October 13, 2026
Five rounds, one accidental rules lesson, a few podium finishes, and some bonus practice
Tuesday night took me back to Electric Bat Arcade in Tempe for Week 5 of Electric Bat Tuesday Night Pinball League, Season 22-1! Five rounds of group match play were on the schedule, and I had a night of highs, frustrations, questionable decisions, and a little extra practice waiting for me.
Let’s get into it!
Round 1: Attack from Mars
Group: Amber Valdivia, Matt Jackson AZ, Andrew Smith AZ, and me
I love Attack from Mars, but I knew this game had recently been cleaned and waxed by Mark Pearson. That had me a little concerned about how fast and slick it might play.
Ball 1 started well with a 557.9 million skill shot, and I took out a flying saucer along the way. I finished the ball at 557.9 million while the rest of the group worked on their scores.
Ball 2 brought military multiball and pushed my score to 1.711 billion. Things were looking good!
On Ball 3, I kept working the ramps and took out another flying saucer. I finished with 3,044,300,150 points!
That was enough for first place in the group. A fantastic way to open the night!
Round result: 1st place — 7 league points
Round 2: The Walking Dead Pro
Group: Rachel Bess Hernandez, Greg Shearer, Wesley Worosello, and me
Next up was The Walking Dead Pro. I got a 2.5 million-point skill shot on Ball 1, followed by some work on the barn, the well walker, and the drop targets.
Ball 2 brought more progress. I got my multiplier going and worked the barn and well walker enough that both multiballs were getting close to ready. My score climbed to 5 million.
Then came Ball 3.
I got another skill shot and worked on the multipliers, but after hitting the barn, I drained straight down the center. Both multiballs were tantalizingly close, and I needed just one more hit to get there.
Naturally, the pinball gods decided that was enough fun for me.
I finished with 8.4 million. Wesley had a huge final ball and took the win, leaving me in second place.
I was happy with the result, even if that center drain left me wondering what might have happened if I’d gotten one more shot at those multiballs.
Round result: 2nd place — 5 league points
Round 3: Joker Poker
Group: Kevin Burns AZ, Patrick Swayze, Paul Blanco, and me
Ah, Joker Poker. Pinball comfort food! A classic five-ball game that should have been a nice change of pace.
Instead, I managed to disqualify myself by playing Player 1’s ball save. Oops.
I lost track of whose turn it was, and I paid for it. The good news? I still plunged all five of my balls and collected every skill shot.
Those skill shots were worth 15,000 points apiece, and I finished with 78,560 points on the scoreboard. Patrick Swayze finished with 70,850, so I would have beaten her just by plunging my balls and taking the skill shots—even without actually playing them!
I felt terrible about the disqualification, especially because Patrick is a cool lady I like. I apologized afterward. Player 1 also felt bad about walking away during his ball save, but I reassured him that this was my own silly mistake. I’m apparently due for one disqualification a year, and this was it.
I also managed to hit the 10 needed for Ball 1 during Kevin’s ball save, giving him an easy 20,000 points. And he still didn’t win. Rude.
The lesson? Watch the player indicator. And if I ever finish below 78,560 on Joker Poker, I haven’t even met my new bare-minimum benchmark!
Round result: 4th place — 1 league point
Round 4: Andromeda
Group: Katie Adler, JD Ayers, Geoffrey Cebulski, and me
Andromeda gave me a chance to get back on track.
Ball 1 was promising. I collected my skill shot, got multipliers going, hit a couple of drop targets, and made a fancy center shot. I finished the ball at 137,200.
Ball 2 brought another skill shot and more multipliers. I managed to get four of the six drop targets before the ball ended, bringing my total to 209,600.
On Ball 3, I added a little more to finish at 271,760 points.
JD Ayers took first with 416,870, Geoffrey Cebulski finished second with 294,740, and I took third ahead of Katie Adler.
But I wasn’t ready to leave Andromeda alone just yet.
I immediately played a revenge game. My score? 569,580!
That would have won first place in my original group. So while I didn’t get the result I wanted in league play, I proved to myself that I could play the machine. Sometimes that’s the confidence boost you need.
Round result: 3rd place — 3 league points
Round 5: Whirlwind
Group: Elaine Hecht, Brent Adamo, Ian Hart, and me
The final round was supposed to be Whirlwind, but there was a little confusion when the pinballs had apparently been replaced with Twilight Zone Super Balls. The machine itself was still Whirlwind, though, so we finished the round there!
Ball 1 was a modest start. I got three ramps before draining out, finishing at 377,100. Elaine led the group at 880,900, with Brent at 559,900 and Ian at 388,400.
On Ball 2, I added a ramp, a loop, and a scoop before draining again. My score climbed to 688,200. Elaine had 1.6 million, Brent had 902,400, and Ian had 868,500.
Ball 3 finally pushed me to 1.8 million. Brent had a monster ball and took the lead with 5.4 million, while Elaine had 3.3 million and Ian had 1.5 million.
I finished the round in third place. It wasn’t a spectacular performance, but it was another podium finish to close out the night.
Round result: 3rd place — 3 league points
Bonus Practice: Making the Rounds
Once league play was finished, I went around and practiced a bunch of machines.
Did I put up any amazing scores? Nope.
Did I get more time on the machines? Absolutely.
Not every practice session produces a personal best or a score worth bragging about. Sometimes it’s just about getting more familiar with a game, working on shots, and putting in the time. I’m still working toward improving my pinball game, and that means showing up even when the scores aren’t particularly exciting.
Final Results and Takeaways
Here’s how my five rounds shook out:
– Attack from Mars: 1st place
– The Walking Dead Pro: 2nd place
– Joker Poker: 4th place
– Andromeda: 3rd place
– Whirlwind: 3rd place
That gives me four top-three finishes out of five rounds, including a first-place finish to kick off the evening.
My overall league standings screenshot showed me tied at 48th place with 19 points for the night. Andrew also finished with 19 points.
There were some great moments, a frustrating center drain, a very avoidable disqualification, and a revenge game that reminded me what I can do when the machine cooperates.
The biggest lesson? Keep playing. Pay attention to whose ball is in play, don’t let one bad round define the night, and remember that practice counts even when the scoreboard isn’t impressive.
Another Tuesday night at Electric Bat is in the books!
Pinball isn’t always about the big scores. Sometimes it’s about learning, laughing at your own mistakes, and coming back for the next game.
Until next time, keep those flippers flipping!
Still counts. Always!💜🎮
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