The second day of the third round begins with...
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Fluffina v. Puff I. The host plays a doubleheader, beginning with the blue cue in 12-ball. Infinity's Fluffina looked good at the start and added a three-ball run later, but Modernistic's Puff I had already made a five-ball run. When Fluffina scratched, Puff I needed only two more turns to pot her last ball for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Torpedoes' Fluffina made a three-ball run early in game 2, but she slipped late, allowing the Union's Puff I to get positioning. Puff I skipped a ball-in-hand play, and then potted Fluffina's last ball two turns later, gifting the game away to tie the series at 1. Fluffina didn't get her preferred solids in game 3, but she made the most of stripes with a four-ball run and a defensive play. Puff I couldn't rally back, and Fluffina got the win for a 2-1 series win. Fluffina will host her bracket quarterfinals series.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Fluffina v. Kitty. Completing the host's doubleheader, there's Accuracy with the silver cue. Infinity's Fluffina made it look easy in game 1, as Midland's Kitty was unprepared for the pace of the game. Fluffina walked away with a 2-7 win and 1-0 series lead after Kitty never got a grip. The Torpedoes' Fluffina took her turn to struggle in game 2, while the Predators' Kitty played strong in a 1-4 win to tie the series at 1. Fluffina returned to form in game 3, dominating in a perfect performance while Kitty fell apart in the 0-5 game. Fluffina won the series 2-1 and will head to the bracket quarterfinals.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Quincy v. Easter. The silver cue stays on this time for 15-ball. Terrace City's Quincy had the better of play in game 1, while Todavía's Easter had to battle many mistakes. Quincy won with a four-ball run-out, capped by a 13-15 bank combination to the top left for the 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Quincy had a couple of convincing runs early in game 2, but his late play was unremarkable. The Stills' Easter put up a better fight to get the win, tying the series at 1 in the process. Easter and Quincy battled in a contested start to game 3, with Easter deflecting the cue off the 3 to pot the 15 at the top right for an early win. Easter took the series 2-1 and will play on the road in the bracket quarterfinals.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Stinky v. Sydney C. A veteran and a rookie collide in 13-ball with the silver cue. Modernistic's Sydney C. had the advantage for most of game 1, but Freedom's Stinky made a three-ball run-out by kicking his last stripe to the bottom left before putting the 8 in the top right. Stinky leads the series 1-0. The Cascades' Stinky went empty on the game 2 break, leading to the Union's Sydney C. getting easy positioning. Sydney C. had a four-ball run of mostly tap-ins, and then got the win after cautious play later. Sydney C. made good use of her positioning again in game 3, working a little harder this time but seeing less push-back from Stinky. Sydney C. easily won, taking the series 2-1 to punch her ticket to the bracket quarterfinals.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Precious v. Slinks. Gritty veterans collide in 7-ball with the red cue. Pronger's Precious made a pair on the break to start game 1, and added a 5-7 combination to the top left at the end of a dominant performance for the 1-0 series lead over Westside's Slinks. The Tridents' Precious went empty on the game 2 break and never got back to the table, as the Rockers' Slinks ran the table this time. Slinks' big run tied the series at 1. Slinks made the first two balls in game 3, but Precious would get the win with a crisp four-ball run-out. Precious won the series 2-1, and she'll host Solaris of the Commerce Tradewinds in the bracket quarterfinals.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Luigi v. Snowball. The red cue goes again in 10-ball. North Modernistic's Luigi had a strong start and an even better finish in game 1, closing the win on a three-ball run-out after Swordpoint's Snowball failed to keep up. Luigi leads the series 1-0. The Blades' Snowball waited as the Nighthawks' Luigi had a good start to game 2 as well. Snowball then struck a three-ball run-out capped by the 9-10 combination to the bottom right for the win to tie the series at 1. Snowball looked to have bad positioning in game 3, but she split between the 4 and 8 to cut the 3-10 combination to the bottom right for an impressive winning shot. Snowball took the series 2-1 and will be a visitor again in the bracket quarterfinals.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Nikolai v. Shaggy. Back east, the blue cue draws in for 12-ball. Freedom's Nikolai made a ball on the break and never looked back in game 1, besting Whitewater's Shaggy in just three turns with help from Shaggy's missed contact. Nikolai owns a 1-0 series lead. The Cascades' Nikolai gave away a wild-card ball at the start of game 2, and while the Shores' Shaggy was a bit sloppy, she held the advantage long enough to get the win. Shaggy's victory tied the series at 1 heading into a decisive game. Shaggy yielded a wild-card ball in game 3, and Nikolai did damage with a three-ball run on the next turn. Nikolai had trouble with his last ball, but not enough to let Shaggy back in. Nikolai won the series 2-1, setting him up to host a bracket quarterfinals series.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Vincent v. Bright. Rotation is up next, using the blue cue as well. Tysini's Vincent struggled to gain traction early on, splitting the first half of game 1 with Pearl's Bright. Vincent then made four of the last five balls to get an 8-5 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Vincent looked a little stronger at first in game 2, but the Surfers' Bright kept right with him until the end. Vincent broke away and got the 8-6 win to seal the series at 2-0 after a tough battle. Vincent took game 3 off, chipping in a little offense and scrapping with Bright, who would win the game 8-3. Vincent took the series 2-1 and will continue to hold home-field advantage in the bracket quarterfinals.