Molina Ortíz
She opened her 2023 Northwest Women’s Pool Association Tour campaign with two straight wins which set her atop the tour’s leaderboard, and three stops later, she has yet to relinquish that position. This past weekend (Sept. 16-17), Molina Ortiz cemented her ‘top gun’ status with an undefeated performance at Stop #5. Ortiz downed Kathie MacDonald twice, hot seat and finals, to complete her run. McDonald, who won Stop #3 and was runner-up at Stop #4, kept her second position in the tour standings intact as well. The $1,500-added Stop #5 drew 48 entrants to Golden Fleece Billiard Hall in Everett, WA.
With an opening round bye, Ortiz got underway with a 6-4 win over Dora Valdez. Over the next 21 games that put her into the hot seat match, she gave up only three racks; one each to Evalyn “Evie” Hazlett, Katherine Robertson, and in a winners’ side semifinal, Susie O’Connor. MacDonald, after starting by giving up three, two and none at all to Tammy Woollet, Angela Silveira and Angela Carlson, advanced to down Liz Cole (#3 in tour standings) 6-4. Ortiz then met and defeated Hsin Huang 6-3 in the other winners’ side semifinal.
So, #1 and #2 went at in the battle for the hot seat. Predictably, it went double hill. In what can often seem as no more predictable than a coin toss that goes up to a very high ceiling, Ortiz claimed the ‘seat’ and kicked back to await McDonald’s return from the semifinals.
When they arrived on the loss side, O’Connor and Huang ran into two competitors who’d lost their opening match and were working on six and seven-match, loss-side winning streaks. O’Connor drew Regene Lane, who’d recently eliminated loss-side opponents #5 and #6; Liz Cole, who’d forfeited out of her match and Frances Tso, who’d put up a double-hill battle before giving way. Huang picked up Jeanne Christiansen, who’d recently survived a double-hill match versus Alisha Dodd and sent Katherine Robertson home 5-2.
Lane walked into her second straight, double-hill fight and seventh loss-side match and won it, eliminating O’Connor and advancing to the quarterfinals. Huang defeated Christiansen 5-2 and joined her.
Lane’s loss-side streak came to an end in those quarterfinals, as Huang advanced 5-3 to a semifinal rematch against MacDonald. MacDonald earned her second shot at Ortiz with a second win over Huang 5-3.
So #1 and #2 went at it again. A hoped-for, second double-hill match in final race to 9 didn’t materialize. Apparently unphased by her wait, Ortiz won it 9-3 to complete the undefeated run and claim her third 2023 NWPA title.
Tour representatives thanked the ownership and staff at Golden Fleece Billiard Hall for their hospitality, along with Tournament Director Chris Rogers and tour sponsors Littman Lights, D Real Pool Promotions and Rose City BCA.
The final stop on the 2023 NWPA Tour, scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 4-5, will feature the tour’s annual banquet, featuring dinner, raffles and end-of-year awards. The event will be hosted by Ox Billiards in Seattle, WA. Tour event information and event registration can be found on the tour’s website at www.playnwpa.com
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