We'll play a shorter schedule today, with eight series going. We begin with...
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Dewey v. Shelley. The red cue is up first, playing Accuracy between two strong performers this year. Oceanside's Dewey had a strong performance in game 1, and ended up finishing the game perfect after double-potting the 2 and 6 to the right corners. Infinity's Shelley had only one mid-game miss, but Dewey won 0-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. The Waves' Dewey took a drastic step back in game 2, putting himself behind pretty quickly. The Torpedoes' Shelley held a consistent level of play this time, earning the 1-3 win that will help her tie the series at 1. Dewey had an early miss in game 3, but he managed to limit the damage to that. Shelley would miss later on, and the two went into overtime, where Shelley's empty break helped Dewey to make his shot for the 1-2 win, restoring his series lead at 2-1. Dewey played a near-perfect game 4 as well, while Shelley collapsed under the pressure of a must-win situation. The result favored Dewey 1-5, giving him the series at 3-1. Dewey couldn't hold on in game 5, making a mess of the finish after also having a scratch on the break. Shelley held her ground to win 2-3, but Dewey takes the series 3-2 and will host his bracket quarterfinals series.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Daisy v. Solaris. Another Torpedo is on the road for this series of 12-ball with the red cue. Modernistic's Daisy had a four-ball run off the break, taking care of the corners quickly. Infinity's Solaris countered with a four-ball run from right to left, and Solaris had better positioning to make his last pair a couple of turns later. Solaris leads the series 1-0. The Torpedoes' Solaris had a three-ball run early in game 2, establishing a lead that wouldn't stand after the Union's Daisy blasted a six-ball run-out on her second turn for the win. Daisy got excellent positioning to help her tie the series at 1. Game 3 had the least organization at the start so far, with neither player really feeling confident. Solaris tentatively took a lead after a few turns, but he couldn't make it stand, as Daisy poked a four-ball run-out through traffic to get the win. Daisy pulls ahead at 2-1 in the series. Daisy managed to find a five-ball run on the break of game 4, immediately pressuring Solaris in his first must-win situation. Daisy took two more turns to position and convert on her last ball, as Solaris only offered a three-ball run for a counterattack. Daisy secured the series at 3-1 with this win. Daisy didn't have the best start in game 5, giving Solaris a wild-card ball. Solaris had a later three-ball run to get onto his last ball, but he failed to convert multiple times, and Daisy's firm defense and positioning led her to a three-ball run-out for the win. Daisy took the series 4-1 to earn her spot in the bracket quarterfinals. Solaris is the 48th player out of the Tournament, and Daisy earned her first kill of the year.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Kodiak. A battle between two high-ranking 8-ball players occurs after the lunch break with the blue cue. Modernistic's Kodiak had an extra burst of offense in game 1, enough to gain and maintain a lead over Central's Twilight. Runs were tough, with the slow pace favoring Kodiak's methodical style for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Twilight answered with an eight-ball run-out on her only turn of game 2, making a ball in every pocket as she worked the table in excellent form to beat the Union's Kodiak this time. The series is tied at 1. Twilight and Kodiak had a congested start in game 3, neither able to break out on a run. Twilight got free with a three-ball run, but Kodiak answered on a four-ball run-out, retaking the series lead at 2-1 with this win. Twilight survived game 4 by the thinnest margin, her early five-ball run being the only offense she could manage. Kodiak had a four-ball run and then another three-ball run, but that ended with him illegally potting the 8 to gift a win to Twilight, who tied the series at 2. Twilight again had a tough time in game 5, but she did enough to prevent Kodiak from getting on a big run. Kodiak missed a couple of relatively easy shots, the pressure eventually crushing him as Twilight made a pair at the end for the win and a 3-2 series win. Twilight will host the Terrace City Knights rookie Quincy in the bracket quarterfinals.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Lexi Woode v. Rudolph. Specters teammates go at it in another series of 8-ball with the blue cue. Rudolph had some work to do after Lexi made a six-ball run on her second turn, but Rudolph proved himself quite well with seven balls over his next two turns for the win. Rudolph leads the series at 1-0. Rudolph had a solid offense in game 2, countering an early three-ball run from Lexi with a four-ball run of his own. Lexi stayed in it to the end, but a miss on her last solid allowed Rudolph to deposit the 8 at the bottom right for the win to extend his series lead to 2-0. Rudolph made three of his own and three for Lexi on his opening turn in game 3. Lexi took things too casually after that, allowing Rudolph to pull away with the win despite having done more for Lexi than she did for herself. Rudolph secured the series at 3-0. Lexi had her chance on a three-ball run to get onto the 8, but she scratched. Rudolph, who had led up that point, fired back with a pair of shots to take the win, pushing his series lead to 4-0. Lexi finally got her win in game 5, struggling at times but staying ahead of Rudolph, who ultimately potted the 8 illegally as he tried to get positioning on his last ball. Rudolph did win the series 4-1, and will visit the Swordpoint Blades rookie Jason N. in the bracket quarterfinals.
