The competitive main event of Tournament XI is ready to begin today, starting a sequence of 18 days in the Play-In Round. All series in this round are three games long. Leading off...
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Patches v. Sunshine. A superstar on a new team and a hotshot sophomore meet in 7-ball with the green cue. Royal's Sunshine didn't get a lot of offense in game 1, but he picked off the 7 to the bottom right for a 1-0 series lead over Oceanside's Patches. The Crowns' Sunshine started game 2 with a six-ball run but couldn't haul in the 7, which the Waves' Patches cut to the top right. This tied the series at 1. Sunshine had a bold bank attempt on the 6 that missed at the top side and also sent the 7 off the edge of the rail. Patches buried both balls to the bottom side, the 7 on a bank for the win and 2-1 series win that secures her spot in the first round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Leonardo v. Gal. The silver cue gets the second series today, playing 8-ball. North Modernistic's Gal controlled play with a four-ball run in the middle of game 1. Diamond's Leonardo came up short on the comeback, and Gal sent the 8 to the top right for a 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Gal pushed with a five-ball run in game 2 after a slow start, but she sank the 8 illegally after a miss on the 5. The Gems' Leonardo took the freebie, tying the series at 1. A close battle in game 3 went to Gal in the end, as she made the final pair when Leonardo faltered. Gal won the series 2-1.
Sony Center, Queens: Mario v. Maison. In Rotation, the blue cue enters the action. Eastside's Maison impressed with an early four-ball run, but he didn't get much more, as Queens' Mario dominated the rest of game 1 in an 8-5 win for the 1-0 series lead. Game 2 was much more of a grind, which saw the Sharks' Maison narrowly beat the Flames' Mario by an 8-7 score to tie the series at 1. Another tough battle saw Maison take the lead in the middle, only for Mario to fight back for an 8-5 win. Mario advanced to the first round on a 2-1 series win.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Wild Thing v. Briana. A burgeoning rivalry sparks to life in 13-ball with the purple cue. Web City's Wild Thing overfilled on the game 1 break, and his positioning was poor. Queens' Briana had an easier time on offense and earned a win to go ahead 1-0 in the series. The Spiders' Wild Thing had the early lead in game 2, but positioning on his last ball was poor. The Flames' Briana bounced back with a three-ball run-out from ball-in-hand to seal the series at 2-0. Briana again had a good break in game 3, and Wild Thing couldn't keep up in the end. Briana swept the series 3-0 to get into the first round.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Dominic v. Frosty. The silver cue cycles in again for 10-ball. Both players opened game 1 with a three-ball run, but Southern's Dominic made a four-ball run-out on his second turn to beat Freedom's Frosty. Dominic leads the series 1-0. The Cascades' Frosty had a couple of chances at the 10 in game 2, but she missed both. The Monarchs' Dominic eventually put it in the top left for the win to clinch the series at 2-0. Frosty didn't have much left for game 3, allowing Dominic to control the pace as he won with a three-ball run-out. Dominic swept the series 3-0.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Buddy v. Taylor M. A venue doubleheader starts with the green cue in 10-ball. Atlantic's Buddy had more success early in game 1, but it went to waste as Eastside's Taylor M. won with a five-ball run-out for the 1-0 series lead. The Sharks' Taylor M. kept the momentum up early, but the Pirates' Buddy snagged the final pair in game 2 to get a win of his own. The series is tied at 1. Buddy wasn't able to get consistent offense in game 3, leaving Taylor M. to snipe the 10 at the top left for a 2-1 series win.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Dusky v. Sydney S. The green cue stays active in Accuracy. Boston's Sydney S. had a good start to game 1, but let it slip away at the end. Atlantic's Dusky closed well and earned a 2-3 win to go up 1-0 in the series. The Swifts' Sydney S. fell behind much quicker in game 2, and the Pirates' Dusky showed little mercy in the 1-3 win that allowed her to seal the series at 2-0. Dusky brought a good effort in game 3, but Sydney S. went perfect for the 0-1 win to avoid the sweep in a 2-1 series.
