We transition to seven-game series as the fifth round is underway today. We begin with...
Ford Forum, Pronger: Lize v. Misty. The red cue oversees a series of Accuracy to begin the bracket semifinals. Westside's Misty had the lead from the first shot when Pronger's Lize scratched on the break. Misty never let her guard down, missing only on the last ball while claiming a 1-4 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Rockers' Misty started well again with a pair on the break of game 2, while the Tridents' Lize scuffled early on. Lize would do a double-pot later, giving Misty the last shot advantage, but Misty had two scratches around a regular miss to sacrifice her whole lead. Lize ended up winning 2-3, tying the series at 1. Lize made a ball on the break in game 3, but spread a few misses throughout the rest of the game, while Misty returned to perfect form in taking the win 0-3. Misty restored her series lead at 2-1 with this fantastic effort. Lize continued to provide a challenge to Misty, as game 4 saw the players go back and forth with the lead. Misty held it for much of the early shooting, but she fell apart at the end with three straight misses, and Lize clamped down to take the 2-4 win. The series is tied again at 2. Misty continued to show excellence in games where Lize has the break, playing to another perfect score this time while Lize could only watch as a miss early and another late led to Misty's 0-2 win. Misty pulls ahead 3-2 in the series. Lize stood her ground again in game 6, recording her first flawless victory of the series after just a single early miss by Misty. Lize took the 0-1 win to even the series at 3 games each. In game 7, both players had a bad miss and an unfortunate miss to force overtime, where Misty made a ball on the extra break and Lize flubbed a combination attempt. Misty won 2-3 to take the series 4-3, earning her place as the host of her bracket finals series.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Kiwi v. B. Chapman. The first of two series today featuring members of these Urban rivals comes here in 7-ball with the blue cue. Terrace City's Kiwi struck on the break, and then weathered a pair of late shots from North Modernistic's Chapman to poach the 7 at the top left in the end. Kiwi's close call still resulted in her taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knights' Kiwi saw her offense go cold faster in game 2, a troubling issue for her but a blessing to the Nighthawks' Chapman, who picked up the slack on a three-ball run-out at the end. Chapman's late push tied the series at 1. The two players remained evenly matched in game 3, the only thing setting Kiwi ahead of Chapman being a scratch by the visitor after she made a pair of shots. Kiwi buried the last two shots from ball-in-hand to retake the series lead at 2-1. Chapman finally offered up the spark of offense missing from this series in game 4, taking Kiwi's miss on the 1 and ending with a six-ball run-out, a brilliant attack to secure the win while tying the series at 2. Chapman scratched on the break of game 5, leading to a three-ball run from ball-in-hand for Kiwi. Chapman couldn't provide a counterattack here, and Kiwi made another three-ball run-out at the end to take the win for a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 saw a reversion to poorer shooting quality. Chapman took a chance at the end, trying to bank the 6 but leaving it lined up for Kiwi at the bottom side. Kiwi buried it, clinching the series at 4-2. Kiwi faltered in game 7, allowing Chapman to use Kiwi's scratch as a catalyst for her own three-ball run-out. Chapman's win made it a 4-3 series win for Kiwi, who will host her bracket finals appearance. Chapman is the 106th eliminated player, while Kiwi took her second kill of the year.
