A Sunday of action begins with...
Intel Center, Diamond: Leonardo v. Sweetheart. The purple cue has the first series today, playing Rotation. Diamond's Leonardo had the winning shot in a pocket before a scratch in game 1. Boston's Sweetheart then made the comeback with five balls over two turns for an 8-7 win. Sweetheart leads the series 1-0. The Swifts' Sweetheart dominated in game 2, making a four-ball run from the break and a four-ball run-out on the next turn with deflections abound. The Gems' Leonardo only converted one shot as Sweetheart won 8-1 to extend her series lead to 2-0. Sweetheart again made a pair on the game 3 break, but her offense finally went cold in the middle. Leonardo surged ahead on a six-ball run, then added a pair on the next turn for an 8-4 win, pulling back to a 2-1 series deficit. Sweetheart struggled for much of the early parts of game 4, but after Leonardo committed a foul, Sweetheart found her way on a seven-ball run-out for the 8-3 win. Sweetheart sealed the series at 3-1. Sweetheart again made a pair on the break in game 5, and she managed to fend off a late surge by Leonardo to take the 8-6 win for a 4-1 series win. Sweetheart is set to appear in the bracket semifinals.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Dusky v. Whiskers. The green cue checks in with a 9-ball series. Atlantic's Dusky gets a good break in game 1, but makes it count with a much later three-ball run-out after she and Maplewood's Whiskers struggled early on. Dusky's winning shot was a 6-9 combination to the bottom left for the 1-0 series lead. The Pirates' Dusky again dominated the offense in game 2, including a five-ball run in the middle and a pair at the end as the Lumberjacks' Whiskers made almost no impact on offense. Dusky leads the series 2-0. Whiskers' best chance at offense in game 3 ended with a scratch on the 5. Dusky took over in a tight space and worked a four-ball run-out for the win, clinching the series at 3-0. Dusky couldn't ignite her offense in game 4 at all, and eventually the right play came to Whiskers, who made a 2-7-9 combination to the top left for the win. Dusky remains ahead 3-1 in the series. Dusky couldn't get on a big run in game 5 either, and Whiskers made the final pair in a close game to cut the series to 3-2 in Dusky's favor. Dusky will be on the road for her bracket semifinals appearance.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Max v. Niki. The green cue stays in action with 12-ball. Golden's Max gave away a wild-card ball on the game 1 break, but it didn't slow him down a bit. Commerce's Niki had no positioning, and Max was near-perfect as he executed a three-ball run-out for the 1-0 series lead. The Pilots' Max again laid the foundation early in game 2, getting down to his last ball quickly. The Tradewinds' Niki made a better comeback effort this time, but Max was able to strike to the top right for the win to move ahead 2-0 in the series. Max faltered in game 3, yielding a wild-card ball on his first turn. He would later scratch and lack positioning, but he put up a good fight until his last shot. Niki was able to create a three-ball run-out at the end for the win, cutting her deficit to 2-1. Niki started quite well in game 4 and even got Max to scratch early on. After that, Max ignited a three-ball run with a deflected kick to the top side, and he added the final pair after sticking Niki in bad positioning. Max secured the series at 3-1. Max couldn't solve his positioning problems after a scratch in game 5, giving Niki the time to catch up for the win. Max won the series 3-2 and will host his bracket semifinals series.
Sony Center, Queens: Violetta v. Pauline. The established star meets the upcoming one in this all-Flames 15-ball series that sees the green cue exit the day. Violetta saw a lot of her shots linger on the edge of the pockets, destroying her confidence early on in game 1. Pauline converted most of them cleanly, including the 15 to the bottom right at the end for the win and 1-0 series lead. Pauline started fairly well in game 2, but Violetta made a mark with a five-ball run. Pauline twice made three-ball runs, but the latter of those two left the 15 open at the top right for Violetta to convert. This tied the series at 1. Violetta didn't dominate in game 2, instead weathering a four-ball run after the midpoint from Pauline. At the end, Pauline scratched on the 13, and Violetta made the last pair of shots for the win, taking a 2-1 series lead in the process. Violetta continued her threatening offense with jabs here and there throughout game 4. Pauline parried most of them, but Violetta went for the knockout with a three-ball run-out to get the win. Violetta clinched the series at 3-1. Violetta actually most looked like herself in game 5, with a four-ball run and an eight-ball run on her first two turns. Pauline would poach the win late, leaving Violetta to advance to the bracket semifinals with a 3-2 series win.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Bear v. Sally. The blue cue comes aboard between Northeastern rivals in Accuracy. Everton's Bear was fearless in game 1, taking an early miss and recovering quickly. Archtown's Sally fell apart in the middle, and Bear held on for the 1-3 win and 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Bear found himself in trouble with a scratch on the break in game 2. He slipped further, but the Arrows' Sally let the lead get away at the end. Bear regained control late and picked up a 3-5 win, moving to a 2-0 series lead. A lucky bounce kept Sally alive in game 3, and Bear missed the next shot to drop into a tie to force overtime. Bear's overtime break was also empty, and Sally converted a shot for a 3-4 win to cut Bear's series lead to 2-1. Bear had a total lack of confidence in game 4, causing him to fall into a deep deficit almost immediately. Sally wasn't great either, but she navigated her issues better and emerged with a 2-6 win to tie the series at 2. Bear completed the collapse in game 5, as Sally took the early lead and never looked back in a 1-3 win. Sally won the series 3-2 and will earn her place in the bracket semifinals. Sally has her first kill of the year as Bear is the 24th eliminated player.