It's the final day of the fifth round, meaning the Tournament is rapidly preparing to end its main phase. We have six series today, beginning with...
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Nicole. The blue cue gets the lead-off series, playing 8-ball. Central's Twilight started slowly, giving collateral damage to Lighton's Nicole at the tail-end of her first attacking turn. Twilight roared back later, a six-ball run-out filled with brilliant positioning and a two-rail bank of the 5 to the bottom left to get a look at the 8 for the win. Twilight leads the series 1-0. The Warriors' Twilight had a slow start again in game 2, allowing the Prestige's Nicole to record a four-ball run. Nicole added a little more offense before Twilight stormed back with a five-ball run, and on her next turn, Twilight threaded the 13 to the bottom left before potting the 8 at the bottom side for the win and 2-0 series lead. Twilight continued to make a strong impact, potting a five-ball run on her second turn. Nicole answered with a nice run of her own, but Twilight took the win with a three-ball run-out, ending on a banked shot to put the 8 in the top right. Twilight is up 3-0 in the series. Twilight finally made a ball on the break in game 4, but it didn't help her much. Nicole had a four-ball run at one stage to pull ahead, and she shuttered the bottom right pocket defensively until she could attack with a three-ball run-out for the win. Twilight remains ahead at 3-1. Nicole played as smart as she could in game 5, battling for positioning. Twilight had an awkward miss at the top side that could have been costly, but Nicole missed her cut on the 8 toward the top right, and Twilight stormed back on a three-ball run-out to take the win that clinched the series at 4-1. Twilight had the better of the offense in game 6, making her way onto the 8 in only three turns. Nicole trailed behind, offering a little defense, which influenced Twilight's shot on the 8, which she called for the bottom left. It fell in the top left on a slight deflection, giving Nicole the win to cut the series to 4-2. Twilight had a three-ball run early in game 7, which put Nicole under immediate pressure. Twilight kept herself in line to position her shots, and then struck for a five-ball run-out three turns later, ending the series in a 5-2 win over Nicole. Twilight will host a Northeastern rival in the Harrison Specters rookie Rudolph in the bracket finals.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Ted v. Chelsea. Staying in the Northeast, we have a series of 7-ball with the red cue. Web City's Ted had much of the staggered offense early in game 1, making a ball on the break and adding a couple of tricky bank shots later on. As the game progressed, Eastside's Chelsea found more opportunities, including a pair of shots at the end for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Sharks' Chelsea managed a three-ball run from the break in game 2, before slipping up with some messy shooting later on. The Spiders' Ted challenged Chelsea, but he scratched while attempting to make the 7, and she took it from ball-in-hand for another win and the 2-0 series lead. Chelsea didn't have the best of breaks in game 3, and it showed with the distribution of the rack. Ted had his shots at times, including a tough one on the 5 at the top side, and he prevailed when Chelsea couldn't corral the 7 at the end. Chelsea remains ahead 2-1 in the series. Game 4 looked less like true 7-ball and more like a sporadic shooting gallery, as neither player connected on more than half of their shots. The messy play came to a close when Chelsea mercifully potted the 7 to the bottom left, extending her series lead to 3-1. Ted began the offense in game 5 with a kick on the 1 to the bottom left, igniting a six-ball run that ended with a narrowly missed bank attempt on the 7, leaving it just outside the top right. Chelsea tapped it in, poaching the win to seal the series in her favor at 4-1. Chelsea had a ball on the break in game 6, and she continued to push the attack later in the game, but Ted's early pair plus a counterattack for a pair at the end helped him get the win, cutting the series to 4-2. Ted struck again in game 7, picking up the win with a pair of shots after Chelsea missed contact on the 6. Ted combined that with an earlier three-ball run, but Chelsea still won the series 4-3. Chelsea will visit the Royal Crowns' Jake in the bracket finals. Ted is the 132nd eliminated player, giving Chelsea her second kill of the year.