Neldner & Gabriel Earn Wins on Midwest 9-Ball TourBy Bill Rosenberger It was only fitting that the Midwest 9-Ball Tour was held at The Break in Cahokia, IL, on March 12-13, because Daniel Nelder consistently used his break to spark his undefeated victory. The field wasn't lax either, as 97 players filled the bracket, including James Baraks and Chuck Raulston. Baraks and Raulston, though, finished in a tie for ninth, leaving Neldner, Tony Fargo, and Andy Friedhofen to compete for the victory. First, Fargo found the one-loss side courtesy of a 9-5 fourth-round defeat at the hands of Nelder. Then Friedhofen and Nelder squared off in a tough hot seat match. Both players used break-and-runs to tally their wins, as they raced to 7-all. In the fifteenth rack, Friedhofen broke but scratched, and Nelder ran out the rack, followed by another break-and-run to win the match 9-7. In the semifinal, Friedhofen faced Fargo, who had just ousted Darren Everett. This match, too, was close, but Friedhofen gained the lead at 7-5. In the following rack, he broke and played safe, but Fargo was able to get out, putting the score at 7-6. They traded the next few games to reach hill-hill, and Fargo controlled the table to earn the 9-8 win. The final match between Fargo and Neldner started out tight, as the scored reached 3 apiece. Fargo came up dry on the next break, and Neldner ran out the rack, followed by a break and run to take a two-game lead. After two more wins, Neldner had a 7-3 lead, forcing Fargo to take a chance in Game 11. Fargo broke and sank a few balls, but he was left with a tough 1-9 combination, which he decided to go for. However, he missed the shot, and Neldner ran out the rack to reach the hill. In the twelfth rack, Neldner closed it out with another break and run for the 9-3 victory. Sixteen ladies also competed in a weekend event, with Julia Gabriel sweeping the two-set finals against Paige Hester. The two first played in the hot seat match, which went right down to the wire. Gabriel had a chance to earn the win, but she missed a tough cut shot in the middle of the final rack, leaving Hester to run out for the win. After Gabriel ousted Kristin Werner 7-6 in the semifinals, she and Hester prepared for their rematch in the finals. In the first set, Gabriel easily won 7-3, and she duplicated her performance in the second set, earning another 7-3 win to secure the victory. Open Results: 1st Daniel Neldner 2nd Tony Fargo 3rd Andy Friedhofen 4th Darren Everett 5th Chris Bartrum, Eric Hjorleisson 7th Mark Wilson, Randy Enlow 9th Chuck Raulston, Mike Dunklin, James Baraks, Dustin Dunham Ladie's Results: 1st Julia Gabriel 2nd Paige Hester 3rd Kristin Werner 4th Kim Garrett Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the Midwest 9-Ball Tour.
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