Play in Tournament action resumes today. We are anticipating 8-10 series (40-50 games) in this second day back, beginning with...
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Summer v. Bandit. Two younger players go at it in 9-ball with the blue cue for the first series of the day. Maplewood's Summer started with a three-ball run from the break, but she faded in the middle of game 1, and Swordpoint's Bandit ended up winning on a four-ball run-out. Bandit leads the series 1-0. Game 2 featured fewer runs, although the Lumberjacks' Summer did pot three in a row near the end before under-hitting the 9. The Blades' Bandit cut it to the top side to get the win, taking another win for a 2-0 series lead. Bandit had two scratches in game 3, allowing Summer to carry a majority of the possession. Bandit struck back quickly, making the 6-9 combination to the bottom left after Summer left the 6 short at the bottom side. Bandit's big play secured the series in his favor at 3-0. Both players had three-ball runs in game 4 early on before grinding out in a slow finish. Summer ended up with the win, tapping the 9 to the bottom right to cut the series score to 3-1. Summer had a stick foul in game 5, leading Bandit to a three-ball run, but he missed his bank on the 8. Summer converted the 8 on a tap-in, and then cut the 9 to the bottom left to win. Bandit took the series 3-2, and will be on the road again in the bracket quarterfinals.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Yekaterina Vasilyeva v. Mr. Snowman. Southwestern rivals renew their feud in Rotation with the blue cue. Neither player did particularly well in game 1, but too many errors from Infinity's Mr. Snowman eventually tipped the game in favor of Victoria's Yekaterina, who won 8-5 on a pair of late shots. Yekaterina holds a 1-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Mr. Snowman continued to err with frequency in game 2, but a lucky double-pot and good defensive positioning helped him to pull away from the Spurs' Yekaterina. Mr. Snowman capped his 8-4 win with a pair of shots at the end, tying the series at 1. Yekaterina made illegal contact on her first turn in game 3, and Mr. Snowman never looked back, igniting a five-ball run to pace his attack. A long chase on the 7 ultimately provided Mr. Snowman's winning shot in the 8-1 game that puts him ahead 2-1 in the series. Mr. Snowman continued to apply suffocating defensive pressure in game 4, shutting down Yekaterina's options for shots at least four times in the game. Mr. Snowman cruised to an 8-0 victory to clinch the series at 3-1. Mr. Snowman didn't bring his best in game 5, falling behind to Yekaterina early on. He caught up in the middle of the game, but Yekaterina bounced back to claim an 8-5 win to get a game back. Mr. Snowman won the series 3-2, and will be a visitor again in his bracket quarterfinals series.
GE Stadium Events Center, Southridge: Bianca v. Hughbert. An all-Defenders series sees their sophomore battle it out in 10-ball with the blue cue. Bianca had a solid break in game 1 but couldn't get a breakthrough on offense. She would pick up some steam later, but Hughbert converted a three-ball run-out in the end for the win and 1-0 series lead. Bianca twice had chances to make the 10 in game 2, but both went down illegally, allowing Hughbert to poke the 10 to the bottom side in the end for the win, putting him up 2-0 in the series. Bianca kept herself in the series in game 3, challenging Hughbert more effectively. Hughbert didn't have an answer for this, and Bianca won on a four-ball run-out highlighted by a bank of the 7 to the bottom left. This cut the series to 2-1. Bianca maintained this level of performance in game 4 as well, bossing the possession better and taking the win on a pair of shots after Hughbert couldn't corral the 9. Bianca's comeback has tied the series at 2. Bianca kept it up one more time, stalling in the middle of game 5 to throw Hughbert off of his game before smashing in the last two shots for her own win. Bianca claimed the series 3-2, and will travel to Tysini to face the Hummingbirds' Brownie in the bracket quarterfinals. Hughbert is the 18th player to exit the Tournament, while Bianca's second kill comes as a bout of friendly fire.