Lisa McElroy, tournament assistant Jeff Mendez, Jessica Barnes and Cassidy Mulligan
She'd shut her out in the battle for the hot seat, but Cassidy Mulligan came back from the semifinals to win the first set of the two-set finals against Jessica Barnes at the May 26 stop on the Bay Area Amateur Tour. Though Mulligan would battle to double hill in the second set, Barnes prevailed to win the $220-added event that had drawn 11 entrants to Wally's in Lakeland, FL.
Barnes would give up only one rack in the two matches that left her in the hot seat. She sent Lisa McElroy west 6-1, and facing Mulligan, who'd defeated Echo Pinkley 4-2, she didn't give up any.
McElroy moved over to face Cortney Bernard, who'd been sent to the loss side by Mulligan, and then defeated Tammy Gillis, double hill, and Terri Cockrell 4-1. Pinkley picked up Marci Whitaker, who, after falling to McElroy in the winners' bracket, defeated Sabra MacArthur-Beahn 3-3 (MacArthur-Beahn racing to 7) and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-5 (Cavanaugh also racing to 7).
Pinkley and McElroy got right back on track; Pinkley downing Whitaker 5-1 and McElroy eliminating Bernard 3-1. McElroy then shut out Pinkley in the quarterfinals to face Mulligan in the semifinals. The three left standing were now the same final three who had battled on the tour's last stop in March; Mulligan had won that event, McElroy was second and Barnes had finished third. By reaching the hot seat, Barnes had already prevented a repeat of that finish. Mulligan, looking for her second straight tour victory, gave up only a single rack in a semifinal victory over McElroy, and turned to a second chance against Barnes.
Barnes, racing to six in the opening set of the true double elimination final, took the first four games, but Mulligan, racing to four, took the next four to force a second set. Mulligan, this time, racing only to three, took the opening game, but Barnes, now needing five, took the next two. Mulligan won the next game, which put her on the hill, but Barnes chalked up three in a row to spoil Mulligan's two-straight bid and win the event title.
