We're back for the second day of the Bracket Semifinals. First up...
Subway Arena, Stonebridge: Hershey v. Crystal. The blue cue gets the start today in 7-ball. Stonebridge's Hershey looked to be the better player early in game 1, but his wide miss on the 7 at the end allowed Queens' Crystal to snag the win for a 1-0 series lead. The Wolves' Hershey again started well with a four-ball run in game 2, but he couldn't cut the 7 to the top right. The Flames' Crystal stepped in to win at the top left, going ahead 2-0 in the series. Crystal and Hershey cancelled out with three-ball runs on their first turns in game 3. They also each missed the 7 at the top left before Hershey made it on his second try to get a win and cut Crystal's series lead to 2-1. Hershey had a strong start to game 4, but Crystal eventually made the 7 to the top left after both players slowed down at the finish. Crystal secured the series at 3-1 with this win. Hershey picked up the win in game 5 in another close battle that saw less confidence and pace. Crystal still won the series 3-2 and will play a visiting role in the bracket finals.
Apple Center, Todavía: Pedey v. Quincy. The silver cue gets a turn in 7-ball for its lone series today. Todavía's Pedey had an explosive break in game 1, getting the 1, 6, and 7 to all fall in corner pockets for the 1-0 series lead over Modernistic's Quincy. The Union's Quincy had some control in the middle of game 2, but that got away from him as the Stills' Pedey posted a three-ball run-out for the win. Pedey leads the series 2-0. Pedey nearly got game 3 on the break, but it instead went empty for him. Quincy then made a four-ball run-out, deflecting off the 4 to take the 7 at the top right on a double-kiss. Pedey's series lead is down to 2-1. Quincy controlled the offense in game 4, and Pedey wasn't able to wrestle anything away. Quincy made a pair on his last turn for the win, tying the series at 2. Quincy found his way to a win in a tough game 5 that saw Pedey challenge late before an illegal contact foul stalled him out. Quincy reverse swept Pedey 3-2 in the series, and it'll be Quincy on the road in the bracket finals.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: Panda v. Jane. The green cue is up in 9-ball for its only series of the day. Everton's Panda couldn't settle things down late in game 1, allowing Stonebridge's Jane to take the win with a pair of shots after a battle on the 8. Jane leads the series 1-0. The Wolves' Jane tried to go for the sweet spot in game 2, but it didn't pay off. She still got the win later, as the Eagles' Panda wasn't having much luck getting balls down near the end, allowing Jane to earn a 2-0 series lead. Both Jane and Panda had bewildering misses late in game 3, but it was Jane's on the 9 that decided things. Panda finally put it away for the win to get on the board, though he trails 2-1 in the series. Jane missed her only shot in game 4, sandwiched between a pair and a deflection off the 2 to sink the 9 at the bottom left from Panda. This tied the series at 2 games apiece. Panda had plenty of early offense in game 5, but it got away from him in the end as Jane took the win for a 3-2 series win. Jane advanced to a hosting position in the bracket semifinals.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Shaggy v. Molly. The blue cue cycles out after this 10-ball series. Southern's Molly had the better of play in game 1, but a late miss allowed Whitewater's Shaggy to snag the win instead. Shaggy leads the series 1-0 despite an erratic opener. The Shores' Shaggy was in much more control in game 2, while the Monarchs' Molly slipped a bit on offense. This led to Shaggy sinking a six-ball run-out for a much more earned win to go ahead 2-0 in the series. Molly regained her form on offense in game 3 until the end, as she twice missed the 10 to waste a four-ball run. Shaggy sniped the 10 to the top right eventually, earning the win and sealing the series at 3-0. Game 4 moved pretty slowly on both sides, but once again Shaggy emerged with the win from a tough battle after Molly couldn't get past her struggles. Shaggy stretched her advantage to 4-0. Game 5 was another slow battle between the players, but Shaggy used a deflection off the 8 to poke the 10 down to the top left for a 5-0 series sweep over Molly. Shaggy will host her bracket finals series.
