The games are back, although today is expected to be a lighter day of pool. We begin with...
Coca-Cola Field Exhibition Center, Boston: Puff II v. Luigi. A longtime star veteran faces a rookie in 7-ball with the red cue. North Modernistic's Luigi was the beneficiary of a shaky game 1 on both sides, as short shots and poor aim ruled the day. Boston's Puff II made her worst mistake by leaving the 7 at the top left on a short shot, and Luigi tapped it in for a 1-0 series lead. The Nighthawks' Luigi seemed to boss game 2 with a certain authority, but he let the Swifts' Puff II back in late, and his miss on the 7 opened up the host to tap it in for the win, tying the series at 1 as Puff II had walked a dangerous line. Game 3 was not going well either after Puff II had a good break, but her illegal contact sparked a five-ball run-out from Luigi from ball-in-hand, giving him the win and the 2-1 series win. Luigi will travel to Swordpoint's Gillette Center in the second round to face fellow rookie Bandit of the Blades.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Delila v. Midnight. Two veterans with spotted pasts meet up in Rotation with the blue cue. Atlantic's Delila had a good start to game 1, and she made it last long enough to gain an 8-4 win despite a hard charge at the end from Westside's Midnight. Delila leads the series 1-0 after a decent game. In game 2, it appeared the Rockers' Midnight would have an easy time, but her early lead evaporated on one of the Pirates' Delila's turns, and Delila closed the game at 8-3 with a five-ball run-out on her next turn, securing the series at 2-0 for her first series win in two years. In game 3, either player could have come out with the win, but it was Delila buckling down late to make a comeback for an 8-7 win over Midnight to earn the 3-0 series sweep. Delila will host Puff II of the Boston Swifts in the second round.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Oreo v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The red cue is back for 15-ball in this series. Terrace City's Oreo had a pretty good game 1, keeping Victoria's Yekaterina to the perimeter and using a strong counterattack. Oreo ended the game with a surprise 10-15 combination rocketed off the right rail to the bottom left for the win and 1-0 series lead. In game 2, each player got a run midgame. The Spurs' Yekaterina had a three-ball run that led into the dull period before the finish, where the Knights' Oreo kept the 15 on a string and potted it with a deflection off the 14 to the bottom right to end a little early, clinching the series at 2-0. In game 3, Yekaterina had a couple of three-ball runs early on, but she ended up with the loss when Oreo did a four-ball run and then banked the 15 to the bottom right on her next turn to make it a 3-0 series sweep. Oreo will host Sparkles of the Todavía Stills in the second round at this venue.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Shawn v. Sprinkles. The red cue stays in action for a series of 12-ball between veterans. Capital City's Sprinkles took advantage of Midland's Shawn giving away a wild-card ball early in game 1, using it as the catalyst to her four-ball run-out for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Predators' Shawn made game 2 much more difficult than it had to be, scratching three times and giving away a wild-card ball to the Sharpshooters' Sprinkles in the process of one of those scratches. Nonetheless, Shawn held on and adjusted to moving targets to get the win, tying the series at 1 against the ineffective Sprinkles. In game 3, Shawn had a good break but fell behind early to Sprinkles. He made a late three-ball run, which ended up setting Sprinkles up for the win when she tapped in her last shot for the 2-1 series win, sending her through to the second round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Gizmo v. Jasmine. Two experienced players meet up in the last 9-ball series for the silver cue this round. Central's Gizmo made two balls on a very good break, but it did him no benefit when Freedom's Jasmine crushed a three-ball run-out, including a long shot on the 2 to set up her 3-9 combination to the top right for the win and 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Warriors' Gizmo was punished for his more aggressive shooting style, seeing a number of shots rattle out and a couple of scratches kill his momentum. The Cascades' Jasmine won at the end with a tap-in to seal the game and clinch the series at 2-0. Gizmo saw a six-ball run go to waste in game 3, as he missed on a hard shot on the 7, and Jasmine cut it to the top right to set herself up on the 9 for the win, earning a 3-0 series sweep. Jasmine won't have to go anywhere for her second round series on the bracket, being hosted by Gizmo's Warriors teammate Dustin.
