Tournament 2019 - Bracket Quarterfinals Day 8

We're gearing up for the final stretch of the bracket quarterfinals, beginning today with...

McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Jason N. v. Spice. A sophomore and a captain clash in 9-ball with the red cue. Atlantic's Jason N. picked up a four-ball run in the middle of game 1 and later added a three-ball run-out after Victoria's Spice scratched on the 5. Jason N. leads the series 1-0 after a dominant win. Save for the pivotal scratch, game 2 was a mirror image of the opener as the Spurs' Spice had a four-ball run and a three-ball run-out in the win that evened her series against the Pirates' Jason N. at 1. Game 3 saw the offense tighten up quite a bit until Jason N. unleashed a five-ball run-out at the end with a little luck on his side. Spice couldn't answer it as Jason N. went ahead 2-1 in the series. Spice had a late pair in game 4, but she couldn't corral the 9 at the bottom left. Jason N. tapped it in instead for the win to seal the series at 3-1. Jason N. didn't take it easy in game 5, finding a seven-ball run-out in his most convincing win in a 4-1 series win over Spice. Jason N. will visit Sally of the Archtown Arrows in the bracket semifinals. Jason N. took his first kill of the year, and Spice is the 78th eliminated player this year.

Nissan Hall, Infinity: Smudge v. Snowball. Southwestern captains tangle in the day's biggest series, using the red cue for 10-ball. Infinity's Smudge was doing fine until a stick foul led to Swordpoint's Snowball making a 5-10 combination to the top right for the early win in game 1. Snowball leads the series 1-0. The Torpedoes' Smudge brought a little fire on offense, limiting the Blades' Snowball to only two balls in game 2. Smudge's slow finish was risky, but she got the win to tie the series at 1. Smudge couldn't continue her offense in game 3, as Snowball made a four-ball run and went on to win with an 8-10 combination to the bottom right. Snowball owns a 2-1 series lead. Smudge kept herself in the series in a tense game 4, picking off the 9-10 combination to the bottom right after multiple close calls on both sides. Smudge tied the series at 2 with Snowball, setting up a big finale. Smudge brought her offense in game 5, making a six-ball run before a wide miss at the bottom side on the 10. Snowball couldn't kick it in, and Smudge cleaned it up to take the series 3-2. Smudge will play in the bracket semifinals. Smudge's second kill of the year dispatched Snowball as the 79th player to exit the competition.

Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Beth v. Hoppy. The silver cue draws in for 8-ball. A slow start to game 1 gave way to Archtown's Hoppy making a four-ball run. Pearl's Beth never caught up, and Hoppy got a fairly easy win for the 1-0 series lead. The Surfers' Beth had a better start to game 2 with a three-ball run, but the Arrows' Hoppy quickly matched it. At the end, Hoppy was a little better with a three-ball run-out for the win to move to a 2-0 series lead. Hoppy struck quickly in game 3, and Beth wasn't able to match the pace. Beth only made one ball while Hoppy earned the win to clinch the series at 3-0. Beth came within an inch of a win in game 4 after a double-pot with a deflection on the 9 off the 7 to the top side that triggered a 7-13 combination at the top left. Beth scratched on her next turn, and Hoppy rallied with a three-ball run-out for the win to push her advantage to 4-0. Hoppy finished off the 5-0 series sweep in game 5 with a fairly strong appearance while Beth simply couldn't keep pace again. Hoppy will host her appearance in the bracket semifinals.

Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Frosty v. Shawn. High-flying players meet in 8-ball with the red cue. Viewpoint Sound's Frosty made one of each on the game 1 break and worked with stripes. Midland's Shawn waited patiently and attacked for a five-ball run-out at the end for the 1-0 series lead in a comeback win. The Predators' Shawn opened game 2 on a seven-ball run to establish himself quickly. The Meteors' Frosty held her defense well and then made a five-ball run to get onto the 8. Shawn missed it again and Frosty made it on her second try for the win to tie the series at 1. In game 3, Frosty had a late five-ball run to get on the 8 after a challenging start. She failed to pot it, and Shawn replied with a four-ball run-out for the win to regain the series lead at 2-1. Another hot start turned into a late fade, with Shawn posting a four-ball run from the break only to miss the 8 too many times. Frosty bounced back with a four-ball run-out for the win to retie the series at 2. Shawn started a little better in game 5, but Frosty still provided a scare with a five-ball run near the end. Shawn put the 8 in the top left to seal the win and 3-2 series win to get to a bracket semifinals series against the North Modernistic Nighthawks' Luigi.

