2018 Qualifiers - Day 15

After a long layoff for personal health, qualifiers can resume today. We may play 50 games if it goes well, but I'll only guarantee 40 for now. We begin with...

Slinks of the Westside Rockers shooting Accuracy with the blue cue, the second player to finish. Slinks had some troubles with longer shots, but while her break was empty, she had no errors either, finishing in 21 shots. Slinks totaled 157 shots with 13 errors in the qualifying sessions. Next up, the Viewpoint Sound Meteors captain Mams shoots 10-ball with the silver cue. Mams was slow to get going, taking her only error while chasing the 1, but she closed well at 22 shots for the difficult event. Royal Crowns returnee Jeremias is up third today, using the blue cue in 12-ball. Jeremias had two balls on the break, but faded a bit late in the game with one error, eventually closing the effort in 21 shots for a solid performance. Boston Swifts superstar captain Patches finishes qualifying with the red cue in this appearance in Accuracy, the third player done. Patches shut things down with efficiency, going empty on the break but taking only 17 shots without an error to close her game. Patches finished with 139 shots and 11 errors in qualifying this year. Atlantic Pirates captain Delila finishes the group with the silver cue for 12-ball. Delila had a pair of balls on the break, but also took an error for a rookie mistake late in the game. She finished in 20 shots, but it could have been less if not for the late mess-up.

Group two leads off with Pearl Surfers co-captain Watermelon playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Watermelon couldn't make a ball on the break and took an error on a scratch after just scraping contact on the 1. She cleaned the game up from here, ending with a respectable 15 shots. Boston Swifts mainstay Sweetheart goes next, shooting 10-ball with the red cue. Sweetheart started well with a ball on the break, but her pursuit of the 1 caused one of her three errors and took far too many shots. The game ended at 23 shots, leaving the veteran frustrated. Moving along, Todavía Stills rookie Anton shoots 12-ball with the blue cue. Anton had nothing on the break and started slow. A mid-game surge gave way to chasing the final ball, where his one error occurred before finishing at 24 shots. Central Warriors newcomer Wings goes ninth today, and becomes the fourth player to complete qualifying as he uses the blue cue in Accuracy. Wings didn't get off to a good start, taking an early error for a scratch and struggling at first. He added some pace on his shots and managed to finish at 21 shots, with a total of 158 shots and 10 errors in qualifying. At the back of the group, Todavía Stills captain Easter tries her hand at 15-ball with the red cue. Easter had a great effort going, but it unraveled as she struggled with the 7. She would end up with the three errors in 33 shots for the game despite the hot start.

The third group gets going as another Todavía Still, Bells, plays 12-ball with the red cue. Bells shot well throughout the game, maybe dipping in quality slightly in the middle before a late surge to score 19 shots without an error in this appearance. Southern Monarchs sophomore Hoppy gets today's 12th game, playing 12-ball with the red cue as well. Hoppy had a ball on the break, but also a much different distribution that gave her a bit of trouble. She took one error for missed contact, and finished in 22 shots, saved by a deflected two-rail kick to pot the 14. Maplewood Lumberjacks rookie Summer steps up next to shoot 12-ball with the silver cue. Summer had a ball on the break, helping mitigate the damage of a late scratch for her only error. She ended the game in 20 shots. Continuing along, Eastside Sharks captain Graham makes his long-awaited return to pool, shooting 7-ball with the blue cue in his season debut. Graham made a mess of this one, taking two errors before potting the 1, getting nothing on the break, and finishing on a pitiful 16 shots. Closing the group, his Sharks teammate Gizmo plays 10-ball with the blue cue. Gizmo did alright in the context of the year, making a ball on the break and taking only one error despite some difficult shooting positions, ending in 18 shots.

Batch four kicks off with Todavía Stills star Sierra joining the almost all of her team today by playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Sierra had an excellent outing, making a ball on the break and continuing with a string of good shots. She took no errors and tracked the 9 down to finish in 11 shots. Bright, the Pearl Surfers newcomer, has the next game, with the silver cue in hand for 10-ball. Bright had two errors and nothing on the break in a lackluster appearance, ending with 19 shots for the game. After that, Oceanside Waves sophomore Dewey uses the blue cue in his 10-ball game. Dewey put in a masterful outing, making a ball on the break and then finishing in 5 shots with a called deflection off the 3 to pot the 10 in the bottom right, taking no errors in the quick turn. That's a tough act to follow for the Infinity Torpedoes sophomore star Solaris, who uses the blue cue as well, but for 8-ball. Solaris didn't even come close to matching the quality, getting nothing on the break and taking a late error after chipping pitifully around the 8 for a handful of shots, ending at 27 in total. The 20th player called to shoot today is Oceanside Waves rookie Josie, who uses the red cue for 10-ball. Josie needed 20 shots despite making a ball on the break, as she also collected four errors in an erratic performance.