Audi Hall, Terrace City: Jennifer Livilotti v. Fluffina. The silver cue remains in action, playing a series of 7-ball. Terrace City's Jennifer got a ball on the break and hardly looked back, dominating play over short runs as Maplewood's Fluffina couldn't control her shot. Jennifer ended with a double-deflection off the 5 and 6 to take the 7 at the top right for a 1-0 series lead. The Knights' Jennifer had only the first and the last ball of game 2, watching as the Lumberjacks' Fluffina rattled off a fruitless five-ball run that left the 7 exposed for a bank shot. Jennifer converted the tougher play, getting the win to secure the series at 2-0. Fluffina did not go out without a fight, taking game 3 on a deflection by the cue off the 2 to take the 7 at the bottom right, spoiling Jennifer's winning streak. Jennifer still took the series 2-1, and will host Queens Flames rookie Violetta in the second round at this venue.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Wings v. Panda. The blue cue gets its shot at 7-ball now, between these Coastal rivals. Southern's Panda saw a three-ball run early in game 1 give way to a four-ball run by Pearl's Wings, but Panda took the win because Wings scratched on the 7, for the automatic loss. Panda leads the series 1-0. The Monarchs' Panda made the critical error in game 2, rattling the 2 out of the bottom left as he would have been set on the 3-7 combination on the next shot. Instead, the Surfers' Wings made the 2 to the top left and the combination to the top right, winning the game to tie the series at 1. Game 3 was very back-and-forth, as Panda rattled out an early shot but Wings couldn't make a run off of that. Panda closed the game in victory with a three-ball run-out, sending him to a 2-1 series win. Panda will make his way east for the second round, facing the Pirates' Americus in Atlantic's McDonald's Hall.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Ms. Kitty v. Sleepy B. The blue cue remains in action for a series of Rotation. Game 1 rose tensions very quickly, as both players became frustrated with their poor shooting. Pacific's Ms. Kitty held a slight edge near the end, and managed to make it count for an 8-6 win over Archtown's Sleepy B. for the 1-0 series lead in a sloppy game. In game 2, frustrations remained high, but the Arrows' Sleepy B. broke her poor shooting a bit better than the Volcanoes' Ms. Kitty. Sleepy B. burst out to an early lead, and only a mid-game challenge from Ms. Kitty made her nervous. Sleepy B. cruised to the end with an 8-4 win, tying the series at 1. Sleepy B. trailed for almost all of game 3, waiting for Ms. Kitty to leave her some open shots. When it happened, Sleepy B. broke out on a four-ball run-out, taking the game 8-6 and the series 2-1. Sleepy B. will visit Nikolai of the Freedom Cascades at Toyota Arena in the second round.
Nestle's Warriors Hall, Central: Twilight v. Neopolitan. Captains collide in 10-ball with the silver cue as the last series before the mid-afternoon break. Pearl's Neopolitan seemed to have better control in game 1, but neither player was really good. Central's Twilight made more mistakes, and her last one allowed Neopolitan to make the 10 to the bottom left for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Twilight continued to flounder in game 2, spending the first half of the game exchanging misses with the Surfers' Neopolitan. At the end, Neopolitan's three-ball run was not good enough, as Twilight made a three-ball run-out to tie the series at 1 with her desperate win. Neopolitan once again outplayed Twilight in game 3, but her miss on the 10 to end a four-ball run left Twilight with a clear shot at the win, which she made to take the series 2-1, advancing to the second round.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Bandit v. Sprinkles. The red cue will take us out of the break on the next calendar day, playing Accuracy, with the winner set to meet Dreamy in the second round. Much like Thursday, Friday is expected to be a light day for games, hence the combination. Swordpoint's Bandit played a clean game in game 1, allowing Capital City's Sprinkles some space on her shots. Bandit simply was the better shooter, winning 1-3 for the 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles had a couple of double-pots in game 2, none better than her bank on the 11 to the top side driving the cue into the 12 at the top right from range. Still, this did more harm than good, as she missed a late shot and ended up losing 1-2 to the Blades' Bandit, who clinched the series at 1. In game 3, the game was perfect until a cluster had to be broken up. Things were looking good for Sprinkles until she scratched on the final ball, losing the game 2-3 and suffering a 3-0 series sweep to Bandit, who will host his Blades teammate Dreamy in the next round.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Starlight v. Sweetheart. Two well-respected veterans square off in 7-ball with the silver cue. Pacific's Starlight made just one mistake in game 1, not making anything on the break. Boston's Sweetheart capitalized in two shots, converting the 2-7 combination to the bottom side for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Swifts' Sweetheart was under siege for most of game 2, unable to get a good line on many shots. The Volcanoes' Starlight broke out with a four-ball run-out in the end, making the 5-7 combination to the bottom right for the win, tying the series at 1 game apiece. Starlight scratched on both of her turns in game 3, giving away critical possession to Sweetheart, who capitalized with a 4-7 combination to the bottom right to ice the win and a three-ball run-out. Sweetheart took the series 2-1, and will travel to Capital City SuperCenter to face the Sharpshooters captain Chris in the second round.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Dominic v. Paps. The silver cue stays up for a series of Rotation, its last on the bracket. Viewpoint Sound's Dominic showed a certain confidence unfamiliar to his followers, as he led from the break and never looked back in a commanding 8-1 win over Eastside's Paps. Dominic leads the series 1-0. The confidence continued into game 2 for the Meteors' Dominic, as he was the only one to make a shot against a very shaky Paps of the Sharks. Dominic brought the game to an end at 9-0 with a double-pot of the 8 to the bottom left and the 11 in the top side, a rare type of shutout that secured him the series at 2-0. Game 3 finally saw Paps show some signs of life, as he went on a counterattack run after Dominic had built up a nice lead. They tangled for much of the later part of the game, but Paps' scratched gave Dominic ball-in-hand to end the game at 8-6 with the final shot. Dominic won the series 3-0, and will host a much tougher opponent in Tysini Hummingbirds superstar captain Princess in the next round at this venue.
