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Spaanstra goes undefeated to claim his second Tri-State title

Paul Spaanstra, Bob Guerra (owner Rockaway Billiards) and Paul Wilkens

Last November, after a series of five runner-up finishes on the Tri-State Tour over a span of five years, Paul Spaanstra chalked up his first win on the tour. On Sunday, April 30, at the same location as his previous win, five months earlier, Spaanstra went undefeated to claim his second Tri-State title. The $1,000-added event drew 28 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
 
Spaanstra had to get by Paul Wilkens twice to win this one. They met first in a winners' side semifinal that Spaanstra won 7-3, advancing to the hot seat match. He was met by Dax Druminski, who'd defeated Tony Ignomirello in a double hill fight. Spaanstra claimed the hot seat (which he had not done back in November) with a 9-6 win over Druminski.
 
On the loss side, Wilkens began his trip back to the finals against Jerry Ritzer, who'd defeated Kevin Scalzitti 7-5 and Alex Gutierrez 7-3 to reach him. Ignomirello picked up Bob Toomey, who'd eliminated Frank Pesce and Allison LaFleur, both 6-4. 
 
Wilkens and Ignomirello advanced to the quarterfinals; Ignomirello, backing up his double hill loss against Druminski with a double hill win over Toomey and Wilkens eliminating Ritzer 7-2.
Wilkens downed Ignomirello 7-4, and then, in the semifinals, earned his second shot against Spaanstra with an 8-6 win over Druminski. Spaanstra completed his undefeated run with a 7-4 victory over Wilkens in the finals.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, May 7, will be hosted by BQE Billiards in Jackson Heights (Queens), NY.

Toomey and Kaminow split top prizes at Tri-State stop

Steve Kaminow and Bob Toomey

Bob Toomey in the hot seat, and Steve Kaminow, coming at him from the loss side, opted out of a final match during a Sunday, April 24 stop on the Tri-State Tour. They chose to split the top two prizes of the $1,000-added event that had drawn 16 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
 
Toomey and Adam Kosmin squared off in the hot seat battle. Toomey had sent Tony Ignomirello to the loss side 6-1 in one of the winners' side semifinals, as Kosmin downed Jerry Ritzer, double hill, in the other. Toomey sent Kosmin to the semifinals with a double hill win that proved to be his last match.
 
On the loss side, Steve Kaminow was working his way to the finals. He defeated Paul Madonia 7-5, and William Donofrio 7-2 to pick up Ritzer. Ignomirello drew Mark Mondello, who'd eliminatEd Martin Carducci 6-1, and Mickey Hadjipetros 6-3 to reach him.
 
Kaminow defeated Ritzer 7-3, advancing to the quarterfinals against Mondello, who'd defeated Ignomirello 6-2. Kaminow followed up with a 7-4 win over Mondello and moved into his final match; the semifinals versus Kosmin. He thwarted Kosmin's desire for a rematch against Toomey with a 7-5 win, which ended the night. Toomey and Kaminow opted out of the final, leaving the undefeated Toomey as the event's official winner.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors John Bender of Bender Cues, Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, May 1, will be hosted by BQE Bar & Billiards in Jackson Heights, NY.

Figueroa goes undefeated, splits top two prizes with Shatell on Tri-State stop

Jerry Ritzer, Mike Figueroa and John Shattell

Mike Figueroa and John Shatell let their only meeting stand as the result of the March 13 stop on the Tri-State Tour. Figueroa won their hot seat match, and together, they opted out of playing a final, splitting the top two prizes. The $1,000-added event drew 26 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
 
Prior to their hot seat match, Figueroa had sent Sal Rinchiuso to the loss side 6-2. Shatell had done likewise to Jerry Ritzer 7-6. Figueroa claimed the hot seat with what proved to be his final victory 8-7.
 
On the loss side, Rinchiuso picked up Bob Toomey, who'd shut out Rick Nowicki and defeatEd Martin Carducci 6-2 to reach him. Ritzer drew William Donofrio, who'd eliminated Steve Kaminow 7-5 and survived a double hill match against Fred Garcia.
 
Ritzer advanced to the quarterfinals 7-4 over Donofrio, and was joined by Rinchiuso, who'd defeated Toomey, double hill. Ritzer earned himself a re-match against Shatell with an 8-4 win in those quarterfinals.
 
Shatell and Ritzer repeated the scores and result of their winners' side semifinal match, with Shatell advancing to the finals for his second shot against Figueroa. They opted out of that final match, awarding Figueroa the official event victory.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors John Bender Cues, Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics  

Chen comes from the loss side to take Tri-State stop

Mike Figueroa, Rhys Chen and Richard Ng

Rhys Chen, the Amateur division winner of last May's 5th Annual George "Ginky" Sansouci Memorial Tournament, chalked up a second 2015 victory on the Tri-State Tour. On Saturday, August 1, he came from the loss side to win the $1,000-added Tri-State 9-Ball tournament that drew 24 entrants to Clifton Billiards in Clifton, NJ.
 
Following victories over Alberto Estevez, Glenn Ramsey and Dave Ascolese, Chen ran into Richard Ng in a winners' side semifinal. Ng sent him to the loss side 7-5 and in the hot seat match, faced Mike Figueroa, who has shut out Tony Ignomirello. Figueroa took the hot seat 7-2 over Ng and waited on Chen.
 