Ebay Center, Queens: Kyle v. Peach. The blue cue stays in action for this 7-ball series with a hosting position on the line. North Modernistic's Peach needed a couple of turns before erupting on her five-ball run-out, somewhat stunning Queens' Kyle who had a ball on the break but not much else. Peach's win gave her a 1-0 series lead after game 1. The Nighthawks' Peach had a strong appearance in game 2 as well, although it again took time to develop. The Flames' Kyle floundered on a number of shots, finally leading Peach to make a four-ball run-out for the win and a 2-0 series lead. Kyle took control in game 3 with a bit more intent, making a three-ball run at the start and then a pair at the end to sandwich a pair of shots from Peach. Kyle's win brought him to a 2-1 deficit in the series. Kyle had an early pair of shots before both players fell off the pace of the game a bit. When things returned to higher quality, Peach made a five-ball run-out to get the win, clinching the series at 3-1 in the process. Game 5 was a mess with the series already determined, and it ended when Peach illegally contacted and potted the 7 at the top left to gift a win to Kyle. Peach advances on a 3-2 series win to host her bracket quarterfinals series.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Ms. Puppy v. Leandra. The silver cue's only series of the day pits club-mates against each other in 12-ball. Both players were a little off early in game 1 with their shooting, but Modernistic's Ms. Puppy had better positioning and adjusted first, making a pair to beat Tysini's Leandra for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Union's Ms. Puppy had two stripes and a solid on the game 2 break, but that hot start wouldn't be enough. The Hummingbirds' Leandra used the flexibility of the wild-card ball in her positioning and just beat Ms. Puppy on her last ball to tie the series at 1. Leandra returned the favor by giving Ms. Puppy a wild card ball in game 3 before trying to work left to right across the table. Ms. Puppy would do a little on defense and then find good positioning and two bank shots at the end to get the win, regaining the series lead at 2-1. Ms. Puppy made an absolute mess of game 4, striking first but giving up a wild-card ball relatively early. Leandra fired back with a little offense, and she needed time at the end to finish the game, but Ms. Puppy provided no threat whatsoever. Leandra easily won, retying the series at 2. Leandra gave away a wild-card ball to start game 5, and she never found sufficient positioning. Ms. Puppy played a flexible game, eventually potting her last ball to get the win and a 3-2 series win. Ms. Puppy will host the Freedom Cascades' Nikolai in a big bracket quarterfinals series.
Apple Center, Todavía: Anton v. Josie. A pair of rookies are set to meet in a Coastal Derby edition of 7-ball. Game 1 looked like a rookies-only series, with neither player truly grasping the offense. Todavía's Anton eventually took the win when Oceanside's Josie flubbed her shot on the 7. Anton is up 1-0 in the series. The Waves' Josie looked much more like herself in game 2, countering a pair of balls on the break from the Stills' Anton with her own five-ball run-out. Josie's big burst of offense gave her a win to tie the series at 1. Josie's break in game 3 put the 7 just behind the 1 on the initial contact, with a bump in the back helping to adjust the 7 on course with the top side. The 2 also fell in the bottom right, as Josie took the win and a 2-1 series lead over Anton with the single glorious shot. Josie had a weaker break in game 4, allowing Anton a chance to shoot. Anton took advantage, making balls on both turns and winning with a decoy shot on the 4 that caromed the cue to put the 7 into the bottom right. Anton's win tied the series again at 2 games apiece. Anton surprisingly dominated in game 5, working a five-ball run-out on his second turn that included a 5-6 kick combination to the bottom right. Anton's big win gave him a 3-2 series win, and he'll be hosting the Atlantic Pirates' Klaus in the bracket quarterfinals.
Amazon Field Exhibition Center, Golden: A. Charlton v. Slinks. A couple of rebounding veterans bring the day to an end in 9-ball with the blue cue. Golden's Charlton had a rough start in game 1, but found her way with a bit of luck, taking the win from Westside's Slinks with a chaotic 6-9 bank combination to the bottom side. Charlton leads the series 1-0. The Rockers' Slinks fired back with a bit of luck of her own, as she made a 1-6 bank combination to the bottom left to ignite a five-ball run-out capped by a 3-9 combination to the top right. The Pilots' Charlton could only watch as Slinks tied the series at 1. Slinks outright dominated in game 3, making a six-ball run from the break and then the final pair of shots on her last turn after Charlton couldn't develop a counterattack. Slinks is now ahead 2-1 in the series. Charlton needed only one shot in game 4 to get the win, capitalizing on a good but not great break from Slinks. Charlton's show was a 1-9 combination to the bottom right for the victory, retying the series at 2. Charlton did her best to stay competitive in game 5, but she lost her grip as the game progressed, and Slinks capitalized with a couple of late shots to earn the win. Slinks took the series at 3-2, and will be on the road against the Modernistic Union's Chimpy in the bracket quarterfinals.
That's all we've got today. We'll try to go with a ten-series day on Monday despite the potential for scheduling conflicts. The weekend will likely be completely off from Tournament play.
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