House of 10 Windows, Del Sur: Pounce v. Blizzard. The silver cue gets another look in 12-ball between a father and a daughter. Southern's Pounce had a good start to game 1, but he couldn't make it stand, giving away a wild-card ball. Everton's Blizzard had some trouble getting a clean shot, but Pounce's late missed contact gave her an out to make her last shot to win, going ahead 1-0 in the series. Game 2 was a defensive battle in the end, as the Eagles' Blizzard squandered a chance to win with a scratch, allowing the Monarchs' Pounce to make two balls but also scratch. Blizzard ended up with the win in the end, tapping in her last shot to secure the series at 2-0. Blizzard nearly went on a deep run in game 3, but she couldn't make the second shot. This fractured the run, but Pounce's scratch set Blizzard up for a three-ball run-out to earn the win. Blizzard's 3-0 series sweep takes her to Atlantic's McDonald's Hall to meet Pirates rookie Klaus in the second round.
Ford Forum, Pronger: Spot v. Twilight. More silver cue action takes us onto Accuracy for this series between a rookie and dominant veteran. Game 1 saw Pronger's Spot have a terrible break, leading to some grumbling but ultimately a great game from Central's Twilight, who only missed once early on. Spot couldn't say the same, with a late miss costing him the game. Twilight's 1-2 win gave her a 1-0 series lead. The Warriors' Twilight had very little good to say about the first part of game 2, beyond a strong break. The Tridents' Spot enjoyed a three-shot lead, but managed to miss four times in a row, dropping the game 3-4 after Twilight cut the last shot to the top left for the win, giving herself a 2-0 series lead. Twilight was better than the score indicated in game 3, only missing the bulk of her shots after the game had already been decided. Spot was unable to capitalize on any early misses, missing the shots himself as the score inflated to 4-5. Twilight swept the series 3-0, and will go to Modernistic's Google Hall in the second round to face Union rookie Daisy.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Slinks v. Sleepy B. The game is still Accuracy, but this series is under the blue cue's jurisdiction. Westside's Slinks got a lot of bounces to go favorably for her in game 1, while Archtown's Sleepy B. struggled to get off the starting blocks, leading to a very lopsided 0-5 win for Slinks to take a 1-0 series lead on. In game 2, the Arrows' Sleepy B. kept up with the Rockers' Slinks for a little bit, but when she fell off the pace, she fell hard, and ended up with a 2-5 loss. Slinks was more dominant in this game, but also suffered a spate of misses, nonetheless clinching the series at 2-0. Slinks played a strong game 3, but ultimately fell as Sleepy B. choked off a series of shots and Slinks couldn't convert. The result was 1-2 to Sleepy B. for the game, but Slinks won the series 2-1, and she will host local rival Tigerette of the Commerce Tradewinds in the second round.
FedEx Arena, Eastside: Niki v. Snuggle. The last series in this post is 7-ball with the blue cue. Eastside's Niki gave away possession a bit too easily in game 1, scratching twice to allow Oceanside's Snuggle a fairly easy path to the win. He ended on a three-ball run-out to earn the 1-0 series lead with his win. The Waves' Snuggle left no doubt as to which direction the series would go in, making the 3 to the bottom side and the 7 to the top side off the break in game 2, an automatic win that secured his advancement to the second round with a 2-0 series lead in hand currently. Snuggle thought he would end up with game 3 as well, going on a seven-ball run in his second turn, but things went awry as the cue scratched on the 7, gifting a win to the Sharks' Niki. Snuggle's 2-1 series win will take him to Tysini's Cisco Arena in the second round, facing the Hummingbirds' Leandra.
That's all for today's games, but be sure to follow @UnitedPCL on Twitter for the start of day 12 tonight potentially.
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