Robb Saez & Justin Bergman
Last June, Justin Bergman raised a few pool eyebrows when he defeated Francisco Bustamante in the finals of the Southern Classic's One-Pocket event in Tunica. He'd already chalked up a win on the Simonis Cloth Classic Tour in May and two months after Tunica, won the Big Muddy Freeroll down in Cape Girardeaux, LA. Bergman opened his 2014 campaign with an undefeated victory in the River City 9-Ball Open, stopping a five-match, loss side bid by Robb Saez in the process. The $1,000-added event, held on the weekend of January 11-12, drew 52 entrants to 6 Pockets Bar & Billiards in Decatur, AL.
As Bergman was busy among the winners' side final eight, defeating Kenny Laftis 9-3, 'home room' favorite, Lane "Lights Out" Gatlin was working on Saez, eventually sending him on his loss-side way 9-4. Bergman then picked up Gatlin and sent him over after Saez 9-2. Robert Hall, in the meantime, defeated Bobby McGrath 9-4 to join Bergman in the battle for the hot seat. Bergman took that hot seat match 9-7, and waited on the return of Saez.
Saez opened his loss-side bid 7-3 over Daryl Biggart, followed up 7-2 over Laftis and missed a second shot at Gatlin, when he drew Bobby McGrath. Gatlin got Nick Hickerson, who'd eliminated Ron Justice 7-5 and Dustin Wilkins 7-3. Hickerson put the lights out on Gatlin 7-1 to face Saez, who'd just defeated McGrath 7-3.
The quarterfinal was one of only three double hill fights among the tournament's final 22 matches. Saez won it over Hickerson and then, downed Robert Hall 7-3. Bergman gave up only two racks in the race-to-9 to capture the event title.
6 Pockets owner Paul McLain thanked his staff, and their families, for the cooperation necessary to coordinate the event. He also thanked sponsors PoolActionTV for their live stream broadcast with Ray "Big Truck" Hansen, and local sponsors Supreme Beverage and Valley Budweiser.
