It's the last day of the regular season in Tournament play. We'll crown the nine Champions over these series, and they will have the right to compete for the Champions' Cup in the playoffs. First up...
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Strut (S) v. Citrus (B). Former teammates clash in the 13-ball title series. Lighton's Citrus weathered a strong early attack from Golden's Strut in game 1. Citrus then unleashed a perfect six-ball run-out for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Prestige's Citrus had a bad break in game 2 and couldn't gain much momentum later. It was her missed contact that led to the Pilots' Strut setting up and winning on the 8 at the bottom left on consecutive turns. This tied the series at 1. Citrus and Strut battled in a painfully slow game 3, with both players making mistakes and missing shots. Near the end, Citrus made a great effort to get positioning on her last solid at the top side, but her attempt on the 8 ended without contact. Strut then made a pair for the win to pull ahead 2-1 in the series. Citrus bounced back after Strut started game 4 by overfilling the top right. Citrus made a big run early on and added a savvy shot on the 7 to sneak it behind the 8 at the bottom right. Citrus then put the 8 in the same place for the win to retie the series at 2. Citrus didn't have a ton of early success in game 5, as Strut seemed to do a bit better initially. Citrus then got control on solids and won after Strut missed contact, giving Citrus a 3-2 series lead. Strut, in desperation early in game 6, kept the 8 as a defensive presence at the top side. Citrus couldn't work around it, and she did have much other positioning, so Strut picked up the win to even the series once more at 3. Strut did all he could in game 7, even pushing Citrus out of position at the top left, but he accidentally made her last ball for her. Citrus then buried the 8 to the top side for the 4-3 series win. Citrus is off to the Tournament of Champions with her fourth kill, while Strut is the 164th eliminated player and the Pilots are the 23rd eliminated team.
Intel Center, Diamond: Leonardo (S) v. Lorde (B). The second series of Championship day is in Accuracy. Game 1 saw Capital City's Lorde slip behind, Diamond's Leonardo fall into a tie after missed contact, and then Lorde miss on the last ball. Leonardo won 2-3 and took a 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Leonardo had a much less pleasant time in game 2, as he missed a couple of shots, and the Sharpshooters' Lorde held him down with a 0-2 win. Lorde's perfect effort tied the series at 1. Game 3 saw Leonardo holding a late lead after spending most of it tied, but he missed on the last ball. Leonardo then scratched on the overtime break, and Lorde notched the 2-3 win for a 2-1 series lead. Lorde scratched on the break and again later in a messy game 4 showing that allowed Leonardo to notch a 1-4 win. Leonardo's victory tied the series at 2 and gave the host a little momentum. Leonardo didn't have the cleanest play early in game 5, and Lorde took advantage of it, securing a 2-3 win to regain the series lead at 3-2. Lorde had two balls on the break and led for much of game 6, but a scratch at the end left Leonardo to grab the 4-5 win without needing overtime. The series is tied at 3 heading into a decisive finale. Leonardo trailed for most of game 7, but the end left it to fall either way. Lorde unraveled on the final turns, and Leonardo ended up winning the game 4-5 and the series 4-3. Leonardo is off to the Tournament of Champions after his third kill. Lorde is the 165th eliminated player, and the Sharpshooters are the 24th team out of the battle.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Taylor S. (S) v. Cubby (B). We're onto 7-ball with the most skill-divided pairing in the round. Commerce's Taylor S. didn't look comfortable in game 1, while Eastside's Cubby made a four-ball run early. At the end, Cubby scratched while making the 7, gifting Taylor S. the win and 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the players got to late game quickly, but the Tradewinds' Taylor S. was shaky from the 6 on. The Sharks' Cubby ended up with a win he probably shouldn't have, tying the series at 1. Cubby was the one to make a late mistake in game 3, scratching on his cut attempt at the 7. Taylor S. won another sloppy game from ball-in-hand, restoring her series lead at 2-1. Taylor S. rallied with a three-ball run early in game 4, but Cubby picked up the win with a 4-7 combination banked off the edge of the top side to land in the bottom side. The series is tied again at 2. Cubby scratched on the break in game 5, allowing Taylor S. to set the tone again. She did well on her first turn, but it was Cubby's shaky ending that allowed Taylor S. to cut the 7 to the top right for the win and 3-2 lead. For the first time, Taylor S. won consecutive games as she potted a three-ball run-out capped by a bank of the 7 to the top left to end game 6. This sealed the series at 4-2 over Cubby. Taylor S. finally outright dominated game 7, with a three-ball break and a 6-7 combination at the end to win 5-2. Taylor S. punched her ticket to the Tournament of Champions, and she's up to 12 kills by making Cubby the 166th eliminated player while the Sharks are the 25th team to fall.