Da Terminators, Hustlers play to a tie

It was an interesting evening in the Budweiser-SBA Open 8-Ball League Tuesday night as the top two teams clashed at Round Two Bar and Grill.

Da Terminators, who are ranked No. 1, battled No. 2 Round Two Hustlers with both teams living up to expectations.

Playing on their home turf, the Hustlers got off to a sizzling start after Mario Diola and Rowel Mariano opened with consecutive wins for an early 2-0 lead.

Da Terminators bounced back strong courtesy of veteran Senen Pangilinan, who was able to beat Nolan Cultura to pull his team closer, but Round Two was quick to respond and padded their lead when Jerry Soriano defeated Jojo Talibong.

The Hustlers’ push to gain ground on Da Terminators in the team standings was in good shape at that point of their match, but Da Termintors showed why they’re on top of the heap as they dug themselves out of a hole and pulled even.

With their backs against the wall, Da Terminators picked up their play in the doubles action and made sure they would not lose. Luis Fajardo and R.J. Mascarinas defeated Diola and Mariano, while Pangilinan and Roman Rodriguez took the final bout resulting in the two teams finishing with a tie, 3-3.

With the stalemate, Da Terminators hold a 50-16 record, while the Hustlers remain seven games back with a 43-23 card.

It was a night filled with draws as the two other matches also featured 3-3 scores.

VFW What Doing got off to a strong start, but the Bud Killaz rallied to even the score at the end, and the Jewel Night Shooters played well enough to finish tied with the third-ranked USSP Fotten Palau.

VFW What Doing’s Mel Pagelinan and Elvie Borja opened strong for their team as they led No. 4 Bud Killaz 2-0 after two games.

The Bud Killaz crept back with a victory by Jackie Sasaki, but fortunately for VFW, Tony Arriola rallied from a one-game deficit to beat Bill Villagomez. Arriola lost their first game, but came back to win the second and the third.

However, Bud Killaz dominated the doubles to pull even as Henry Sasaki and Roland Cruz beat Borja and Pangelinan, and Jackie Sasaki and Vidal Camacho stopped Arriola and Karl Borja.

The Shooters, who are seventh in the league, remained in that position but still had a good night after keeping pace with No. 3 Fotten Palau.

The teams split the first two games and Fotten Palau was able to grab the advantage after Mei Rengiil edged Serge Tibudan, 2-1. Alex Bricia pulled the Jewel Night Shooters even and the two teams split the doubles matches.

Meanwhile, the USSP Fotten Gaga scored an easy 6-0 win when no one from VFW Leaders showed up for their match.