Today is the second-to-last day of the second round in the Tournament. We begin with...
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Kiwi v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The silver cue steps in first for a series of 8-ball. Terrace City's Kiwi had a productive game 1, needing only a handful of short run turns to get around an ineffective offense from Victoria's Yekaterina. Kiwi easily took the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Kiwi had another good start in game 2, but she lacked finishing skills late in the game this time. Despite a large deficit, the Spurs' Yekaterina made a rally, and ended up taking the win with a four-ball run-out at the end, good enough to tie the series at 1 somewhat unexpectedly. Yekaterina continued her surge into game 3, but she faded toward the end, allowing Kiwi to use a five-ball run to catch up. Kiwi would win two turns later after Yekaterina failed to make her third try on the 8. Kiwi took the series 2-1, and will host the Viewpoint Sound Meteors' Dani in the third round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Cassandra v. Sugar. The silver cue stays on for its last series of 10-ball in the round. Diamond's Cassandra came out firing in game 1, making two on the break as part of a larger five-ball run. Cassandra's offense flickered here, and Web City's Sugar won on her second turn with a deflected shot off the 6 to push the 10 to the bottom left. Sugar leads the series 1-0. The Gems' Cassandra followed up with a four-ball run on her first turn of game 2, and then added three more over her last two turns to control the game and take the win over the Spiders' Sugar. The series is tied at 1 now. Cassandra continued to dominate the offense in game 3, and it worked to her favor at the end, as Sugar missed on the 8 to leave Cassandra an easy deflection shot on the 10 for the win. Cassandra claimed the series 2-1 to earned the right to host the Maplewood Lumberjacks' Summer in the third round. Sugar is the twelfth player eliminated this year, with Cassandra taking her first kill.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Niki v. Kodiak. An Urban Derby sees the blue cue end its 15-ball slate for the round in its only appearance today. Commerce's Niki had an excellent start with an electric break in game 1, and Modernistic's Kodiak took a couple of early errors. Fortunes reversed by the end of the game, as Kodiak made the last four balls over two turns for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Niki had a later start to her push on offense in game 2, and the delay proved valuable, as she caught the Union's Kodiak in a mess at the end. Niki controlled the back half of the game and took the win, tying the series at 1. Niki had a good effort on defense in game 3, using it to keep Kodiak pinned back for most of the game. Niki never had a chance to strike early, and Kodiak grew into the game, picking up the win on his second try at the 15 after Niki missed both of her chances. Kodiak won the series 2-1, and will host club-mate and Atlantic Pirates star Klaus in the third round.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shadow v. Sydney Sierota. Arguably the best players in the Halloween Derby clash in 12-ball with the red cue. Web City's Shadow made a four-ball run from the break while also giving Harrison's Sydney a wild-card ball. Sydney shot back on a three-ball run and had plenty of chances to finish the game, but Shadow made his last ball at the top side on his fourth try, overcoming a stretch of poor shooting to get the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Shadow struck again on the game 2 break, and then got a lucky bounce when his miss on the 7 knocked the 6 to the bottom side while retaining position with the 7. The Specters' Sydney tried to catch up, but she never had a chance to execute a final run, as Shadow converted his last shot for the win to clinch the series at 2-0. Sydney had a big run on her first turn in game 3, but she had a bit of trouble getting her last ball aligned as the game progressed. Shadow took his time to start, but won with a pair of three-ball runs on consecutive turns, earning the 3-0 series sweep. Shadow will visit the Victoria Spurs' Wario in the third round.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Mitchell v. Kirstin. The silver cue plays its last series today after the lunch break in 8-ball. Harrison's Mitchell took a solid on the break of game 1, and he regretted it around the middle of the game. Everton's Kirstin clogged the top right, eventually releasing a five-ball run-out for the win and a 1-0 series lead on mostly short shots. The Specters' Mitchell did well initially to keep up with the Eagles' Kirstin in game 2, but with an even game, Mitchell made illegal contact and potted a ball for Kirstin. This allowed Kirstin to take two shots from ball-in-hand for the win, securing the series at 2-0. Mitchell likely had his best effort in game 3, setting the pace early but fading near the end. Kirstin pulled even and then edged ahead, narrowly taking the win away from Mitchell to make it a 3-0 series sweep. Kirstin will visit the Modernistic Union's Daisy in the third round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Noelle v. Ice Cream. The red cue will play the rest of the series today, beginning with this 7-ball set. Both players went empty on their first turns in game 1, but Central's Noelle banked the 1 to spark a six-ball run-out, beating Boston's Ice Cream with a glancing shot off the 6 to push the 7 to the bottom right. Noelle leads the series 1-0. The Warriors' Noelle had a less graceful effort in game 2, receiving some pushback from the Swifts' Ice Cream, but Noelle did poke the 7 to the top left in the end for the win. Noelle secured the series at 2-0 with the finishing shot. Noelle did alright in the early parts of game 3, but Ice Cream roared back to take the win on a three-ball run-out capped by a 6-7 combination to the top left. Noelle took the series 2-1, and will host the Harrison Specters' Mitchell in the third round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Rainmane. Two experienced stars clash in the red cue's 12-ball finale for the round. Capital City's Missy made a four-ball run early on and received a wild-card ball from Midland's Rainmane early in game 1. Rainmane did have a three-ball run, but Missy persisted and made the 7 to the top side for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Missy made a pair of balls on the game 2 break, and it didn't take her long to get through the rest of the stripes, especially after the Predators' Rainmane illegally potted a ball. Missy lined up and converted her last shot on her fourth turn for the win to seal the series at 2-0. Rainmane needed only two turns in game 3, a four-ball run and then a pair of shots at the left corners, to get the game 3 win in shutout form. Missy still won the series 2-1, and will host the Boston Swifts' Ice Cream in the third round.