a rough game. Last in the group is Terrace City Knights captain Kiwi, who uses the blue cue in her 7-ball debut for the year. Kiwi didn't need to make a ball on the break to finish well, avoiding errors and closing the performance in 4 shots as she deflected the cue into the 7 off the 3 to pot the 7 in the bottom side.

The ninth group is underway as Commerce Tradewinds star captain Tigerette plays 9-ball with the red cue. Tigerette had a good start with a ball on the break, but she struggled with the 1, a common theme with this game-cue combination. She would take one late error for missed contact, and she ended at 19 shots. The Midland Predators star Rainmane is up next, shooting 8-ball with the red cue. Rainmane had a scratch on the break and no other balls fell early, but she was efficient from there. She would take a second error for illegal contact, but she finished the game in a quick 19 shots. The Harrison Specters third-year star Sydney Sierota is up for 8-ball as well, also using the red cue. Sydney put up a fantastic effort, taking no errors and getting nothing on the break before closing the appearance in 18 shots. The 44th game today belongs to the Shores' Marsell, who plays his 8-ball with the blue cue. Marsell looked good in this appearance as well, despite the empty break to his credit. He didn't take any errors, and while he faded a bit late, he did end in 20 shots, a good score regardless of circumstances. Midnight, the Westside Rockers veteran, closes the group with the unfriendly 9-ball and red cue combination. Midnight didn't get anything on the break, a common theme late in the day, but she did make two balls on her first shot from play, and with only one error in the way for illegal contact, she finished in a crisp 12 shots for a great game.

Today's final group goes with the Queens Flames captain Crystal making her season debut in 7-ball with the red cue. Crystal got creative on the break, but it didn't work to any effect. She had one error after potting the 2 while scratching, but she ended the game on 10 shots in a good outing. The Modernistic Union's Puff I steps up for the next game, using the red cue in her 9-ball appearance. Puff I had a good start going, making a ball on the break, but it all went sour when she rattled the 6 out of the bottom left corner. She would end up finishing the appearance in 16 shots, frustrated again by the same red cue difficulties plaguing most of the league. The 48th player called to shoot today is the Golden Pilots veteran A. Charlton, shooting 8-ball with the red cue. Charlton could have done a lot better. Her break was empty and she had three errors, including two on one shot. She would close the game with 26 shots, unable to break out for a long run at any point. Whitewater Shores rookie Katharine McPhee is next, using the blue cue for 10-ball. Katharine had an awful game after a glimmer of hope on the break as the 8 trickled in the bottom right. She took three errors, and lacked any sort of command on her shots, ending with 25 of them for the game. Finally, Frosty gets her second game for the Stonebridge Wolves, using the silver cue in 8-ball. Frosty had nothing on the break but also took no errors for the game, closing with 21 shots in a solid performance from the veteran.

That's it for a big Monday. Tomorrow, we're back down to 40 games for the day. We'll also play on Wednesday before taking Thursday off to observe Thanksgiving (with a heaping side of cricket).