Tournament play rolls on with an early start on this Wednesday. We begin with...
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo v. Dewey. The silver cue will make the first series today, playing 8-ball. Oceanside's Dewey kept the pressure up early in game 1, attacking at will initially. Terrace City's Oreo made a sufficient reply, keeping things close until she put up a three-ball run-out when Dewey cost himself position on the 8. Oreo's rally gave her a 1-0 series lead with the win. The Knights' Oreo started with more confidence in game 2, but she missed on the 8 on her first try. The Waves' Dewey mounted a comeback with a four-ball run, including the 6 deflecting off the 8 to find the top side. Dewey missed on the 8, and Oreo converted, sealing the series at 2-0 with the win. Oreo started slowly again in game 3, allowing Dewey to create offense freely early on. Both players left runs on the table, with Oreo's late miss allowing Dewey to take the win. Oreo won the series 2-1, and will host a third round series.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Mr. Snowman v. A. Charlton. The silver cue remains in action for a 7-ball series. Infinity's Mr. Snowman had game 1 in the bag after three turns, helped greatly by two errors from Golden's Charlton. Mr. Snowman closed with a four-ball run-out to earn the 1-0 lead in the series. The Torpedoes' Mr. Snowman had a similar effort in game 2, a four-ball run late leaving him just short of the 7. The Pilots' Charlton made it to the top right, but also scratched, gifting the win to Mr. Snowman, who officially clinched the series at 2-0. Mr. Snowman had two pairs of shots in game 3, a productive outing, but his miss on the 7 allowed Charlton to salvage a win from the series. Mr. Snowman settled for a 2-1 series win, advancing to the third round.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Cobalt v. Sprinkles. A venue doubleheader begins before a lunch break with the red cue in hand for Accuracy. Stonebridge's Cobalt couldn't hold the first two leads he earned in game 1, as Capital City's Sprinkles left him in tough positions. Sprinkles then scratched on the last ball, and Cobalt converted it to win 2-3 for a 1-0 series lead. The Wolves' Cobalt scratched on the break in game 2, making a mess of his follow-up performance. He had a couple of rough patches in the game, allowing the Sharpshooters' Sprinkles to pick up a simple 2-4 win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 was very close for a long time, and Cobalt did all he could to make sure Sprinkles fell into a tie at the end of the regulation rack. It worked, and Sprinkles tried a soft break in overtime, which backfired when Cobalt converted a tough 15-11 combination to the top right for the 2-3 win. Cobalt took the series 2-1, and will play on into the third round.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Vladimir Vasilyev v. Klaus. A rookie meets a sophomore in the back-half of the venue doubleheader, playing 9-ball with the red cue. Stonebridge's Vladimir put on a masterful performance in game 1, making a ball on the break and converting the rest of the rack one-by-one for the win to take a 1-0 series lead over Atlantic's Klaus. The Pirates' Klaus struck back quickly in game 2, converting the 1 and then double-potting the 2-9 combination to the bottom right and the 3 to the top right to dodge a scratch. Klaus' win tied the series at 1 with the Wolves' Vladimir missing on the break this time. Vladimir and Klaus had a much tighter battle in game 3, with Klaus piecing together a three-ball run, only for Vladimir to escape the danger on a four-ball run-out, which secured the series at 2-1. Vladimir is off to the third round in an exciting series.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Sage v. Paps. The red cue stays in action for this Southwestern Derby in 10-ball. Victoria's Sage and Tysini's Paps both had rough efforts in game 1, neither one able to consistently even make legal contact. Sage had a breakout near the end for a short run, but she missed the 10, and Paps tapped it in for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Sage bounced back, overcoming another slow start to beat the Hummingbirds' Paps with a well-executed five-ball run-out. Sage had to bank the 10 the bottom side to get the win, which tied the series at 1 game apiece. Game 3 saw a return to the game 1 style a bit, as neither player had a strong grip on the game. Paps had a bit better offense early on, but Sage made the last two balls, drilling the 8 to the bottom left before a sharp cut on the 10 to the top right for the win. Sage took the series 2-1 to get to the third round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Gabe v. Hannah. The blue cue plays its only series today in Rotation between these two solid performers. Maplewood's Gabe came out of the gate hot, including a four-ball run that had a 4-12 kick to the top side and a double-pot of the 6 and 7 to the right corners. Queens' Hannah made a four-ball run late, but missed contact on the 14, and Gabe won 8-6 for a 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Gabe stumbled more this time, and the Flames' Hannah proved very steady in her shooting. She had some misses in the mix, but managed to pick up enough to win 8-4, aided by Gabe scratching near the end. The series is tied at 1. Gabe started off well in game 3, carrying the early lead amid some poor shooting, but Hannah's five-ball run put her ahead. Gabe struck back a bit, but Hannah held on for another 8-4 win to secure the series at 2-1. Hannah will get an appearance in the third round.