Mercedes-Benz Forum, Harrison: Twinkie II v. Hoot. A captains' battle in Accuracy uses the purple cue. Harrison's Twinkie II set a perfect tone in game 1, and Viewpoint Sound's Hoot came up just a little short of meeting that mark. Twinkie II took a 0-1 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Specters' Twinkie II wasn't as composed for game 2, but the Meteors' Hoot saw his late effort wasted as he missed on the last ball. Twinkie II recovered to win 3-4 this time, going up 2-0 in the series. Twinkie II faltered in game 3, slipping behind in the middle and losing her chance to pull even near the end with another miss. Hoot held strong for a 1-3 win this time, cutting his deficit to 2-1 in the series. Hoot made a ball on the break in game 4 and used that last-shot advantage well from there. Twinkie II faltered late again, and Hoot was able to lock in a 1-2 win to tie the series at 2. Hoot kept the strong play up, holding a lead nearly from the start of game 5. Twinkie II came close but fell short, as Hoot's 3-4 win gave him a 3-2 series win to get into the bracket finals. Twinkie II is the 74th player eliminated this year, and Hoot has his league-leading third kill.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Ms. Puppy v. Roxy. The purple cue stays up for a 13-ball set. Modernistic's Ms. Puppy took the early lead in game 1, but couldn't make it stick. Southridge's Roxy rallied all the way back, kicking in her last solid before sinking the 8 to the bottom right for a 1-0 series lead. The Union's Ms. Puppy made a four-ball run early in game 2, and she capitalized on that hot start later. The Defenders' Roxy tried to slow down the host, but Ms. Puppy was able to tie the series at 1 with this win. Ms. Puppy knew she'd have to work fast on offense after taking solids, but late positioning slowed her down. Roxy recovered from a slow start and executed a big run before pushing again for the win to regain the series lead at 2-1. Roxy made a late three-ball run thanks to good positioning, but she she missed on the 8. Ms. Puppy replied with a pair for the win to tie the series again at 2. Ms. Puppy tried to get the 8 out of danger in game 5, but Roxy made her previous four-ball run pay off as she picked up a pair at the end for the win and 3-2 series win. Roxy will be on the road again in the bracket finals.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Carly v. Hoot. The visitor plays his second series of the day in Rotation with the red cue. Westside's Carly made quite the effort to get close in game 1, but her late misses allowed Viewpoint Sound's Hoot to escape with an 8-7 win and 1-0 series lead anyway. The Meteors' Hoot had a decent amount of offense initially, but the Rockers' Carly kept it close and eventually took an 8-5 win to tie the series at 1. Carly made a ball on the break in game 3, but the start was still a tough battle as Hoot tried to overcome bad positioning. Carly broke free later on, picking up an 8-3 win this time to pulled ahead 2-1 in the series. Hoot had plenty of chances to close out game 4, but he lost his patience and let Carly slowly work her way back into an 8-7 win. Carly secured the series at 3-1 with this result. Hoot eventually picked up an 8-6 win in game 5, although his patience snapped significantly earlier than the end of the battle. Carly won the series 3-2 and will be on the road in the bracket finals.
AT&T Hall, Oceanside: Celestia v. Snuggle. The Waves' only two captains in history clash in 13-ball with the red cue in today's marquee series. Oceanside's Celestia recovered from early scratches to get onto the 8, but Harrison's Snuggle sniped it to the top right to get the win. Snuggle leads the series 1-0. The Specters' Snuggle made one of each on the break and played stripes in game 2. The Waves' Celestia tried to pull even near the end, but she missed her last ball at the top side before Snuggle finished at the top left. This gave Snuggle a 2-0 series lead. Celestia couldn't clean up her play enough to make an impact in game 3, although she did keep things close before Snuggle was able to cut the 8 into the top left after her scratch. Snuggle secured the series at 3-0. Celestia avoided the sweep by picking up a win in game 4, although it wasn't without difficulty. Snuggle had a solid start, but lost it late as Celestia won on a three-ball run-out to cut the series to 3-1. Snuggle battled in game 5 until he knew he was beat, and then he let Celestia pick up the win without a challenge. After the game, he said he did it to avoid any further damage to her MVP campaign. Snuggle won the series 3-2 and will visit the Capital City Sharpshooters rookie Kelsea in the bracket finals.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Dustin v. Mams. The purple cue ends the day with 12-ball. Swordpoint's Mams had most of the early offense, but she had to weather a push from Central's Dustin before finishing off game 1 at the bottom left. Mams leads the series 1-0. The Warriors' Dustin had a solid performance in an even game 2, while the Blades' Mams slipped late and tried too late to play defense. Dustin made a pair for the win to tie the series at 1. Both players had a bit of a puzzle for their positioning in game 3, but Dustin was able to solve his a little faster, earning the win over Mams for a 2-1 series lead. Dustin had good positioning at the start of game 4, but he couldn't finish it off in the end. Mams was defensive and picked off her final two balls on separate turns to get the win that retied the series at 2. Dustin attacked quickly to begin game 5, then set himself up well late to win with no challenge from Mams. Dustin took the series 3-2 and will host in the bracket finals.
We'll try to play a little better tomorrow, as shooting remained fairly loose today.
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