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Roxy (S) v. Taylor S. (B). In 12-ball, the visitor completes a personal doubleheader. Freedom's Roxy surrendered a wild-card ball on the game 1 break, but Commerce's Taylor S. took too long with her positioning. Roxy made a three-ball run-out for the win to pull ahead 1-0 in the series. The Cascades' Roxy held defense at the top right for a little too long, as the Tradewinds' Taylor S. worked behind her near the end and made pair of shots for the win to tie the series at 1. Taylor S. struck on the break in game 3 and got a little help as Roxy gave away a wild-card ball on the first shot. Taylor S. then played cautiously, nearly allowing Roxy to tally before Taylor S. ended victorious at the top left. Taylor S. holds a 2-1 series lead. Taylor S. made a bad decision to switch suits in game 4. Roxy had no trouble with stripes with the advantage of a wild-card ball, taking the win to retie the series at 2. Taylor S. showed MVP-level talent in game 5, letting Roxy clear up some space on the table at first before responding with a perfect six-ball run-out. Taylor S. leads the series again at 3-2. Taylor S. finished it off with a big push in game 6, pulling ahead of Roxy, who spent most of the game battling for positioning. Roxy came close on a late attempt, but Taylor S. knocked in her last ball to clinch the series at 4-2. Taylor S. ceded a wild-card ball again in game 7, but she overcame the deficit as Roxy missed contact on her last ball. Taylor S. won the series 5-2, locking up the top seed in the officially eight-player Tournament of Champions. Taylor S. has 13 kills, with Roxy the 167th eliminated player and the Cascades as the 26th team out of action.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Brownie (B) v. Shiny (R). A Rivalry series goes in Rotation to mark the midpoint of the day. Royal's Brownie had a good start in game 1, but after she missed contact on the 9, Lighton's Shiny rallied to win on a four-ball run-out for the 8-5 final score. Shiny leads the series 1-0. The Crowns' Brownie scrapped with the Prestige's Shiny in the early stages of game 2, keeping things close for quite awhile. Shiny got ahead later, and she was able to close out an 8-6 win to move ahead 2-0 in the series. Brownie had a bit of a jump in game 3, giving her a slight edge in the attack to get the 8-6 win with a pair of shots at the end. Shiny remains ahead 2-1 in the series. Shiny shook off the loss very quickly, using a four-ball run and a three-ball run-out in game 4 to sink Brownie by an 8-1 score. Shiny pushed her series lead to 3-1. Brownie wasn't ready to exit competition yet, controlling game 5 amid a tough start. Shiny made herself a nuisance, but her illegal contact on the 14 opened the door for Brownie to rip a four-ball run-out for the 8-2 win. Brownie trails 3-2 in the series. Brownie decided to get most of her offense early in game 6, leaving Shiny to scramble in an attempt to get back in the game. Brownie slammed the door at 8-3 this time, her win tying the series at 3. Brownie completed the comeback in epic form, winning by an 8-2 score again as Shiny never gained traction in game 7. Brownie took the series 4-3 to get into the Tournament of Champions on her fourth kill. Shiny is the 168th eliminated player.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Panda (B) v. Cheddar (S). More club rivals collide in 9-ball. North Modernistic's Cheddar pulled off an impressive three-ball run in the middle of game 1, but Southern's Panda won on a three-ball run-out. Panda owns the 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw the Monarchs' Panda start with a three-ball run. The Nighthawks' Cheddar later had a three-ball run of her own after Panda committed a foul, but she missed on the 9. Panda picked it off for the win to move ahead 2-0 in the series. Cheddar challenged a bit early in game 3, but her scratch around the middle of the game would spell doom. Panda rattled off a four-ball run-out from ball-in-hand, ending with a 7-9 combination to the bottom right to stretch his series lead to 3-0. Panda left no doubt as to the winner of the series, sending the 9 to the top right on the break in game 4 to secure the series at 4-0 as Cheddar watched on. Cheddar had control of the offense in game 5, making at least seven balls, but she missed on the 9. Panda poached the win at the bottom right, pushing his advantage to 5-0 as the crowd remains raucous for their longtime captain. Cheddar scratched at the end of a three-ball run in game 6, and Panda antagonized her with a 5-9 combination to the top right from ball-in-hand. Panda converted to make it a 6-0 series lead. Panda tried to be creative a bit in game 7, but he would end up missing contact on the 5. Cheddar took her lone win via 5-9 combination to the top right, leaving Panda to advance to the Tournament of Champions on a 6-1 series win. Panda got his third kill while Cheddar is the 169th player to exit the Tournament.