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Nikolai v. Mitchell. The silver cue returns to action as young players meet in Accuracy. Harrison's Mitchell faltered at the start, missing his first two shots, which accounted for the margin of victory earned by Freedom's Nikolai in an otherwise ugly and sloppy 6-8 win. Nikolai leads the series 1-0. Both players made improvements in game 2, and kept the game close for quite awhile. The Specters' Mitchell faltered when he scratched while potting a ball, and he missed again right after. The Cascades' Nikolai only added a late miss at the end, winning 2-5 to clinch the series at 2-0. Nikolai and Mitchell kept things close throughout regulation shooting in game 3, leading to overtime when Nikolai missed late to fall into a tie. Nikolai made a ball on the overtime break, sparking ten straight makes before Nikolai missed a bank on the 15. Mitchell cut it to the top right to take the 2-3 win, salvaging one game in Nikolai's 2-1 series win, which puts the host into the same position in the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Puff III v. Pauline. A star meets a rookie in 7-ball, also being played with the silver cue. Capital City's Pauline looked good on her three-ball run early in game 1, but she didn't get back to the table, as Everton's Puff III cut the 7 at a tough angle to the bottom right to get the win on a four-ball run-out. Puff III holds a 1-0 series lead. Neither player had the same command in game 2, with the Eagles' Puff III doing slightly better in a choppy possession battle. The Sharpshooters' Pauline had a chance to win, but she missed badly on the 7, and Puff III converted to clinch the series at 2-0. Pauline managed a four-ball run to provide some danger in game 3, but she missed a long shot on the 7, and Puff III stepped in to tap the shot in for the win. Puff III swept the series 3-0, and she advances to the third round.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Vincent Sullivan v. Gabe. The silver cue gets another try in Accuracy. Viewpoint Sound's Vincent had an excellent game 1, attacking well and only missing once. Maplewood's Gabe had the last shot advantage, but missed contact on a cut attempt, and Vincent mopped it up from ball-in-hand for the 1-2 win and 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Vincent trailed for most of game 2 after some sloppy play early on, but he managed to pull back into a tie with the Lumberjacks' Gabe before missing a tap-in range shot. Gabe gladly took advantage of that mistake, winning 4-5 to tie the series at 1. Vincent trailed in game 3 quite a lot as well, but he managed to force and maintain a tie to create overtime to decide the series. Here, Gabe made a ball on each of his first two shots, and Vincent missed his second shot to give Gabe a 3-4 win. Gabe takes the series 2-1, and will host a third round series.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Paps v. Roxy. The host plays his second series today, hosting a Rotation event with the red cue. Tysini's Paps looked productive in game 1, building a quick lead. Freedom's Roxy made a small counterattack to get close in the middle of the game, but Paps won 8-3 with a three-ball run-out, double-potting the 8 to the bottom right and 15 to the top right to earn the 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Paps brought the home crowd to their feet, starting a six-ball run from the break by potting the 15 at the top side on the opening shot. The Cascades' Roxy couldn't manage a comeback on her two turns, and Paps closed an 8-2 win to seal the series at 2-0, earning a standing ovation in the process. Roxy built a couple of leads in game 3, trying to get something out of the series, but Paps caught up each time and won 8-7 in the end, sweeping the series 3-0. Paps left the arena to thunderous applause, and he will host the Whitewater Shores' Twinkie III in the third round.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Dani v. Starlight. A Coastal Derby takes center stage as the red cue stays on for 10-ball. Game 1 started slowly until Viewpoint Sound's Dani had a four-ball run. Pacific's Starlight took over after that to make a pair of balls, but she rattled the 10 out of the top left on a bank attempt, and Dani swiped it in for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The offense in game 2 spread out more evenly throughout the game. The Meteors' Dani had some good looks in the middle, but this was sandwiched between two short runs by the Volcanoes' Starlight, the latter seeing her pick up the win, tying the series at 1. Dani had the better of the offense in game 3, as Starlight struggled to find her shot. Starlight did illegally pot the 5, leading Dani to let her take a chance at the 6. The deferred possession worked, as Dani would win two shots later with the 7-10 combination to the top right for a 2-1 series win. Dani is through to the third round.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Strawberry v. Panda. The third day of the round ends with 10-ball and the silver cue among veterans. Victoria's Strawberry knocked in the 2 to the bottom right on the break in game 1, and then won on the next shot, a 1-10 combination to the top right to stun Southern's Panda for the 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Strawberry started with a three-ball run from the break in game 2, and she added a pair of shots later on to keep her offense going, but the Monarchs' Panda matched her shot-for-shot, winning on a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1 in a quick result. Panda did what he could to keep Strawberry at bay early in game 3, but Strawberry still poked a 2-10 combination to the top right with deflections off the 5 and 7 along the way. Strawberry's determination helps her get to the third round on a 2-1 series win.
We'll have more of this tomorrow, but Elite cricket is owed some attention in its finale week between now and then.
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