Intel Center, Diamond: Cassandra v. Bryant. The first of two straight 15-ball series with the red cue goes here. Maplewood's Bryant absolutely dominated in game 1, pummeling an early five-ball run and then exploiting an error from Diamond's Cassandra to assemble his seven-ball run-out for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Cassandra offered much more resistance in game 2, but despite splitting the offense evenly, she had a late error. The Lumberjacks' Bryant gladly took over, making the 14 and banking the 15 to the top right to take the win and a 2-0 lead in the series. Cassandra had plenty of chances to surge ahead in game 3, even making a five-ball run at one point. Cassandra was doomed instead by a pair of scratches on her final two turns, allowing Bryant to take over and grab the win from ball-in-hand to push his series lead to 3-0. Bryant began with a three-ball run from the break in game 4, but Cassandra fired back on a six-ball run, and then won accidentally with a deflected kick off the 10 and 14 to send the 15 to the top side on her second turn. Cassandra's win cuts the series deficit to 3-1. Cassandra still held a large portion of the offense in game 5, but she reverted to erring on her later shots. This led to Bryant getting a free look at the 15, although he needed a second try to bury it for the win to seal the series at 4-1. Bryant got a little lucky to win game 6, as he had a mistake on his shot at the 2 that led to Cassandra enjoying a little possession before she missed a shot of her own. Bryant used the 3 as a wrecking ball to push the 15 into the top side for the win, moving his advantage to 5-1 in the series. Neither player had a good start in game 7, but Cassandra soon found a five-ball run with an amazing two-rail kick to put the 10 in the bottom right at the end of it. Bryant responded on his next turn with a well-made five-ball run-out for the win, finishing a 6-1 series win. Bryant opposes the winner of the next series in the bracket finals.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Luigi v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The visitor begins her personal doubleheader on the road in 15-ball with the red cue. North Modernistic's Luigi weathered runs of four and seven balls from Victoria's Yekaterina, only to give her the game by scratching after banking the 15 to the bottom side. Luigi's gift gave Yekaterina the 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Luigi had some questionable shooting choices in the middle of game 2, but they wouldn't be costly, as he got possession back late and made the 15 to beat the Spurs' Yekaterina despite a minority of the possession again. The series is tied at 1. Game 3 saw a slow start on both sides before Luigi adjusted his shooting style. This adjustment directly led to an eight-ball run-out to give the host the win, putting him ahead of Yekaterina 2-1 in the series. Luigi had his moments in game 4, but he struggled to string his shots together with any urgency. Yekaterina eventually struck early, making a three-ball run-out capped by a long 7-15 combination to the bottom right to snag the win. The series is tied again at 2. Luigi had a productive start in game 5 with a four-ball run, before leading the game into a slow period. Yekaterina had her moments, most notably a late five-ball run, but she left the 15 on the edge of the top left, and Luigi buried it on a tap-in to win. Luigi leads the series 3-2. Both players had four-ball runs early in game 6, and Luigi took the next pair of shots to answer Yekaterina's run. Luigi couldn't make the 9, a critical issue as Yekaterina stepped up to pot it and then cut a 10-15 combination to the top left from distance for the win. Yekaterina tied the series once more at 3. Yekaterina didn't have much luck early in game 7, but Luigi left the 15 near the 2. Yekaterina took a harder shot, deflecting the 2-15 combination off the 13 to put it in the top side for the quick win and 4-3 series win. Yekaterina's ability to end games early sends her through to the bracket finals, where she'll be Bryant's visitor. Luigi is the 107th player to exit the Tournament, while Yekaterina rejoins the kills lead at 4.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Yekaterina Vasilyeva v. Fuchsia. The blue cue is back for 9-ball between the current top two players in the Tournament. Victoria's Yekaterina had a four-ball run off the break in game 1, but couldn't do much else, allowing Midland's Fuchsia to pot the final two balls for the win. Fuchsia holds a 1-0 series lead. The Predators' Fuchsia had almost all of the offense in game 2, including a five-ball run-out after the Spurs' Yekaterina went for it and committed an error instead of making a contact play. Fuchsia's finish boosted her series lead to 2-0. Fuchsia continued to have command early in game 3, but her fortune flipped as Yekaterina took over at the end on a four-ball run-out. Yekaterina's return to positive form earned her a win to cut the series to 2-1. Yekaterina continued her resurgence