Molina goes undefeated to claim NWPA Tour Stop #2 in Vancouver
Molina Ortiz claimed her 14th Northwest Pool Association Tour victory in the past three years over the weekend (May-31-June 1), going undefeated through a field of 62 entrants at the $1,750-added, second stop on the 2025 tour, hosted by Silver Star Saloon in Vancouver, WA. Of equal significance was the runner-up finish of Victoria, BC’s […]
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Molina Ortíz (Sandro Menzel)
Molina Ortiz claimed her 14th Northwest Pool Association Tour victory in the past three years over the weekend (May-31-June 1), going undefeated through a field of 62 entrants at the $1,750-added, second stop on the 2025 tour, hosted by Silver Star Saloon in Vancouver, WA. Of equal significance was the runner-up finish of Victoria, BC’s Shaundra Radford, who lost her second-round match to Kathie MacDonald and embarked on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak to meet up with Ortiz in the finals. Radford’s only other cash payout (recorded by us) happened last June, when she finished in the tie for 9th place at 2024’s Stop #2. As it happened, Ortiz (on her birthday) won that event after losing her first match and then, like Radford this past weekend, went on a nine-match, loss-side winning streak that extended to a 10th straight match win in a victory over Regene Lane.
In races to 6, Ortiz worked her way through the field to a winners’ side semifinal with an aggregate game score of 24-7, downing Kamichia Rudnick (2), Amber Roof (1), Evelyn Hazlett (3) and Nicole Donisi (1), to draw Kathie MacDonald. McDonald had battled to 6-4 wins over Radford and Andy Camping before allowing Aimee Wilson-McDonnell only a single rack and advancing to face Ortiz.
Maryann McConnell, in the meantime, also headed for the hot seat match, worked on a three-match aggregate score of 18-4, giving up one to Diana Whitaker, three to Kathryn McMillan, and none at all to Linda Fuller. Her ‘smooth sailing’ trip to that point encountered some ‘rough weather’ in her winners’ side quarterfinal against Toby Stogner, who battled her to double hill before McConnell was able to advance and meet Sarah Myers-Mitchell in the other winners’ side semifinal.
MacDonald came within a game of forcing a deciding, 11th game in her match against Ortiz, who edged out in front to win it 6-4. She was joined in the hot seat match by McConnell, who shut out Myers-Mitchell. Ortiz then defeated McConnell 6-2 to claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Radford was six matches into her loss-side winning streak, when Myers-Mitchell arrived to challenge her. Radford had done her own impressive run of aggregate game scoring, allowing her six, loss-side opponents a total of only 10 racks of 30 played. She’d recently eliminated Donisi 5-3 and Wilson-McDonnell 5-2 to draw Myers-Mitchell.
MacDonald drew Sophia Tran, who’d lost an opening-round, double-hill match to Amber Roof and set out on a loss-side streak that fell one short of Radford’s (8). She’d defeated Stogner and Sara Moore, both 5-3, ahead of drawing MacDonald.
Radford got by Myers-Mitchell 5-1, while Tran was at work eliminating MacDonald 5-3. Radford then defeated Tran 5-3 in the quarterfinals and got her shot at Ortiz with a 5-2 win over McConnell in the semifinals.
In an extended race-to-9 in the final match, Ortiz allowed Radford only two racks before she claimed her 14th event title on the tour.
A Second Chance event drew 15 entrants and was won by Dora Valdez, who lost her opening match and then, won seven in a row, including the final against hot-set occupant, Lela Andrews. Laura Smith finished third.
Tour representatives thanked Tim Erickson and his Silver Star Saloon staff for their hospitality, along with official tour sponsor, Litman Lights, stop sponsors Diamond Mine NW and Rose City BCA League, along with stream ‘partner’ Hill-Hill Productions. The next stop on the NWPA Tour, scheduled for the weekend of June 28-29, will be hosted by Phil’s Bar & Grill in Salem, OR.