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Hoppy v. Kodiak. The red cue's lone outing today is in 12-ball. Archtown's Hoppy had a good start to game 1, but couldn't line up at the bottom side at all. Modernistic's Kodiak eventually broke the defense and earned the win, staking out a 1-0 series lead. The Union's Kodiak applied pressure with a three-ball run late in a close game 2, but the Arrows' Hoppy held defensive positioning at the top right. Hoppy eventually got the final tap-in for the win, tying the series at 1. Kodiak yielded a wild-card ball late in game 3, but he made sure it wouldn't matter. Hoppy still needed better positioning, and Kodiak didn't give her the time to find it by making his last three balls over two turns for the win. Kodiak regained the series lead at 2-1. Kodiak used up his offense early in game 4, while Hoppy elected to hold defense at the top left as she played for positioning. It worked, and Hoppy had a four-ball run to take momentum, then added her last two balls on later turns for the win. Hoppy retied the series at 2 games each. Hoppy got off to a strong start with stripes, and her positional advantage held up all game as she went on to beat Kodiak for a 3-2 series win. Hoppy is set to appear in the bracket semifinals.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Lionel v. Dustin. The purple cue cycles in with 10-ball. North Modernistic's Lionel struggled to generate offense in game 1. Both players had three-ball runs late, but Lionel's ended with a miss on the 10, and Central's Dustin cashed in for the well-deserved win. Dustin is ahead 1-0 in the series. The Warriors' Dustin kept his offense strong in game 2 with a pair of three-ball runs. The latter run ended the game with a 6-10 combination to the top side, giving Dustin a 2-0 series lead over the Nighthawks' Lionel. In game 3, Lionel finally showed a little offense with a four-ball run. He couldn't duplicate it at the end, and it turned choppy. Lionel missed the 10 at the bottom left, where Dustin tapped it in for the win to secure the series at 3-0. It took awhile for a ball to go down in game 4 until Dustin delivered a three-ball run. The slow pace persisted to the end, where Lionel picked up his first win on a three-ball run-out to cut Dustin's series lead to 3-1. Dustin fell out of form completely in game 5, as Lionel made seven of the last eight balls over two turns to get another win. Dustin won the series 3-2 and is set to play in the bracket semifinals.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Fuchsia v. Vladimir. The purple cue's done for the day after a 15-ball series. A slow start to game 1 saw Maplewood's Vladimir adjust his mechanics and immediately pot a five-ball run. Infinity's Fuchsia answered with a three-ball run but missed the 15, and Vladimir converted the winner at the top right for a 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Vladimir continued to have the better of play in game 2, including five of the last six balls. The problem was his miss on the 15, which the Torpedoes' Fuchsia put into the top right for the win to tie the series at 1. Fuchsia had good offense early in game 3, but Vladimir roared back near the end. He had a five-ball run and a three-ball run before finally closing out with a win at the bottom right. Vladimir leads the series again, 2-1. The Torpedoes' Fuchsia fired back again, using a three-ball run to get deep into game 4. Vladimir had a chance and missed on the 12, setting up Fuchsia to pot it at the top right and the 13-15 combination to the top left for the win. Fuchsia has retied the series at 2. Vladimir had a good chunk of offense early in game 5, but he left the 10 and 15 connected. This would come back to hurt him as Fuchsia capped a five-ball run-out with that combination to the bottom left. Fuchsia won the series 3-2 and will play on the road in the bracket semifinals. Vladimir is the 25th eliminated player this year, and Fuchsia has the league lead in kills with two.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Vincent v. Mams. More 15-ball uses the blue cue in its daily finale. Everton's Vincent showed off some slick shooting in game 1, but Southern's Mams was there to match with practical play. Mams would get the win with a fortunate double-bank of the 15 to the bottom left, good for a 1-0 series lead. The Monarchs' Mams shone on offense with a seven-ball run in game 2, but it would be wasted when she failed to follow up at the end. The Eagles' Vincent buried the last pair for the win, tying the series at 1. Game 3 was fine until the 9, when both players began to lose their cool at a long chase. Mams ultimately crumpled after that, and Vincent banked the 15 to the top right at the end for the win and 2-1 series lead. Game 4 followed a similar pattern, with an even battle in the early stages followed by Vincent seeing an uptick in offense at the end. It worked for Vincent, who sealed the series at 3-1 with a pair to beat Mams again. Vincent couldn't keep the momentum up throughout a much faster game 5 battle. Mams was there to challenge him all around the table, and she answered his late three-ball run with the winning pair. Vincent still claimed the series 3-2, advancing to a hosting position in the bracket semifinals.
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Juno v. Cowzart. Club-mates end the day with the silver cue in 10-ball. Pacific's Cowzart had multiple missed contact fouls in game 1, including a miss on the 10 at the end. Stonebridge's Juno took it from ball-in-hand for an easy win and 1-0 series lead. The Wolves' Juno scratched on the game 2 break, but she still controlled the pace as the Volcanoes' Cowzart put in an average effort. Juno won on a four-ball run-out, extending her series lead to 2-0. Juno didn't impress in game 3, as she didn't exactly win with her shooting. Cowzart, however, sank two balls to the wrong pockets, which Juno deferred possession for both times. Then, as Cowzart tried to line up on the 10, he committed a stick foul, and Juno took over to sink the 10 in the top right. Juno sealed the series at 3-0 with the odd finish. Cowzart made it quick in game 4, double-potting the 1-7 combination to the bottom left before deflecting off the 2 to sink the 10 at the top left. Juno remains ahead 3-1 in the series. Cowzart kept the offense strong in game 5, doing his part to make the series look a bit closer than it was as he grabbed another win. Juno won the series 3-2 and has hosting rights in the bracket semifinals.
Tomorrow, the league crosses 4,000 games played for the season.
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