Bobby Pacheco and Josh Mohammad
Pasadena, MD’s Bobby Pacheco, making his first recorded payout finish on any tour in two years, and his first recorded victory on a tour since 2015, went undefeated this past weekend (Saturday, May 11) at On the Hill Productions’ first in a series of One Day 9-Ball Open events, leading to a $5,000-added Finale in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The as-advertised, single-day event drew 53 entrants to Brews and Cue on the Boulevard in Glen Burnie, MD.
Racing to 8, Pacheco faced Joshua Mohammed twice in the event; hot seat match and finals. As Pacheco advanced through the field to a winners’ side semifinal versus mid-Atlantic veteran Brett Stottlemyer, he faced four opponents, only one of which (his first, against John Findley, Jr.) was racing to a lower number. He arrived at the winners’ side semifinal with an aggregate score of 32-10 (76%), giving up no racks at all to Findley, Jr., three to Rick Molineiro, four to Joe Harrison and three to Matt Haines. In the meantime, racing to 5, Mohammed was also battling opponents at or above his own rating, with his first opponent also being the exception. Mohammed gave up one rack to Lee Nix and four to Rob Cord before locking up into a double-hill battle against John Hergett, which he won 5-6 (Hergett racing to 7). It set Mohammed up to face his toughest (ratings) challenge; his winners’ side semifinal against Thomas Haas, who’d be racing to 9.
Pacheco defeated Stottlemyer 8-8 (Stottlemyer racing to 10), as Mohammed put down Haas 5-6 (Haas racing to 9). Mohammed began the hot seat match against Pacheco with three ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 8. He could have used a few more, as Pacheco shut him down 8-1 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Stottlemyer picked up Rob Cord, who’d lost his opening-round match to Mohammed and went on a six-match, loss-side winning streak that had recently eliminated Paul (Sang) Oh 7-6 (Oh racing to 8) and Miroslav Stojanovic, double hill. Thomas Haas drew his Dad, Scott, who’d lost a winners’ side quarterfinal to Stottlemyer and defeated Justin Esh 9-1 and Matt Haines, double hill.
Thomas Haas eliminated his Dad 9-3. Stottlemyer and Cord battled to double hill (9-6, Cord racing to 7) before Stottlemyer closed it out, ending Cord’s winning streak and advancing to face the younger Haas in the quarterfinal match.
The next two battles for a shot at Pacheco, waiting in the hot seat, went double-hill. Haas started the quarterfinal versus Stottlemyer with a single ‘bead on the wire’ that he didn’t need in a race to 10. Haas advanced 9-6 against Stottlemyer and in the semifinals, faced Mohammed, who started with four ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 9 and used them all to win 5-8 and earn the second shot against Pacheco.
Starting with the same three ‘beads on the wire’ in a race to 8 that he’d been awarded in the hot seat match, Mohammed did double his score from that match. But Pacheco concluded his undefeated run with an 8-2 victory to claim the event title.
Tour director Loye Bolyard thanked the ownership and staff at Brews and Cues on the Boulevard for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Simonis Cloth, Aramith Balls, CPBA Gloves, Moori Tips, Jacoby Custom Cues, J. Pechauer Cues, AZBilliards and George Hammerbacher for sitting in the ‘streaming’ booth all day, commentating.
The One Day 9-Ball Open Series will return to Brews and Cues on the Boulevard for its second stop, scheduled for Saturday, June 1. Bolyard recommended that interested parties follow the One Day 9-Ball Open Series and other On the Hill Production events on its Facebook pages.
“Til next time,” Bolyard said, “keep hitting them straight.”
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