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Zach v. Kodiak. The second half of the day begins with 13-ball and the blue cue. Modernistic's Kodiak made a six-ball run in game 1 but couldn't finish on the 8. Pronger's Zach knew the situation was desperate and thoughtfully made a seven-ball run-out for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Union's Kodiak ripped a five-ball run early in game 2, but then saw the Tridents' Zach make six balls over the next two turns. Zach just missed a kick on the 8 toward the bottom right, allowing Kodiak to convert a pair for the win to tie the series at 1. Kodiak made two solids and a stripe on the break in game 3, and he navigated the ensuing battle carefully to get the win and 2-1 series win over Zach. Kodiak's frenzied attacks will feature again in the bracket quarterfinals.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Lionel v. Dustin. Strong foes clash in 10-ball with the blue cue. North Modernistic's Lionel had a majority of the offense in game 1 and made it stand for something when he made the final pair to bear Central's Dustin. Lionel leads the series 1-0. Game 2 was a little slower at the start, as the Warriors' Dustin made it chippy for a bit. The Nighthawks' Lionel wasn't bothered, rallying at the end for a four-ball run-out. Lionel clinched the series at 2-0. Lionel couldn't get anything going until a late three-ball run in game 3. Dustin surrounded it with a four-ball run and the final pair for his lone win in Lionel's 2-1 series win. Lionel will host his series in the bracket quarterfinals.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Mr. Snowman v. Brownie. The red cue cycles in for a series of Accuracy. Infinity's Mr. Snowman kept a steady hand after missing a shot in game 1, while Royal's Brownie unraveled. Mr. Snowman ended up with a 1-3 win to build his 1-0 series lead on. The Torpedoes' Mr. Snowman scratched on the break in game 2, a mistake he wasn't able to recover from. The Crowns' Brownie locked up a 1-2 win this time, tying the series at 1 in the process. Mr. Snowman whiffed on his first shot, and Brownie never let him back into the game. By the time Brownie took her only miss, Mr. Snowman was out of range. Brownie won 1-3 and took the series 2-1 to get into the bracket quarterfinals.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Max v. Fluffina. The blue cue comes between siblings in 10-ball. A slow start to game 1 quickly turned into a three-ball run-out for Infinity's Fluffina, who buried the 3-10 combination to the bottom right for the win and 1-0 series lead over Golden's Max. Game 2 was slow throughout, with neither player able to make a huge impact on any given turn. The Torpedoes' Fluffina looked listless, and that gave the Pilots' Max enough time to get the win to tie the series at 1. Fluffina had a slightly better game 3, but she was limited to keeping defensive positioning at the end. Max eventually took a chance on cut and made the 10 to the top right to win the series 2-1. Max will head to a bracket quarterfinals series in North Modernistic against the Nighthawks' Lionel.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Jake v. Delila. Also in the Southeast, the blue cue goes in 7-ball. Royal's Jake had a rough game 1, watching Atlantic's Delila make a five-ball run on her first turn. Delila just missed on the 7 at the bottom right, where Jake tapped it in for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Jake did a bit more to earn his win in game 2, holding off the Pirates' Delila early on and then finding his own four-ball run-out at the end. Jake secured the series at 2-0 with this win. Jake opened with a creative four-ball run in game 3, but he peaked too early. Delila fired back on a three-ball run-out for the win to avoid the sweep. Jake's 2-1 series win sets him up to host a bracket quarterfinals series.
Pepsi Arena, Lighton: Shiny v. Jake. The visitor completes a doubleheader with 12-ball and the silver cue. Lighton's Shiny had a good start from the break in game 1, keeping Royal's Jake at bay with defense. Shiny broke her own defense later, but Jake couldn't rally from there, and Shiny made her last ball for a 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Shiny overfilled the top right at the start of game 2, a mistake she couldn't recover from. The Crowns' Jake got better positioning and ran away with a confident win to tie the series at 1. Jake had a habit of under-hitting his shots in game 3, a costly set of mistakes as Shiny pushed him out of position, forced him to scratch, and ultimately earned the win for herself. Shiny won the series 2-1 and will host Stinky of the Freedom Cascades in the bracket quarterfinals.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Rudolph v. Spot. Another 12-ball series sees the blue cue take a turn. Harrison's Rudolph made two stripes and a solid on the break in game 1, and gave away another wild-card ball while scratching at the end of the turn. Pronger's Spot, despite having double flexibility, couldn't find a run to finish it off. Rudolph won for a 1-0 series lead. The Specters' Rudolph made a ball on the game 2 break, but he went quiet after that. The Tridents' Spot was on the verge of winning when Rudolph rallied with a five-ball run-out for the win to seal the series at 2-0. Rudolph wasn't able to get as much early success in game 3, allowing Spot to push with a four-ball run. Spot struck later as well to get the win. Rudolph claimed the series at 2-1 and will visit Fluffina of the Infinity Torpedoes in the bracket quarterfinals.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Lionel v. Strawberry. The day ends with the host's second series, playing Rotation with the red cue. North Modernistic's Lionel found some fortune on a run in game 1, and then held off a three-ball run from Victoria's Strawberry to get the 8-5 win. Lionel leads the series 1-0. The Nighthawks' Lionel had a good start in game 2, but he didn't sustain the attack later. The Spurs' Strawberry took over, with momentum carrying her to the 8-4 win to tie the series at 1. Game 3 looked a lot like the series opener, with Lionel getting on the brink of victory, Strawberry pushing back with a three-ball run, and Lionel answering for an 8-5 win to seal the series at 2-1. Lionel will host again in the bracket quarterfinals. Lionel picked up his first kill by making Strawberry the eighth player out of the Tournament.
We'll be back tomorrow with a similar workload, hopefully played slightly faster.
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