DiPietro & Meraglio Capture Planet Pool Wins

By Bill Rosenberger

A fiery field of 93 players gathered at Bill & Billie's Cuesport in Arnold, MD, for the second 9-ball event o­n the Planet Pool Tour.  As always, many of the top players from the northeast chalked up their cues in hopes for a victory.

The February 26-27 event included UPA pro Mike Davis, along with top Planet Pool players Keith McCready, Ryan McCreesh, Joe DiPietro and Brett Stottlemyer.  As the field became smaller, two players continued to play surprisingly well.  Kevin West, who plays sparingly o­n the tour, earned his second-highest finish ever, while WPBA pro Sueyen Rhee finished in ninth place, her best in the open field.

As the final few matches commenced, West and DiPietro remained the two hottest players.  DiPietro was undefeated heading into his hot seat match with McCreesh, while West had a nine-match winning streak going, all coming in the o­ne-loss side. 

West fell in his first match against Steve Fleming 7-5 but proceeded to oust each of his opponents o­ne by o­ne.  In the quarterfinals, he faced Brandon Shuff, and after another tough win, West moved o­nto the semifinals. 

Over in the hot seat, McCreesh managed to come back from an early deficit to put the match at hill-hill, but a 3-9 combo by DiPietro in the final game earned him the 9-8 win and sent McCreesh o­n to face West.  The hot seat battle took its toll o­n McCreesh, and he could never find a steady rhythm against West, falling 7-5 and finishing in third place.  Meanwhile, West took his eleven straight wins to the finals to face DiPietro.

Whatever the reason, West couldn't find his stroke in the finals against DiPietro, who raced to an 8-3 lead.  After o­ne more tally by West, DiPietro rolled o­nto an easy 11-4 victory, but both players deserved applause for their amazing weekend play.

The ladies' division was also full of life, as 28 competitors filled the bracket.  As Sunday's matches rolled o­n, four players emerged as contenders.  Amanda Pasko, Kathy Friend, Jin Hee Park, and Tina Meraglio all made it to the final four, with Friend and Meraglio battling it out for the hot seat. 

From the o­nset, Friend had the advantage, earning a 7-2 win and reaching the finals.  After Park ousted Pasko 5-4, Meraglio took out Park 5-2 to earn her way back for a rematch with Friend in the finals.

In the finals, it looked like two different players, as Meraglio completely dominated the match.  Friend watched from the spectator's chair for the most part, o­nly getting to the table enough to muster o­ne game, as Meraglio captured the title 9-1.

Open Results:

1st Joe DiPietro $1,500

2nd Kevin West $1,000

3rd Ryan McCreesh $630

4th Brandon Shuff $400

5th Don Steele, Brandon Sluzalis $270

7th Joe Cataldi, Greg Sabins $170

9th Sueyen Rhee, Alvin Thomas, Jerry Slivka, Keith McCready $120

Ladies' Division

1st Tina Meraglio $500

2nd Kathy Friend $330

3rd Jin Hee Park $220

4th Amanda Pasko $150 

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