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Vladimir Vasilyev v. Violetta. The red cue ends its contributions to this round in 9-ball. Stonebridge's Vladimir had a three-ball run from the break in game 1, but he couldn't stop Queens' Violetta using the 6 to line up a 7-9 combination that she made on her second turn to end a three-ball run-out. Violetta leads the series 1-0 after the early finish. The Flames' Violetta had a less-than-impressive break in game 2, and she lacked the piercing runs that usually fuel her offense. The Wolves' Vladimir had a three-ball run, but took the win from ball-in-hand after Violetta scratched while trying to jam the 9 at the bottom left. Vladimir has tied the series at 1. Game 3 saw a fairly even tilt between the players, with neither one finding a run easily. Violetta struck out of nowhere after Vladimir missed on the 7, as she kicked the 7-9 combination smoothly into the top right for the win and a 2-1 series lead. Violetta failed to continue a firm attack in game 4, showing unusual signs of shakiness, while Vladimir ultimately assembled a three-ball run-out a turn after cleaning up a tap-in on the 6 that Violetta left up. Vladimir has tied the series again at 2 games apiece. Violetta regained momentum in game 5, battling with Vladimir for possession on the early turns before passing him by with a three-ball run-out at the end. Violetta's push forward helped her retake a 3-2 series lead. Both players had their struggles on offense again in game 6, failing to fully grasp control of the offense. Violetta ended up winning by making the 9 on her second try after Vladimir couldn't convert from distance. Violetta clinched the series at 4-2 with this win. Violetta didn't have a majority of the possession in a sloppy game 7 effort, allowing Vladimir to redeem himself with some nice shots. Still, Vladimir missed on the 9, and Violetta banked it to the top side to ice her series win at 5-2. Violetta will visit a club-mate in the Terrace City Knights rookie Quincy in the bracket finals. Vladimir's rookie year is over at the 133rd eliminated, giving Violetta surprisingly her first kill this year.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Lorde v. Dusty. A resilient young player meets a legend in 12-ball with the silver cue. Capital City's Lorde had a ball on the break and looked good initially in game 1, but Golden's Dusty proved more efficient with her shot selection, pulling ahead late and taking the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Pilots' Dusty laid a good foundation early in game 2, but needed a wild-card ball earned at the end of a four-ball run by the Sharpshooters' Lorde to move her own effort forward. Lorde just missed on the 9 at the top side, and Dusty stormed back to position herself for a straight final shot to the top left. Dusty leads the series 2-0. Lorde struck first in game 3 with a three-ball run, only for Dusty to answer immediately with a three-ball run of her own. Dusty found a shot at the top left to pull ahead, and then made her final two balls with good positioning to push her series lead to 3-0. Lorde stayed alive in the series with a confident win in game 3, showing great poise to take the side pockets first before beating Dusty to the bottom left on her last shot. Dusty remains ahead 3-1 in the series. Lorde refused to back down even as Dusty got into a good position with two balls left in game 5. Lorde played a defensive style here, a strategy that worked out pretty well as she managed to buy herself enough time to actually win the game when Dusty continuously failed to convert. Lorde has pulled back to a 3-2 deficit in the series. Dusty did it to herself in game 6, as she used a four-ball run to justify giving Lorde a wild-card ball. Dusty then failed three times to convert on her last ball, and Lorde made a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand when Dusty missed contact. Lorde's late push tied the series at 3. Lorde kept going early in game 7, a four-ball run establishing her offense. Dusty made a subtle touch on the 12 as she replied with a three-ball run, ruining Lorde's positioning, and Lorde never recovered, as Dusty made a couple of shots at the end to take the win and a 4-3 series win. Dusty will host the Whitewater Shores' Shaggy in the bracket finals. Dusty took her second kill of the year, leaving Lorde as the 134th ousted player. The Pilots now have their second team-kill, wiping out the Sharpshooters.