BMW RockDome, Westside: Goatee v. Leonette. The red cue stays in action for Accuracy. Westside's Goatee made a ball on the break and kept herself in control for most of the game. A late double-pot put some intrigue into the finish, but Pacific's Leonette couldn't stop Goatee from taking the 1-2 win for a 1-0 series lead. The Rockers' Goatee had an empty break in game 2 and couldn't keep herself in it at the end. The Volcanoes' Leonette held the line well to earn the 1-2 win this time, tying the series at 1. Leonette had a disastrous start to game 3, falling far behind. Goatee let up her intensity a bit too soon, however, and Leonette played a strong positional game to get the 4-5 comeback win for a 2-1 series lead. Leonette made a pair on the break in game 4, and she never really seemed to be in danger as Goatee couldn't keep up with a high pace. Leonette won 1-4 to clinch the series at 3-1. Goatee tried very hard to force overtime in game 5, but she couldn't do it as Leonette won 5-6 to take the series at 4-1. Leonette will visit the Commerce Tradewinds' Niki in the bracket semifinals. Leonette now leads the league in kills with four, while Goatee is the 80th player to make an exit.

Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Niki v. Sprinkles. The blue cue gets a look at 10-ball. Capital City's Sprinkles needed only one shot in game 1, double-potting with the 1 at the bottom right and the 10 going to the top right on the deflection to take a 1-0 series lead over Commerce's Niki. Game 2 went the full length and it was a back-and-forth battle between the players. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles missed her chance at the 10, and the Tradewinds' Niki mopped it up for the win to tie the series at 1. Sustained offensive turns were tough to come by again in game 3, so the players engaged in another back-and-forth battle. Sprinkles made the final pair this time, regaining her series lead at 2-1 over Niki. Sprinkles finally solved the offense problem in game 4, working an early three-ball run and getting the win with a six-ball run-out to secure the series at 3-1. Niki potted a pair at the end of another tight battle in game 5 to get her win, leaving Sprinkles with just a 3-2 series win. Sprinkles will be on the road again in the bracket semifinals.

Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Taylor S. v. Bear. The venue doubleheader ends with the silver cue playing 8-ball. Everton's Bear had an assertive six-ball run in game 1, but Commerce's Taylor S. fired back with an eight-ball run-out to pick up the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Bear had plenty of chances to finish game 2, but he left it on the table instead. The Tradewinds' Taylor S. found her way to win with a three-ball run-out that stretched her series lead to 2-0. Taylor S. made her push in game 3 with a four-ball run, but Bear had good positioning and worked a six-ball run-out on the next turn to get on the board. Taylor S.'s series lead holds at 2-1. Bear couldn't capitalize on his chances in game 4, allowing Taylor S. to hang around far too long again. Taylor S. eventually won with a pair of shots to seal the series at 3-1. Taylor S. went on another monster run with a seven-ball streak in game 5. Bear fought back well, but Taylor S. secured the win and a 4-1 series win to put herself on the road against the Archtown Arrows' Hoppy in the bracket semifinals. Bear is the 81st player to exit the Tournament, while Taylor S. picked up her third kill, which was also a team-kill on the Eagles.

Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Twinkie III v. Kodiak. One more time in the Urban region as the blue cue is up for 13-ball. Whitewater's Twinkie III switched suits after making a ball on the break, but it didn't pay off. Modernistic's Kodiak took the advantage with solids and turned it into a close win for the 1-0 series lead. The Union's Kodiak made two on the break in game 2, but a pair of scratches later in the game erased his advantage. The Shores' Twinkie III had better positioning at the end and earned the win to tie the series at 1. Twinkie III made a massive blunder early in game 3, getting a stripe on the break but sinking the 8 illegally to the bottom right on her opening turn. This gifted a win and a 2-1 series lead back to Kodiak, who didn't take a shot in the game. Kodiak came within one shot of securing the series, but he missed contact on a hard cut on the 8 to the bottom right. Twinkie III surged on a four-ball run-out from ball-in-hand for the win to retie the series at 2. Twinkie III had positioning in game 5, but too many misses dragged her down, and Kodiak snagged the decisive win for a 3-2 series win. Kodiak will host Valencia of the Golden Pilots in the bracket semifinals. In the do-or-die situation, Kodiak got his first kill to make Twinkie III the 82nd eliminated player.

Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Gizmo. Club-mates end the day in Accuracy with the silver cue. Eastside's Gizmo did well enough to force overtime in game 1, but two misses during the extra rack allowed Harrison's Twinkie II to walk away with the 4-5 win and 1-0 series lead. Game 2 followed a similar pattern with back-and-forth play before overtime. The Sharks' Gizmo didn't mess around, making his first shot for a 3-4 win after the Specters' Twinkie II couldn't score one on the break. Gizmo tied the series at 1. Gizmo made a pair on the break and held the lead for most of the game. Twinkie II successfully dragged Gizmo an even mark, but she then missed her next shot, and Gizmo held on for the 2-3 win to go ahead 2-1 in the series. A close battle in game 4 came down to one pivotal moment where Gizmo missed. Twinkie II punished him on positioning from there, earning a 0-4 win for herself to retie the series at 2 games apiece. In game 5, Gizmo had the game in his hand until a scratch on the penultimate ball. Twinkie II forced overtime, then won 3-4 on her first shot after Gizmo had an empty break. Twinkie II escaped a dangerous series with a 3-2 win to earn the right to host Infinity Torpedoes star Fluffina in the bracket semifinals. Gizmo is the 83rd player out of the Tournament, and Twinkie II has her first kill.

We'll start at a normal time tomorrow.