Geoffrey Bauer won five straight matches to take the top prize in the Tri-State Tour stop on Saturday, March 6. The $500-added, B-D handicapped event was hosted by Eastside Billiards in Manhattan, NY. 

From among the winners’ side final four, with two of those wins already under his belt, Bauer faced and defeated Tony Eglesias 7-5 to get into the hot seat match versus Alan Chan, who’d just sent Bauer’s eventual finals opponent Sam Li west 6-5. Bauer gained the hot seat with a 7-6 win over Chan and waited for Li. 

Li was met on the one-loss side by Teddy Lubis, who’d defeated Javier Colayco 7-6 and Patrick Meyers 7-1 to get to him. Eglesias faced Kapriel Delimelkonoglu, who’d advanced past Chris Luethi 7-4 and Yomaylin Feliz 6-5.  Li moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-6 win over Lupis, and was joined by Eglesias, who dropped Delimelkonoglu into the tie for fifth place 7-3. Li then dropped Eglesias into fourth place 7-3 and faced the man who’d sent him west, Chan, in the semifinals. With a decisive 6-1 victory Chan, Li was into the finals. 

Bauer and Li traded the opening racks, before Bauer opened up a two-game lead that he’d maintain through to the end. Li narrowed the gap to one,  four times over the course of the eight games that followed, including the 11th rack which ended with Bauer ahead by one at 6-5. Bauer closed it out to take home the first place prize.