into game 4, starting a little slowly as Fuchsia took some early offense before Yekaterina finished the win with a six-ball run-out to tie the series at 2 games apiece. Fuchsia returned to dominance in game 5, playing much like game 2 with a five-ball run early on and a four-ball run-out at the end as Yekaterina couldn't figure her shots out. Fuchsia restored her series lead at 3-2. Fuchsia secured the series in game 6, finding a four-ball run-out at the end again despite a little more resistance from Yekaterina. Fuchsia's series lead sits at 4-2 now. Yekaterina showed Fuchsia no mercy in game 7, slamming the 1-9 combination to the top right on her first shot after Fuchsia's break. Fuchsia would settle for the 4-3 series win to put her in position to host the bracket finals series.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Quincy v. Cheddar. The other Urban Derby of the day is in 9-ball with the red cue. North Modernistic's Cheddar readily asserted herself in game 1, her aggressive edge helping her to pin Terrace City's Quincy out of position before she found a three-ball run-out for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Quincy made some improvements in game 2, but he didn't do enough to slow down the Nighthawks' Cheddar, who made three balls over her last two turns to grab the win, extending her series lead to 2-0. Neither player displayed much control over the offense in game 3, especially as the game got toward its end. Quincy needed three chances before he slammed the 9 into the top left, partially out of frustration for other missed shots. Quincy cut Cheddar's advantage to 2-1. Game 4 had a little more attack from the players, with Cheddar taking her turn to miss a few shots she should have made. Quincy took advantage of this at the end with a three-ball run-out to get himself back in the series by tying the series at 2 with this win. Cheddar finally bounced back in game 5, battling with Quincy on the early turns before breaking out for a three-ball run-out at the end to take the win. Cheddar has regained the series lead at 3-2 after this big win. Cheddar scratched on the game 6 break, unraveling all of her positive play from the previous game at once. Quincy made the 1 from ball-in-hand, and then banked the 2-9 combination to the top left for the win, a tap-in as Cheddar had left the 9 at the pocket's edge. Quincy's win ties the series again at 3. Cheddar looked determined in game 7, but a rattled miss on the 9 and another missed contact squandered her chances for the upset. Quincy made the 9 to the top side on his second attempt, clinching a 4-3 series win and hosting privileges in the bracket finals. Quincy took his second kill of the year, while sending Cheddar out of the Tournament, the 108th eliminated player.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Shadow v. Smokey. A captains' battle in 8-ball with the red cue closes out today's action. Diamond's Smokey struggled initially in game 1, as Web City's Shadow controlled the early offense. Smokey made a four-ball run to challenge Shadow, and then Smokey took the win when Shadow missed on the 8 and Smokey converted. Smokey has a 1-0 series lead. The Spiders' Shadow had simply too many mistakes in his efforts in game 2, leaving a lot of shots on the board. The Gems' Smokey played more ruthlessly, finding a quick path to victory to give himself a 2-0 series lead through strong offense. Smokey couldn't get his offense going in game 3, especially after Shadow ripped a six-ball run at the start. Smokey did pull back enough later to get onto the 8, but he made it an easy tap-in for Shadow to convert by missing at the top left. Shadow took the gift for the win, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the series. Smokey had the first burst of offense in game 4, but then fell behind to Shadow's four-ball run. Smokey pushed again to get onto the 8, but Shadow pushed back to grab the win for himself, tying the series at 2 after an uncharacteristically poor start to the series. Shadow stalled out early in game 5, while Smokey did a large portion of his damage early on. Unfortunately for Smokey, he ran out of good shots as he got onto the 8, and Shadow stormed back to make five balls over two turns for the win to pull ahead 3-2 in the series. Shadow had a four-ball run to provide an attack in game 6, but still had to battle to the very end with Smokey as they fought for positioning on the 8. Shadow just managed to pot the 8, sealing the series at 4-2. Smokey had another burst of offense with a four-ball run in game 7, only to see Shadow bide his time before stealing the win with a late four-ball run-out after holding a defensive presence to stop Smokey. Shadow won the series 5-2, and will advance to the bracket finals. Smokey is the 109th player ousted from the Tournament this year, giving Shadow his fourth kill of the year to help him retake a piece of the league lead.
That's all for the first day of the round. We'll be back at it again tomorrow.
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