The fifth group opens with Southridge Defenders sophomore Bianca using the silver cue in 15-ball. Bianca had a rough start with a scratch on the break and intentionally erring to pot a ball, but she picked it up from there, and she ended at 24 shots after a 13-15 combination to the top right. She also had three errors in total in the game. The 22nd game of the day has the Pearl Surfers' Boots playing 10-ball with the red cue. Boots showed a flash of veteran savvy, surviving an empty break by taking only one productive error and finishing with impeccable precision to end the game in 13 shots. Following that, the Westside Rockers' Cowzart plays 8-ball with the red cue. Cowzart didn't have a ball on the break, and he added an unfortunate error for a scratch late in the game, pushing his score to 23 shots for the appearance. Harrison Specters rookie Mitchell is next up, using the silver cue in 9-ball. Mitchell couldn't get it quite right, going empty on the break and taking one error among a frustrating 18 shots that rarely left him a good line. Rounding out the group, the Pronger Tridents sophomore Spot uses the blue cue in 10-ball. Spot showed frustration with the usual 10-ball situation by taking two errors on his first shot after an empty break. He was furious in chasing the 1, but acknowledged the need to play for the combination, striking with a poke on the 6 off two rails to take the 10 in the top left to end the game at 14 shots.

Group six starts as Lighton Prestige returnee Katelynn plays 15-ball with the blue cue. Katelynn threw clean play out the window after an empty break gave her a bad position. She would take four errors, all for intentionally potting balls illegally, and finished in 25 shots. Victoria Spurs third-year Yekaterina Vasilyeva is the next one drawn, using the red cue in her 15-ball game. Yekaterina had a mess of a game, getting nothing on the break and picking up nine errors in the appearance, eight of which were for illegally potted balls with intent, and one for a scratch on one of those plays. She still scored 31 shots for the game. Moving along, Freedom Cascades veteran Stinky uses the silver cue for 12-ball. Stinky dazzled again, continuing a quietly brilliant stretch of play with a ball on the break and only one error in 17 shots in this showing. The 29th player called today is Bandit, the Swordpoint Blades sophomore, who plays his 9-ball with the blue cue. Bandit had a decent outing, starting with a ball on the break, but he faded with an early error and some struggles with positioning from the 7 onward, needing 17 shots to complete the appearance. Wrapping up the group, Royal Crowns rookie Cassie re-debuts after choosing to leave the league after the data loss last season, using the silver cue in 7-ball. Cassie went empty on the break, a growing concern for research sample sizes, but finished the outing in 10 shots without an error despite a couple of rattled shots.

The seventh group is headed by Maplewood Lumberjacks captain Diddley making his debut for the year in 7-ball with the silver cue as well. Diddley had a significantly less fun time for his game, getting nothing on the break and two errors, one for a miscue, among his 17 shots. Pacific Volcanoes veteran Leonette is tasked with getting the scoring back on track in 12-ball with the red cue. Leonette did alright with 22 shots in the game, going empty on the break but dancing through danger to avoid taking any errors. The Cascades' Stinky gets the 33rd game today, playing Rotation with the red cue. Stinky left the table furious after the game, which saw him go empty on the break but find early success, which petered out and left him with three errors and 35 shots. After that, Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball comes in for 10-ball with the silver cue. Snowball wiped any bad feelings away with a sparkling 10-shot effort, making a ball on the break and measuring her shots to near-perfection in an error-free performance. She'll be immediately invited back, as Snowball double-dips to wrap up this group with her 12-ball game and the silver cue. Snowball wasted a lot of shots at the end, inflating her score to 26 shots and three errors to wipe out both positive vibes and her successful break.

The final group is fronted by Ted of the Web City Spiders, who tries to find success with the blue cue in 15-ball. Ted couldn't strike a balance between honest and delinquent play, taking six errors and chasing contact plays in 41 shots, the worst score in the event so far (but almost certain to be topped). Pacific Volcanoes star and veteran Ms. Kitty will try to settle things down in the 37th game today, her debut coming in 7-ball with the red cue. Ms. Kitty turned things around on the break, driving the 7 straight into the bottom right to finish with 0 shots and no errors. Cleo, the Everton Eagles veteran, will take the red cue for her Rotation game at risk of potential disaster. Cleo took the warnings to heart and played with excellence, making a ball on the break and surging up to the 14, where caution held her back a bit until she finished on 23 shots with only one error. Following those two games, we have her captain and teammate, Goldy, using the red cue in Rotation as well. Goldy did fairly well, making a ball on the break, but her surge was shorter, and she took an error before closing on 28 shots in a decent outing. Gizmo brings the day to an end, as the Sharks newcomer plays his second game today in 12-ball with the silver cue. Gizmo got a ball to drop on the break, and he played well from there, taking no errors over his 19 shots to complete the appearance.

That's all for today. We'll probably have a lot of days like this with cricket in the morning and 40 games of pool in the afternoon. Weekend schedule to be determined.