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: A. Charlton (B) v. Shadow (S). We're onto 15-ball between strong opponents. Diamond's Shadow had plenty of offense in game 1, but his late four-ball run ended with the 15 left short of the top right. Archtown's A. Charlton buried it for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Gems' Shadow had a more difficult time keeping his shots legal in game 2. Often, he fouled, but it was a simple miss near the end of game 2 that sparked the Arrows' Charlton for her four-ball run-out. Charlton has commanded a 2-0 series lead. Charlton tried to keep control late in game 3, but the pacey back-and-forth evaded her after a miss on the 12. Shadow knocked in a three-ball run-out for the win to cut Charlton's series lead to 2-1. Shadow took a late potshot at the 12-15 combination in game 4, but it wouldn't fall for him. Instead, Charlton cleaned up the same shot at the top right for the win to push her series lead to 3-1 after a tight battle. Charlton didn't have much happiness in game 5, as Shadow got a lucky bounce on his third pass-by the 11 to cut it to the bottom right. This extended his eventual eight-ball run-out, which earned him the win to cut the series to 3-2. Shadow looked ready to break out on another big run throughout game 6, but it never came about. He missed on the 15 to the bottom right at the end, and Charlton knocked it in to secure the series at 4-2. Game 7 went a little bit slowly as neither player had the energy left to compete. Charlton ended up with the win on a late surge to take the series 5-2, sending her into the Tournament of Champions on her fourth kill, while Shadow is the 170th player to exit the competition.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo (B) v. Watermelon (R). The second-to-last series is the 8-ball Championship. Pearl's Watermelon struck early and often in game 1, although a five-ball run from Terrace City's Oreo made the end interesting. Oreo backed off with a scratch, and Watermelon got the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Oreo had the initial attack in game 2, holding a fairly noticeable lead for awhile. The Surfers' Watermelon didn't like that, flipping the script with an eight-ball run-out for the win to push her advantage to 2-0. Watermelon made a pair of stripes on the break and added a three-ball run-out at the end of game 3, extending her series lead to 3-0 as Oreo failed to counter effectively. Oreo got deep into game 4 with just one ball remaining, but she couldn't get a good look at it. Watermelon ended up with a five-ball run-out to complete the comeback for the win that sealed the series at 4-0. Oreo had a three-ball run going early in game 5, but the deflection off her potting the 9 sent the 8 prematurely to the top left, gifting Watermelon the win for a 5-0 advantage in the series. Watermelon had the lead in game 6, but her attempt to dig the 1 out of a bad position led to the 8 going down early. Oreo will take the gifted win, which shrank Watermelon's series lead to 5-1. Watermelon capped off the series in good form, capitalizing when Oreo couldn't bank the 8 to the top left legally at the end of game 7. Watermelon won the series 6-1 and will head to the Tournament of Champions after taking her third kill. Oreo is the 171st eliminated player, and the Knights are the 27th team to fall.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Precious (R) v. Lionel (B). Closing out Championship day, we have 10-ball. North Modernistic's Lionel was excellent on offense, but he whiffed his shot at the 10 toward the top right at the end of game 1. Pronger's Precious tapped it down for the 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Lionel had a slight edge in possession in game 2, but his shot on the 9 rattled out of the top left. The Tridents' Precious made the 9 on a bank to the top side, and then put the 10 in the top right for the win to extend her advantage to 2-0. Precious continued to struggle with errors early in game 3. Lionel ripped a four-ball run and then sparred for the rest of the game, snagging the 10 at the top side when Precious couldn't cut it. Precious remains ahead 2-1 in the series. In game 4, neither player seemed very confident. Precious eventually found a three-ball run, but both players would miss on the 10 before she could sink it at the top left. Precious is now on the cusp of advancing with a 3-1 series lead. Lionel took over the offense with a seven-ball run in game 5, but he missed twice late, and Precious was able to steal the win that clinched the series at 4-1. Precious put a little more effort into her offense in game 6, battling with Lionel early on before ripping a four-ball run-out for another win at the end. Precious is up to a 5-1 lead in the series. Precious finished off game 7 in great form with a five-ball run-out, putting Lionel out as the 172nd and final eliminated player. Precious' 6-1 series win earned her a fifth kill and made the Nighthawks the 28th and final team to be ousted.
More details will follow after administrative tasks are done, but I'm expecting to play the Tournament of Champions no later than Thursday, with the rest of the postseason following that.
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