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Twinkie I v. Strut. A pair of veterans keeps the game as 10-ball, but changes over to the silver cue. Pacific's Twinkie I had a slow start in game 1 at times, as Golden's Strut made an impressive shot on the 1 to create a three-ball run. Strut cooled as the game progressed, allowing Twinkie I to win on a four-ball run-out for the 1-0 series lead. The Pilots' Strut had a chance to make a big run at the end of game 2, but he missed his third shot in the turn, putting the 6 off the 10 to ruin the run. The Volcanoes' Twinkie I made the rest of the shots, a four-ball run-out to push her series lead to 2-0. Shorter bursts paced game 3 on both sides, as neither player could really form a run. Twinkie I had the better of play at times, but she faltered toward the end, and Strut made his shots over a couple of turns to grab the win. This pulled him back to a 2-1 deficit in the series. Strut went on a big run in the middle of game 4, making four in a row before missing the critical shot on the 7 at the top side. Twinkie I fired back with a three-ball run-out, winning the game and the series at 3-1. Strut had his chances again in game 5, but he couldn't convert a double-pot on the 4 and 10, and Twinkie I promptly buried the 5-10 combination to the bottom right at her first chance. Twinkie I won the series 4-1, and will host the Pronger Tridents' Lize in the bracket quarterfinals.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Paps v. Twinkie III. The red cue comes on for the next series, playing Rotation. Tysini's Paps knocked in three balls on the game 1 break to set the tone, but Whitewater's Twinkie III grabbed the lead in the middle of the game anyway. This forced Paps to make a comeback, winning 8-6 on a three-ball run-out to take a 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Paps had a three-ball run early in game 2 as well, but the Shores' Twinkie III countered on a big five-ball run. Paps then regained the lead with his own four-ball run, and beat Twinkie III on the 15 after she tied the game again. Paps' 8-7 score gave him a 2-0 series lead with another tense win. Paps made things look easy in game 3, an early three-ball run and a 6-11 combination that caromed to create a double-pot as the 13 fell in the bottom right pacing the attack. Twinkie III had very little offense this time, with Paps winning 8-1 to seal the series at 3-0. Paps couldn't get much going in game 4, as Twinkie III finally imposed a bit of defense early on to protect her lead. A three-ball run later on put her on the brink of a win, which finally came about when Paps scratched while going for the 12. The 8-4 result cut the series to 3-1. Twinkie III supplied another dominant effort in game 5, making five balls over her first two turns to build a large lead. The ending was a bit slower, but she beat Paps 8-1 to make it a 3-2 series in favor of the host. Paps advances to the bracket quarterfinals.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Slinks v. Puff III. Resurgent veterans collide in a series of 7-ball with the silver cue. Everton's Puff III had an error on her first turn in game 1, but capitalized on Westside's Slinks having a miss from ball-in-hand. Puff III cleared all seven balls off the table on her second turn for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Puff III had another dominant two-turn effort, starting off with a ball on the break and then countering one ball from the Rockers' Slinks with a four-ball run-out for the win. Puff III pushed her series lead to 2-0. Slinks actually struck first in game 3, taking a pair on her second turn, but Puff III quickly responded again, drilling a five-ball run-out to clinch the series at 3-0 with this win. Puff III looked well on her way to challenging for a sweep when she did a six-ball run in game 4, but her missed bank on the 7 allowed Slinks a tap-in for posterity at the bottom right. Slinks' win cut the series to 3-1. Slinks had a good start to game 5 with a four-ball run, but she missed on the 5, and Puff III was there, using great positioning in a three-ball run-out to get the win. Puff III advances on a 4-1 series win, and will be the visitor for her bracket quarterfinals series.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo v. Ms. Puppy. The silver cue remains in action for this Accuracy series between experienced veterans. Terrace City's Oreo showed cool composure in game 1, making every shot including a ball on the break while Modernistic's Ms. Puppy crumbled from mid-game onward. Oreo's 0-4 win gave her a 1-0 lead in the series. The Union's Ms. Puppy flipped things nicely in game 2, aided greatly by sub-par efforts from the Knights' Oreo at side pocket shooting. This issue accounted for Oreo's three misses as Ms. Puppy only had one later slip-up in the 1-3 win to tie the series at 1. Oreo avoided the side pockets as much as possible in a quick game 3, while Ms. Puppy encouraged shots in that direction. It ended up biting Ms. Puppy in the end, as her two balls on the break gave her less runway to correct what became a 1-3 win in Oreo's favor. Oreo regained the series lead at 2-1. Ms. Puppy couldn't stay perfect under pressure from Oreo near the middle of game 4, but redeemed herself with a hard cut to secure a 1-2 win late in the game. Ms. Puppy has tied the exciting series again, at 2 games apiece. Oreo did all she could to hold on in game 5 after a slow start, and it worked, inducing two late misses by Ms. Puppy to force overtime. Ms. Puppy tried a soft break for overtime, but the play failed, and Oreo converted to win 3-4 for the 3-2 series win. Oreo heads on to the bracket quarterfinals.