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Rainmane v. Lize. The silver cue's last series of the round is in 10-ball. Midland's Rainmane looked like the better player in a shaky game 1 effort, and she proved to be at the end, as Pronger's Lize couldn't finish off a late run, leaving the 10 at the bottom left. Rainmane made the tap-in for the win, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Both players exchanged three-ball runs early in game 2, then stalled a bit before the Tridents' Lize took two pairs of shots to end the game victorious, tying her series with the Predators' Rainmane at 1. In game 3, neither player could find offense until a late three-ball run by Rainmane. She missed the 10 the first time, but put it in the top left when Lize missed as well. Rainmane regained the series lead at 2-1. Rainmane looked like the better player to start game 4, attacking with force and a little trickery. Unfortunately, her short bursts of offense couldn't stop Lize from driving the 10 to the top right for the win at the end, which allowed the visitor to retie the series at 2. Rainmane and Lize each exchanged three-ball runs again at the start of game 5, with Rainmane's coming first after Lize's empty break. Rainmane scuffled for a turn before submitting a four-ball run-out for the win, banking the 10 to the bottom right to retake a series lead at 3-2. Lize dominated the offense unlike any other game in the series in game 6, working a seven-ball run on her first turn. The 9 proved tricky, but Lize made it and the 10 a few turns later to get the win, again pulling even at 3-3 with Rainmane. In game 7, Lize had her looks, but Rainmane proved a little more clinical in attack, edging ahead with a free shot on the 10 after Lize scratched while making the 9. Rainmane took the series 4-3, and will host the Whitewater Shores' Marsell in the bracket finals. Rainmane earned her first kill of the year to make Lize the 135th player out of the Tournament.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Strut. Two stalwarts for their teams clash in 15-ball with the blue cue to end the round. Freedom's Jasmine had a productive game 1 effort at times, capitalizing on mistakes by Golden's Strut, but the visitor Strut had more critical offense, with a four-ball run in the middle and the final pair of shots. Strut's winning final push put him ahead 1-0 in the series. The Pilots' Strut took more of a back seat in game 2 as the Cascades' Jasmine attacked with a bit more ferocity to gain a slight majority in possession. Strut just got the win, using a pair of shots at the end to counter Jasmine's three-ball run. Strut banked the 15 to the top side, going ahead 2-0 in the series. Jasmine continued to push on offense in game 3, beginning and ending the game with four-ball runs. Strut had a four-ball run in the middle end with a missed 11-15 combination attempt, allowing Jasmine to launch her last attack to cut the series down to 2-1. Jasmine didn't follow up well in game 4, leaving too many shots on the table. Strut ungracefully made the 9-15 combination to the top side as a result, the sloppy game going in his favor to put him up 3-1 in the series. Jasmine made a 3-11-14 combination to the bottom left, with the 11 following and the cue deflecting to add the 12 at the top left for a triple-pot as part of a six-ball run. Jasmine stayed in the fight in game 5 after that, making the 5 after an error by Strut, and then using the 6 as a deflection tool to drive the 15 banked into the top right for the win. Jasmine's great game pulled her back to a 3-2 deficit in the series. Game 6 saw Jasmine take a step back, playing more evenly with Strut the entire time. Both players shifted the balance of power with four-ball runs, but it was Jasmine prevailing at the end with the win, tying the series at 3. Jasmine tried to keep up her attack in game 7, but she ran out of steam at the end, scratching as she made the 14. Strut buried the 15 to the top right from ball-in-hand for the win, and took the series 4-3 in the process. Strut is on the road at the Modernistic Union to face Puff I in the bracket finals. Jasmine's good year ends with her as the 136th player eliminated and the last in the fifth round, while Strut took his fifth kill to rejoin the league lead. The Pilots have three team kills, adding the Cascades to their ledger.
Tomorrow, we begin the process of figuring out who our finalists will be this year. Tonight, keep a look on Twitter @UnitedPCL for links to the updated schedule and standings pages.
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