Monday, July 13, 2026 | The Outpost Arcade
Some league nights start strong. Some league nights require a little… recalibration.
Week 2 of the Epic Women’s Monday Night Pinball League was definitely the second kind.
Round one was rough. But instead of letting one bad round decide the rest of my night, I turned things around—and by the middle of league, I was playing the kind of pinball I actually love to play.
Not little squeak-by wins. Not standing around hoping everyone else drains.
Actual pinball.
I was setting goals, building toward multiballs, making progress through modes, adjusting my strategy, and—most importantly—following through.
And it was so much fun.
The Night Before the Pinball Even Started
Because apparently Arizona remembered it has a monsoon season.
The rain started during round 1, and continued throughout the evening. I even double-checked the car to make sure all the windows were closed before going inside after round 1. They were.
Crisis averted.
The rain, however, was just getting started.
Round 1: A Rough Start
Let’s just say Round 1 was not the beginning I had envisioned.
It was rough.
But pinball league is six rounds for a reason. One bad game—doesn’t get to decide the entire night.
So I reset.
And apparently my pinball brain finally clocked in for work.
Round 2: The Turnaround Begins
This was where the night started changing.
The shots started coming together. I was thinking ahead instead of simply reacting to the ball. I had goals. I had plans.
And I started executing them.
The rough first round was officially behind me.
Round 3: Godzilla — 1st Place 🏆
Final score: 120,697,260
My group:
Michelle Pack — 22,773,170
Melissa Denvir — 9,618,890
Elaine Hecht — 42,426,360
Christy Kohtz — 120,697,260
Ball 1
I finished at 11.9 million after:
Hitting the skill shot
Making two ramps
Collecting plenty of spinner action
Hitting Mechagodzilla
Starting Gigan
Ball 2
This was the ball that changed the game.
I climbed from 11.9 million to 85.5 million.
I:
Hit another skill shot
Restarted Gigan
Started Godzilla Multiball
Got Mechagodzilla ready for Ball 3
Ball 3
And yes—for the record—I did, in fact, get the Mecha-Godzilla Multiball I had been working toward.
Follow-through!
I also changed cities and collected the bonus from that.
Woohoo!
I finished at 120.6 million and took first place.
This was exactly the kind of game I want to play. I wasn’t just surviving. I was progressing through the game, setting up features, starting multiball, and following through on the things I had been building.
Round 4: Transporter the Rescue — 1st Place 🏆
Final score: 1,945,650
My group:
Layla Lawrence — 1,245,060
Krisha Shufran — 1,353,780
Christy Kohtz — 1,945,650
Tina Buhrman — 670,000
Transporter was playing nicely enough, and I settled into another solid game.
Ball 1
I finished at approximately 237,000 after:
Completing a couple of inlanes
Hitting several drop targets
Collecting my first lock
Ball 2
This was my big ball.
I climbed to approximately 1.67 million while:
Collecting another lock
Completing all the inlanes
Hitting lots of drop targets
Collecting the million-point shot
By the end of the ball, I had the third lock ready for Ball 3.
Ball 3
I didn’t manage to collect that third lock and start the multiball, but I still finished at 1.9 million.
And that was enough.
3 Back-to-back first-place finishes.
After the way the night started?
Yes, please.
After Four Rounds:
Tied for Second Overall
At that point in the evening, I was sitting at 22 points, tied for second place in the standings.
Not bad for someone whose first round had been… less than inspirational.
Then came Round 5.
And Molly.
Round 5: Jim Henson’s Labyrinth — 3rd Place
Final score: 2,976,040
My group:
Lissa Swazey — 5,142,340 — 2nd
Christy Kohtz — 2,976,040 — 3rd
Meghan Bougher — 2,290,730 — 4th
Mollie Stoltenberg — 6,506,150 — 1st
Ball 1
I finished at approximately 940,000 after:
Starting the Fireys
Collecting a few locks
Ball 2
I moved up to approximately 1.5 million after:
Hitting the Worm skill shot
Making the left loop
And then… out.
Because pinball.
Ball 3
I finished at 2.97 million after:
Starting the Helping Hands
Starting the Knockers
Working toward the multiball shot
I couldn’t hit the shot to actually start the multiball.
Rude.
But I had built it. I knew what I was trying to do. I was making intentional progress through the game.
Mollie finished with 6.5 million and took the win.
By actually getting the multiball I was trying to start. Lol
And hey—Mollie left happy.
So that was enjoyable. 😂
The Bigger Win
The standings matter. The points matter. Of course they do.
But the biggest thing I took away from Week 2 was how I played after that rough beginning.
I didn’t spiral.
I didn’t decide the whole night was doomed.
I adjusted.
Then I put together three legitimate first-place games where I wasn’t simply waiting for everyone else to have a worse game than me.
I played actual pinball.
On Blackout, I worked the inlanes and drops over and over, and ripped the spinners whenever possible. Lots of multipliers.
On Godzilla, I built toward my goals, started Godzilla Multiball, changed cities, collected the bonus, and had Mechagodzilla ready.
On Transporter, I worked through the inlanes, drops, million shot, and locks while building toward multiball.
On Labyrinth, even though I finished third, I was still starting features and deliberately working toward my next objective.
That’s the kind of progress I care about.
Set the goal. Make the shots. Follow through.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes the ball drains one shot before the thing you’re trying to accomplish.
Because pinball.
But this night felt different.
It felt like the work I’ve been putting into understanding games—not just keeping the ball alive—is starting to show up when it matters.
And that is a pretty great feeling.
Bonus Pinball: Well, There Was a Free Credit…
League was over.
I was done.
Really.
Then I noticed a free credit sitting on Jaws.
Well…
What the hell. Why not?
One game.
293,597,420 points.
Apparently Jaws had other plans for my evening.
The score made it onto the Stern Insider Connected leaderboard at The Outpost Arcade, and I had to check Pindigo because I was pretty sure I had just beaten my previous personal best.
Not a bad way to end the night.
Final Thoughts
Week 2 started rough.
Then I turned it around.
There were 3 back-to-back first-place finishes.
There were multiballs.
There were modes.
There were goals.
There was actual follow-through.
There was a 120-million-point Godzilla game.
There was a free-credit Jaws game that somehow exploded into 293 million.
And there was rain.
So. Much. Rain.
It rained during league. It was still raining after league. And it rained the entire drive home.
But I made it home safely.
The car windows were closed.
And Week 2 was officially in the books.
Sometimes the first round doesn’t tell you how the night is going to end.
Thank goodness for that.
Still counts. Always. 🎯🪩🦈🌧️
Incidental Exercise Receipts
Did you enjoy this pinball recap? Read more.
Incidental Exercise Receipts Hub