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Shaggy v. Shiny. Two long-time veterans go at it in Rotation with the red cue. Whitewater's Shaggy used a defense first approach in game 1, which worked as she slowly built a lead, but Web City's Shiny pulled back with six balls over her last two turns before missing on the 15. Shaggy barely escaped with the 8-7 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Shiny did much better in game 2, and even converted a multi-ball combo that ended with the 10 going in the bottom right. The Shores' Shaggy had a couple of tricky plays as well, but not nearly enough offense as Shiny took the win 8-3 to tie the series at 1. Shaggy used a similar strategy as in game 1 for game 3, building her offense up slowly. Shiny again had a late three-ball run to nearly catch up, but Shaggy closed the door faster this time, winning 8-5 to take the series 2-1. Shaggy lived dangerously throughout the series, but will host the Infinity Torpedoes captain smudge in the third round after advancing.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Sleepy B. v. Snuggle. Another Rotation series with the red cue is up next. Game 1 saw the players go back and forth, with Archtown's Sleepy B. taking a couple of cracks at the lead, only to be upstaged by Oceanside's Snuggle both times. Snuggle won with a three-ball run on his second go-ahead move, taking the 8-6 win for a 1-0 series lead. The Arrows' Sleepy B. did not stay down for long, attacking wildly and effectively in game 2 to build a massive lead early on. The Waves' Snuggle had an insufficient counterattack, and Sleepy B. took the quick win at 8-2 to tie the series at 1. Sleepy B. and Snuggle tangled again in game 3, keeping things incredibly close for the first parts. Snuggle again found a pull-away move late, a three-ball run-out giving him the 8-5 win and 2-1 series win. Snuggle will visit the Royal Crowns' Nightfur in the third round. Sleepy B. is out of the Tournament, the thirteenth player to be eliminated, and Snuggle has his first kill of the year.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Kirstin v. Potter. The host takes her second series today in 10-ball with the red cue. Everton's Kirstin made the 10 illegally on the game 1 break, but Pronger's Potter didn't seem to recover from the shock. Kirstin controlled possession and set herself up for a legal finish on the 10 to the top right at the end of the game, going ahead 1-0 in the series with her win. The Eagles' Kirstin opened with a five-ball run in game 2, keeping her offense strong early on. The Tridents' Potter fired back with a four-ball run, but took a narrow miss on the 10, and Kirstin made the tap-in to clinch the series at 2-0 after a brief fly on the table delay. Kirstin didn't have her best performance in game 3, struggling to find offense and scratching after missing on the 8. Potter took advantage to make a pair of shots for the win, cutting Kirstin's series win to 2-1. Kirstin will host the Freedom Cascades' Nikolai in the third round.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Ms. Kitty. Two very good players this year clash in 9-ball with the red cue. The two players battled evenly throughout game 1, with Pacific's Ms. Kitty looking more dangerous. Ms. Kitty made the 7-9 kick combination near the end of the game, but the cue drifted to the bottom left, gifting Freedom's Jasmine the win and 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty continued to take dangerous shots in game 2, scratching on her first turn and leaving the 8 at the edge of the top right after a failed 6-7-9 combination. Jasmine took advantage of the 8's placement on her third turn, and then proceeded to make a four-ball run-out for the win, securing the series at 2-0 as well. Jasmine had a four-ball run from the break in game 3, and watched as Ms. Kitty committed errors on her first two turns. Jasmine's only fault in the game was missing the 9, which Ms. Kitty tapped to the bottom left for a win to avoid the sweep. Jasmine heads to the third round on a 2-1 series win, and visits the Southern Monarchs rookie Avril.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Ted v. Vincent Sullivan. The red cue ends the day with its last 10-ball series of the round. Web City's Ted did just about everything right early in game 1, but he scratched when he missed on the 8, and Viewpoint Sound's Vincent roared back on a three-ball run-out to steal the win. Vincent leads the series 1-0. The Spiders' Ted remained aggressive and bold in game 2, although at times it came off a bit reckless. The Meteors' Vincent elected to keep possession after Ted illegally potted the 8, but Vincent missed on the 9, and Ted banked it to the bottom side before sending the 10 to the top right for the win. The series stands tied at 1, waiting for a decisive finale. Ted and Vincent each took a little extra caution in game 3, although Ted brushed it aside to attempt the 8-10 combination to the bottom right. His shot failed, but Vincent made a similar shot for the win and 2-1 series win. Vincent will host the Harrison Specters' Mitchell in the third round.
That's it for today. Tomorrow, we end the week and the second round all at once.
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