We're already over a quarter of the way through the round. We continue with pool activities today as...
Kraft Forum, Royal: Nightfur v. Katharine McPhee. The red cue gets the first series of the day in Rotation. Whitewater's Katharine built a lead early in game 1, but watched as Royal's Nightfur dismantled it by the middle of the game. The players exchanged three-ball runs to keep things tied, and then Nightfur missed a tap-in range shot on the 15. Katharine mopped it up to win 8-7 for a 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Nightfur lacked cohesiveness on her shots in game 2, and the 10 proved especially tricky for both players. The Shores' Katharine tried to recover from her early deficit, but couldn't get anything going either, as Nightfur won 8-5 to tie the series at 1. Nightfur showed mild frustration in game 3 after a slow start. Katharine pulled ahead on a four-ball run, but Nightfur quickly reclaimed the lead on a four-ball run of her own, and then won 8-5 at the end. Nightfur's 2-1 series win has her in the third round.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Patches v. Steven. A captain and a returnee clash in Accuracy, also played with the red cue. Atlantic's Steven missed twice early in game 1 and then again after Boston's Patches had her first miss. Patches would have one more late miss to produce the 2-3 score, which gave her a win and a 1-0 series lead. The Pirates' Steven held on a bit longer in game 2 before struggling in the middle of the game. The Swifts' Patches, on the other hand, went perfect until her last shot, leading to a 1-3 win for Patches to clinch the series at 2-0 after another strong outing. Patches continued to play well until the later parts of game 3, where she experienced a complete collapse of her offense. Steven held his ground despite some tough shots, winning 3-5 to salvage something from the series. Patches advances on a 2-1 series win, and will play in the third round.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Strawberry v. Debby Ryan. The silver cue makes its first appearance of the day in a 9-ball series. Victoria's Strawberry hit a pair of three-ball runs in game 1, controlling the offense from the break, but it did her no good when Southridge's Debby picked up the last two balls after Strawberry missed on the 7. Debby's late offense took the game for a 1-0 series lead. The Defenders' Debby took the receiving end of a tough loss in game 2, making a pair of balls from the break and a three-ball run in the middle before the Spurs' Strawberry took over to clean off the table over a couple of turns. Strawberry's surge retied the series at 1 with another stolen win. Game 3 saw all the pace of the previous two games combined with an early finish, as Strawberry and Debby exchanged pairs of shots early on before Strawberry made a three-ball run-out capped by the 7-9 combination to the bottom right. Strawberry took the series 2-1 with this win, and will host a series in the third round.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Dusty v. Twinkie III. The silver cue remains in action for this star-level 12-ball series. Whitewater's Twinkie III dominated game 1 with a four-ball run on her first turn, and it didn't get better for Golden's Dusty when she illegally potted two balls to the top right that she covered on the break. Twinkie III make her last two balls on her second turn, the last ball going in illegally, but Dusty couldn't tie it up. Twinkie III's big win gave her a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Shores' Twinkie III failed to maintain positive positioning, eventually giving in to an intentional scratch that allowed the Pilots' Dusty to make her last two balls from ball-in-hand. The series is tied at 1 after the chaotic and sloppy game. Dusty had a decent break in game 3, but her persistent shooting to get into position while keeping Twinkie III away from easy shots set Dusty ahead by the end. Dusty won on a three-ball run-out, taking the series 2-1 in the process. Dusty will host Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball in another big-name series in the third round.
FedEx Arena, Eastside: Cubby v. Ms. Puppy. The silver cue gets another turn at the table for this Accuracy series. Eastside's Cubby held the game 1 lead at first, but a stretch of poor play dropped him into a tie with Modernistic's Ms. Puppy. Cubby did not right his game near the end, missing a couple more times to give Ms. Puppy the 1-0 series lead on a 3-5 win. Things were a bit closer in game 2, with the Sharks' Cubby just keeping up with the Union's Ms. Puppy until the last ball. Ms. Puppy failed on three separate occasions to secure the win, then missed everything on the overtime break as Cubby emerged with a 6-7 win to tie the series at 1 after an ugly finish to regulation. Game 3 saw a massive improvement in quality on both sides, with Ms. Puppy making the biggest gains to protect a narrow lead. Ms. Puppy would come through with a 1-2 win to take the series 2-1, sending her on the road in the third round to face the Terrace City Knights veteran Oreo.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Klaus v. Lize. A sophomore hosts a rookie still trying to find full strength in 12-ball with the red cue. Atlantic's Klaus made two balls on the break and gave Pronger's Lize a wild-card ball she ultimately returned later in the game. Lize didn't let her slow start break her, as she got onto her final ball before Klaus tapped his last shot in for the win and a 1-0 lead in the series. The Pirates' Klaus did not give away a wild-card ball on his two-ball break in game 2, but the Tridents' Lize attacked a bit faster, setting up a gritty battle at the side. Lize nearly had positioning, but couldn't execute a kick at the top side to set up her prospective final shot. Klaus mucked up her positioning with his defense, and then won from ball-in-hand when Lize missed contact. Klaus' wise play secured the series for him at 2-0. Game 3 saw some more savvy defense from Klaus, who again stalled Lize until he could get a clear look at his last shot to grab the win. Despite Lize's strong efforts, Klaus took the series in a 3-0 sweep to get into the third round.
