Delaney Dominates 1st Stop

The first stop of BAAT's 2010 season on Saturday, January 23 brought 25 super-competitive women to Hammer Heads in Holiday, Florida.

We were thrilled to see so many of our veteran BAAT members return this season, but the biggest thrill of all was watching our new members – including winner Rachel Delaney – as they shined brightly throughout the day.

Only two players from the 2009 season finished in the money on January 23. Jamie Toennies (a 2009 Top 10 finisher) took 5th place and $75 after being taken down by longtime BAAT member Stephanie McFarlin, who was knocked out in the following round and sent home with $125 for 4th place.

Also finishing 5th was Jessica Barnes, who lost 5-1 to newcomer and fierce competitor Margie Soash. Soash went on to exact her revenge on McFarlin – who earlier had sent Soash to the losers' bracket – with another 5-1 victory before moving on to face Kelly Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh quickly took the lead at 3-1, but Soash just as quickly turned the match around and took the lead at 4-3, bringing it to hill-hill in this handicapped event. It was Cavanaugh who succeeded in claiming the win to move on to meet Delaney in the finals, leaving Soash in 3rd place with $200 in prize money.

Delaney was ready for the finals and feeling confident after a previous win over Cavanaugh earlier in the day.

Despite some minor distractions from onlookers, Cavanaugh got on the hill first with a 3-3 score in the first set but missed the match-winning shot, which put Delaney (who needed 5 to win) on the hill at 4 games.

Delaney took command in the final game and garnered the win – and the match – in her first BAAT tournament. Delaney collected $350 for her achievement, while Cavanaugh's 2nd-place finish netted her $275.

Connie Mago and Melissa Durkin each received gift bags for finishing one-out-of-the-money.

Our fantastic sponsors – including Tiger Products, Sterling Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Ray Martin, Strokeitwear.com and Robertson Billiards – made it possible for us to give gifts to players, fans, and room owners.

Keep an eye on this site for video highlights of the finals and other matches from this tournament.

Rasmussen Reigns at Finale

Proving that her September victory was not a fluke, Niki Rasmussen took the short path to the finals of BAAT's season finale held on November 7 at Strokers Billiards in Palm Harbor.

Niki got a jump start with a bye in the first round, then quickly took command by sending opponents Lisa Parsons, Stephanie Mitchell, and Jamie Toennies to the one-loss side.

Also on the one-loss side, Melissa Morlan battled Bettina Chase to see who would make it into the money rounds.

"You can't win the game if you don't step up to BAAT."

Chase came out on top with a 4-2 score, sending Morlan home in 5th place. Stacey Lantz did her best to get into the the money and almost succeeded after beating Sabra McArthur Beahn and Shanelle Loraine, but it was Mitchell who put a stop to Lantz's progress with a 6-4 score.

Mitchell's win over Lantz set up a rematch with Chase, who had fallen to Mitchell earlier in the day. Chase was not her usual self and ended the day with a 4th-place finish and $100 prize money after a 6-1 loss to Mitchell, who moved on to meet up with the formidable Toennies in the semi-finals.

Toennies fought valiantly to put a stop to Mitchell's run but was unsuccessful. Toennies ended up in 3rd place with $150 while Mitchell moved on to the finals and a rematch against Rasmussen.

Mitchell pummelled Rasmussen in the first set of the double-elimination finals with an impressive 6-1 victory. The second set looked as though it would be more of the same when Mitchell jumped to a 4-0 lead, but an unanticipated distraction (the band arrived and began to set up equipment next to the playing table) caused Mitchell to lose her focus.

Rasmussen sensed Mitchell's lack of concentration and seized the opportunity to orchestrate a tremendous comeback, racking up game after game until she was able to claim 1st place and a nice $300 prize payout. Mitchell settled for 2nd place and $200.

Special thanks goes to Lucasi Hybrid for sponsoring our upcoming season-ending celebration on December 12 at Side Splitters Comedy Club – everyone will love their end of the year prizes thanks to Lucasi Hybrid Cues!

Special thanks goes to our wonderful sponsors for making this tour possible: Sterling Gaming, Lucasi Hybrid, Tiger Products, Stroke It Wear, Tweeten Fibre Company, Strok-In-Style, Bayside Pool Service and Ray Martin.