Jeff Pike
Jeff Pike battled Josh Rupard twice, winning both times, to go undefeated on the New England 9-Ball Series tour stop on Sunday October 24. The $100-added event drew 39 competitors to the Boston Billiard Club in Nashua, NH.
From among the winners' side final four, Pike used a handicap advantage to send Gareith Steele west 3-5, as Rupard was busy shutting out Brad Pepin 5-0. The first of their two matches went double hill, and left Pike in the hot seat, with Rupard on his way to the semifinal match.
On the one-loss side, Steele was met by Mark Small, who'd defeated Jeramy Bean 4-5, and Dave Lemay 4-3. Pepin drew Eric Charlton, who advanced past Ben LeBlanc 5-3 and Dan Simoneau 5-2. Pepin made it to the quarterfinals with a 4-4 handicapped win over Charlton, but Steele fell to Small, who, also with a handicap advantage, advanced 3-6. Small then got into the semifinals with a 4-3 victory over Pepin.
Rupard prevailed in the semifinal matchup 5-3 and got a second chance versus Pike; to no avail, as it turned out. Pike allowed him one less rack than he'd given up in the hot seat match, and with the 4-2 win, concluded his undefeated run.