Chen drew Jerry Ritzer on the loss side, recent winner over Steve Kaminow 7-4 and Alberto Estevez 7-5. Ignomirello picked up Diane Policastro, who'd gotten by Jim Gutierrez 7-3 and Bob Toomey 6-2. Chen and Policastro moved on to the quarterfinals; Chen 7-5 over Ritzer, Policastro eliminating Ignomirello 6-2.
 
Chen ended Policastro's run 9-7 in the quarterfinals, and survived a double hill rematch against Ng in the semifinals. It was Figueroa, though, who took the early momentum in the finals, chalking up three straight at the start. Chen responded with six straight. Not to be outdone, Figueroa came back with three in a row to knot the match at 6. They traded racks before Chen chalked up two to reach the hill first. Figueroa made it to 9-8, but Chen finished it.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Clifton Billiards, as well as sponsors Ozone Billiards, Sterling-Gaming, Kamui Tips, Ron Vitello, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics, and Bloodworth Ball Cleaners. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for Sunday, August 9, will be hosted by Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ. 

Medina goes undefeated on the Tri-State Tour

Mike Strasburg, Eddie Medina and Mike Guevara

Ed Medina worked through a short field of 19 entrants, going undefeated on the June 8 stop on the Tri-State Tour. The $1,000-added event was hosted by Rockaway Billiards, in Rockaway, NJ.
 
Medina opened his campaign by just surviving a double hill match against Steve Kaminow. He wouldn't face a similar challenge until the finals. Medina went on to defeat ChristIan Smith and Jerry Ritzer, which set him up for a winners' side semifinal against William Meima. Mike Strassburg, in the meantime, faced Scott Abramowitz. Medina cruised to the hot seat match 7-2 over Meima, as Strassburg and Abramowitz battled to double hill. Strassburg prevailed and was promptly sent to the semifinals by Medina 7-3.
 
Meima and Abramowitz moved to the loss side, where they ran into Jerry Ritzer and Mike Guevara, respectively. Ritzer had gotten by Duane Toney and Christian Smith, both 7-2, to face Meima. Guevara had defeatEd Martin Carducci 6-3 and squeaked by Grant Weldon 7-6. Ritzer handed Meima his second straight loss 7-2, as Guevara was doing likewise to Abramowitz 6-2.
 
Guevara and Ritzer locked up in a double hill quarterfinal, eventually won by Guevara. Strassburg ended Guevara's loss-side run with a 6-2 win in the semifinals and turned to take a second shot at Medina, sitting in the hot seat. Whatever the outcome, it would be Strassburg's best finish in two years.
 
In what proved to be the longest match of the day, Medina and Strassburg fought back and forth to claim the event title. Safety play slowed the proceedings down in the early going, and at the end of six games, it was knotted at 3-3. Strassburg surged ahead by two games, and they traded racks to 6-4. Strassburg made an early combination on the 9-ball to reach seven games, forcing an extension of the match to nine games.
 
Medina then won three in a row, including back-to-back 3-fouls, to first, tie the match at 7-7 and then, running the next rack, reach the hill at 8-7. Medina got a look at the 9-ball in the game that would have won it for him, but it rattled in the hole, allowing Strassburg to force a 17th and deciding game. In keeping with the general direction of the match, the deciding game turned into a safety battle. Strassburg opted for a safety on the 8-ball, but left Medina enough of a shot to make it and finish his undefeated run.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics.

Ferri comes back from the loss side to defeat Ritzer in Tri-State finals

They met twice; once, in a winners' side semifinal and again, in the finals of the $1,000-added February 16 stop on the Tri-State Tour. Vinny Ferri had the last word, winning three on the loss side to meet and defeat Jerry Ritzer in the finals of the event that drew 26 entrants to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ.
 
As Ferri and Ritzer were battling it out in one winners' side semifinal, Eric Hill and Greg Ackerman met in the other. Ritzer sent Ferri over 6-4, as Ackerman was busy surviving a double hill fight against Hill. Ritzer then moved into the hot seat with a 7-4 victory over Ackerman and waited for Ferri to come back.
 
Ferri opened his three-match march back to the finals against Tony Ignomirello, who'd just defeated Ada Lio 7-2 and Allison Honeymar 7-5. Hill picked up Paul Spaanstra, who'd eliminated Tri Chau 7-3 and Roger Hanos, double hill. Hill engaged Spaanstra in his second straight, double hill match and came out on top, advancing to the quarterfinals against Ferri, who'd downed Ignomirello 6-3. 
 
Ferri won two 7-4 matches in a row, defeating Hill in the quarterfinals and Ackerman in the semifinals, for a second shot at Ritzer in the hot seat. Ritzer, making his first appearance on the Tri-State Tour since 1997, took the opening rack of the extended-race-to-9 finals. Ferri took the next two, before Ritzer knotted things at two apiece. Ferri came back with three in a row, the last of which was won when Ritzer left the 9-ball hanging in a pocket. Ferri maintained the lead, reaching the extension at 7 racks, and winning two more to win 9-4 and claim the event title.
 
Tour representatives thanked the ownerships and staff at Rockaway Billiards, as well as sponsors Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics. The next stop on the Tri-State Tour, scheduled for February 22, will be hosted by The Cue Bar in Bayside, NY.