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Smokey. A star and a captain clash in Rotation with the red cue. Diamond's Smokey had the first lead in game 1, but the game turned out to be a big fight at the finish. Boston's Puff II had the lead late in the game until Smokey made a pair to win 8-7 for the 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Smokey took a faltering lead in game 2, challenged at every point by the Swifts' Puff II, who had grabbed the lead a couple of times but ultimately failed to hold on. Smokey finished with an 8-5 win, pushing his series lead to 2-0. Puff II took control in game 3 on her first turn, rattling off a five-ball run and using defense for the rest of the game to stall Smokey. It was never a close result, as Puff II cruised to an 8-1 win to stay alive in the now 2-1 series. Puff II burst out to a four-ball run on the game 4 break, again asserting her offense quickly. Smokey made a challenge later in the game, but Puff II finally corralled the 11 at the top right for an 8-3 win to tie the series at 2. Puff II kept the pressure on throughout the decisive game 5, barely letting Smokey get a clear shot despite her bad break this time. Puff II walked it off with an 8-2 win, sinking the 10 to the top right to take the 3-2 series. Puff II keeps this top seed going as she's set to host a bracket quarterfinals series.
Intel Center, Diamond: Pedey v. Jennifer Livilotti. The silver cue will be in play for both parts of a day-ending venue doubleheader in Diamond, playing Rotation here. Diamond's Pedey had a tough game 1, but managed to stay ahead of Terrace City's Jennifer by a shot or two almost all the time. Pedey closed the win at 8-5 to give him a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Pedey turned outright dominant in game 2, smashing in a three-ball run on his second turn and then destroying a cluster with the help of the Knights' Jennifer. Pedey would reap all the benefits from the cluster, most notably a five-ball run-out for an 8-0 win to move to a 2-0 lead in the series. Pedey got a ball on the break this time, but his lead was short-lived in game 3, as Jennifer used one run to pull ahead, and a strong finish over two or three turns to take the 8-5 victory. Jennifer cut into Pedey's series lead, making it only 2-1 now. Pedey returned to form early in game 4, but again couldn't hold any sort of lead against Jennifer's strong counterattack. Jennifer had to grapple at the end for the win, but she came out up 8-6, tying the series at 2 after the struggle. Jennifer had all the bounces going her way in game 5, working a five-ball run early on to establish the lead. Pedey made a couple of shots after that, but Jennifer marched on to an 8-2 win to take the series 3-2. Jennifer will be the host in her bracket quarterfinals series. Pedey is the 19th player eliminated this year, while Jennifer records her first kill.
Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Princess. Captains collide as the day ends with Accuracy on the back half of a venue doubleheader. Diamond's Smokey looked lost for most of game 1, unable to find his shot effectively and allowing Tysini's Princess to get away with a 1-5 win, her only mistake being a scratch on the last shot. Princess leads the series 1-0. The Hummingbirds' Princess buried a pair of balls on the break, and continued to command the game, although it still took a scratch by the Gems' Smokey on his last shot to secure the game. Princess took the final shot to make it a 1-3 win, moving her series lead to 2-0. Princess had another good break in game 3, but got a bit unlucky at the end as Smokey stayed close enough to force overtime. Princess used a soft-break strategy in overtime, but Smokey stayed even with her until late into the extra rack. Smokey fell with a miss on the 9, the 3-4 win securing Princess' series win at 3-0. Princess took a drastic step back in game 4, taking it easy with the series in her hands. Smokey, meanwhile, showed off wasted potential in a 0-4 win to avoid the sweep by making it a 3-1 series. Princess and Smokey showed a great lack of interest in game 5, both missing in bunches throughout the game, which went into overtime and needed three additional points to be resolved. Smokey took this win 7-8, but it's Princess moving on to a road series again in the bracket quarterfinals.
That's all we've got today. We'll be back for another session of likely equal length tomorrow.
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