T-Mobile Center, Victoria: Yekaterina v. Sunshine. Two talented players meet in Accuracy with the blue cue. Royal's Sunshine turned a late deficit into perfect defense, getting Victoria's Yekaterina to miss twice in a row. Sunshine then converted in overtime for a 2-3 win and 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Yekaterina made an improvement in game 2, but the Crowns' Sunshine also stepped up this time for the 1-2 win. Sunshine secured the series at 2-0. Sunshine turned toward perfection in game 3, while Yekaterina couldn't handle the positioning throughout the middle of the game. Sunshine's 0-3 win earned him a 3-0 series sweep.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Americus v. Juno. Club-mates collide in 10-ball with the purple cue. Stonebridge's Juno made a mess of the game 1 ending, twice fouling to make it much easier for Midland's Americus to get the win. Americus leads the series 1-0. The Wolves' Juno kept things choppy in game 2, putting up a bit more of a fight this time. It didn't change the result, as the Predators' Americus made the final pair for the win to secure the series at 2-0. Americus kept rolling in game 3, working a five-ball run early on and a pair at the end to sweep Juno 3-0.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Stealth v. Hoot. Another pair of club-mates tangle in Rotation with the red cue in its only series today. Swordpoint's Stealth managed one three-ball run to keep competitive, but Viewpoint Sound's Hoot spread his offense out in an 8-4 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Hoot didn't break well in game 2, but the Blades' Stealth struggled to get his offense going. Hoot took it in chunks, winning 8-2 to seal the series at 2-0. Hoot made a five-ball run from the break in game 3 and added a three-ball run-out after Stealth scratched a couple turns later. Hoot won 8-0 in the game and 3-0 in the series to earn a place in the first round.
IBM Cathedral, North Modernistic: Lionel v. Hughbert. The green cue is back for Accuracy. North Modernistic's Lionel wasn't bad in game 1, but a couple of mistakes led to Todavía's Hughbert pulling off a 0-2 win as he stayed perfect for a 1-0 series lead. The Stills' Hughbert was able to survive two scratches in game 2 to get to overtime, but he scratched again on the break in the extra rack. The Nighthawks' Lionel finished off a 4-5 win to tie the series at 1. Hughbert ran out of steam in game 3, fading late as Lionel held his ground for a 3-5 win. Lionel took the series 2-1 to get into the first round.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Sunshine v. Sierra. The host's third series today is in 15-ball with the green cue. Sunshine made seven balls over his first two turns, dominating the offense in game 1 to easily beat Todavía's Sierra for a 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Sunshine took the opposite approach in game 2. He started slow, then struck as the Stills' Sierra failed to take control. Sunshine made a pair of five-ball runs to close out the game with a win, sealing the series at 2-0. Sunshine wanted to run away with game 3, but Sierra double-potted the 6 to the top left and the 15 to the top side to dodge the sweep in her lone win. Sunshine instead advanced on a 2-1 series win.
Apple Center, Todavía: Hughbert v. Dustin. The green cue checks out with 8-ball. Central's Dustin kept things close in game 1, but Todavía's Hughbert did well enough with a three-ball run-out to get the win. Hughbert leads the series 1-0. The Stills' Hughbert buried a five-ball run in the middle of game 2, but his follow-up was too weak. The Warriors' Dustin fought him off with a late pair for the win to tie the series at 1. Dustin put pressure on Hughbert in game 3, but a bit of defense from the host helped buy him enough time to get the win. Hughbert took the series 2-1 and will play this bid in the first round.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Maggie v. Fuchsia. The blue cue is up for 9-ball. Modernistic's Maggie came out storming with a pair of four-ball runs in game 1, earning a dominant win over Infinity's Fuchsia for the 1-0 series lead. The Union's Maggie took a predictable step back on offense in game 2, allowing the Torpedoes' Fuchsia to fight for more possession. Fuchsia made a pair at the end for the win, tying the series at 1. Maggie had a chance to make a run in game 3, but scratched on the 6. Fuchsia took over and buried the final pair for the win and 2-1 series win to send her into the first round.
Volkswagen BeetleDome, Viewpoint Sound: Princess v. Josie. The Meteors' new home is opened with two of their players meeting in today's finale, using the blue cue for Rotation. A tight start in game 1 saw Josie eventually break free, as the team's newcomer picked up an 8-6 win over the star Princess. In game 2, Princess nearly had the win with a late three-ball run. She missed on the 14, and Josie took over for the final pair to grab an 8-7 win that clinched the series in her favor at 2-0. Josie took no prisoners in game 3, starting quite well and ending with an 8-2 win to sweep Princess 3-0 in the series.
That's all for opening day in Tournament XI. The Play-In Round is 18 days long, so look forward to another two and a half straight weeks of action.
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