Ebay Center, Queens: Violetta v. Dani. Another talented sophomore gets to host a series, this one being 8-ball with the silver cue. Queens' Violetta erupted with pace early in game 1, but she twice missed the 8, the latter time seeing her scratch as well. Viewpoint Sound's Dani capitalized on these mistakes with a pair of three-ball runs to win the game, earning the 1-0 series lead in a comeback. The Meteors' Dani had a slower but successful attack in game 2, getting onto the 8 in only a few turns. Dani then missed the 8 twice, and while the Flames' Violetta scuffled initially, she ripped a five-ball run-out when she got the chance, poaching the win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 saw a tension undiscovered before, with back-and-forth play eventually yielding to a pair of shots at the end by Dani, who took the 8 on her first try to win the series 2-1. Dani will be on the road again in the third round.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Kirstin v. Whiskers. Neighbors and Northeastern rivals clash in a potentially vicious 7-ball series. Maplewood's Whiskers had a pair of balls late in game 1, but her second scratch helped Everton's Kirstin win from ball-in-hand on the 7. Kirstin had a large share of possession in the win that gave her a 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Kirstin tried her best in game 2, making a pair of balls on the break a four-ball run from ball-in-hand when the Lumberjacks' Whiskers missed contact on the 2. Kirstin couldn't make the 7 to the bottom right though, and Whiskers stepped up with a straight shot to get the win, tying the series at 1 despite having been heavily outplayed in both games. Kirstin could only blame herself for dropping the series, as she scratched to cut off a five-ball run in game 3, and Whiskers made the last two shots from ball-in-hand for the win and the 2-1 series win. Whiskers will host the Terrace City Knights' Oreo in the third round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Dustin v. Dusty. Two former MVPs meet in 15-ball with the red cue. Central's Dustin had a good start to game 1, pacing the offense initially. Golden's Dusty replied with five balls over two turns later on, but she peaked too early, and Dustin made the last two balls from ball-in-hand after Dusty scratched to take the win for a 1-0 lead in the series. The Pilots' Dusty bounced back in game 2, weathering another early storm from the Warriors' Dustin before sticking in a four-ball run and then using a kick off the 11 to bump the 15 to the bottom right for the win. Dusty's tricky finish tied the series at 1 to set up a decisive final game. Game 3 saw both players try to balance their offense throughout the game, with Dusty fading late. Dusty couldn't keep her shots legal at the end, and Dustin got the win on a pair of shots from ball-in-hand, taking the 2-1 series win as well. Dustin will host another series in the third round.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Dreamy v. Cassie. The red cue's finale for the day comes in Accuracy between a veteran and a rookie. Swordpoint's Dreamy drained three balls on the game 1 break, and while Royal's Cassie claimed the last shot advantage with a later double-pot, Cassie couldn't keep up later in the game. Dreamy took a confident 1-4 win to lead the series 1-0 from the start. The Blades' Dreamy had a much less exciting break for game 2, and she struggled a bit early on. The Crowns' Cassie then slipped up in the middle of the game, and Dreamy did a double-pot to the right corners to gain the last shot advantage. Cassie fell apart from here, and Dreamy coasted to a 2-6 win to seal the series at 2-0. Dreamy had a competitive effort despite a bad break in game 3, but she elected to avoid overtime with a sloppy finish, giving Cassie the 2-4 win at the end to make it a 2-1 series. Dreamy will be the visiting player in her third round series.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Sydney Sierota v. Kodiak. Young players meet in a series of 10-ball with the silver cue. Harrison's Sydney could not get control of game 1 at all, spraying most of her shots wide. Modernistic's Kodiak also struggled at first, but he won on a four-ball run-out capped off by a double-pot of the 9 and 10 at the top right. Kodiak holds a 1-0 series lead. The Specters' Sydney had a better performance in game 2, pounding in a four-ball run to get herself going. The Union's Kodiak refused to let Sydney back into the series, closing this win on a four-ball run-out to clinch the series at 2-0. Kodiak dominated on offense in game 3, making an eight-ball run from the break that saw him pot the first pair of balls. Sydney couldn't make a shot on her one turn, and Kodiak took the last two balls on his second turn for the win. Kodiak swept the series 3-0 to earn a road position in the third round.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: A. Charlton v. Taylor Swift. High-ceiling players close at the day in the blue cue's only appearance, playing 9-ball. Golden's Charlton made a pair of balls on the break of game 1 before an illegally potted ball ended her turn. Commerce's Taylor shot back with a pair of balls, but Charlton got the win on her second turn with a four-ball run-out for the 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Taylor found a dominant share of possession in game 2, scuffling with the Pilots' Charlton at first before releasing a three-ball run and a four-ball run-out on consecutive turns to pick up the win. Taylor's heightened offense helped her tie the series at 1 game apiece. Taylor held her own for most of game 3 until she missed contact at tap-in range on the 7. Charlton gladly took over for a three-ball run-out, earning the win and a 2-1 series win all at once. Charlton will host another series in the third round.
That's all for today's action in pool. We'll wrap up the week with another standard day tomorrow.
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