West Coast Women’s Regional 9-Ball Tour / Sacramento, CA
by Lea Andrews
Michelle Rakin, a veteran of the West Coast Women’s Regional 9-Ball Tour, opened up the new season with an undefeated run through a strong field of 29 ladies. The $750-added event, which was the first of five scheduled stops, was held July 18-19 at Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento, CA.
Rakin’s 7-3 win over Heather Pulford put her in the hot seat match against Kim Benson, who’d won 7-5 over Sher Ahola-Caruso. It was a tight match, going hill-hill, but Rakin pulled off the win 7-6.
On the one-loss side, Rakin’s sister, Mary, was making a bid for an all-Rakin final match. With wins over Helen Gaughran, Holly Robinson, and Sher Ahola-Caruso, she arrived in the quarterfinal match, where she met Eleanor Callado. Callado, having gotten past Vivi Chen, Mai Schieck, and Heather Pulford, fell to Rakin, leaving Rakin with one match to go before a potential familial meet-up. In her way, though, was Benson, who was looking for a rematch with the person who’d just planted her on the one-loss side, and it was Benson who earned the spot in the finals, leaving Mary Rakin in third.
Benson would have to win the first set of the true double-elimination final match to have a shot at the win, but she didn’t make it that far. Michelle Rakin, who’d gone the whole weekend without getting a taste of a loss, wasn’t going to give it a try in the finals, and she took first in one set, 7-5.
13 of the ladies returned for a second chance tournament, with Helen Gaughran earning $60 for her win in the finals over Caryl Powell, who earned $30. Lyndee Russell and Deirdre Shiozawa both took home $15 for third.
Michelle Rakin (pictured right), a veteran of the West Coast Women’s Regional 9-Ball Tour, opened up the new season with an undefeated run through a strong field of 29 ladies, which was capped off by a 7-5 victory over Kim Benson, pictured left.
Results:
1st Michelle Rakin $350
2nd Kim Benson $255
3rd Mary Rakin $180
4th Eleanor Callado $130
5th Sher Ahola-Caruso $90
Heather Pulford
7th Holly Robinson $60
Mai Scieck