Stephanie Mitchell, Cassidy Mulligan, Lisa McElroy and Jessica Barnes
Cassidy Mulligan gave up a single match in the opening set of a true double elimination final against Lisa McElroy, but came back to win the second, claiming first place in the Bay Area Amateur Tour stop on Saturday, March 31. The $300-added, second stop on the tour drew 14 entrants to Hammerheads in Holiday, FL.
From among the winners' side final four, Mulligan sent Echo Pinkley west 4-1, as Jessica Barnes was busy doing likewise to Vanessa Seaver 6-3. Mulligan then defeated Barnes 5-4 (Barnes going to 7) and sat in the hot seat, waiting for the return of McElroy.
Seaver moved to the loss side to meet up with her sister, Jeannie, winner of the first BAAT stop, who'd defeated Terri Cockrell 6-1 and Lana Loomis 8-1. Pinkley picked up McElroy, who'd been sent west from among the winners' side final eight by Barnes, and then defeated Cortney Bernard 3-2 (Bernard going to 4), and Kelly Cavanaugh 3-3 (Cavanaugh going to 6). Jeannie Seaver shut out sister Vanessa, and was joined in the quarterfinals by McElroy, who'd downed Pinkley 3-1.
McElroy had sent Jeannie Seaver to the loss side in the opening round of play, and duplicated that effort in the quarterfinals, shutting her out. McElroy then turned to face the woman who'd sent her over, Barnes, in the semifinals. A 3-3 victory (Barnes going to 5) sent McElroy to the double elimination finals against Mulligan.
In a straight-up race to 4, McElroy won the opening set 4-2. In the second set, reduced to a race to three, Mulligan gave up only a single rack to secure the event title.
The victory moved Mulligan into second place in the current, two-stop tour standings, behind Jeannie Seaver, whose fourth place finish, allowed her to remain atop the leader board. McElroy moved from fifth to third, behind Mulligan. Next stop on the BAAT tour is scheduled for May 26, at Wally's in Lakeland, FL.
