UPS Hall, Maplewood: Waluigi v. Misty. The blue cue begins the day in Rotation between a rookie and a captain. Maplewood's Waluigi had a good game 1, posting a four-ball run in the middle of the appearance to really stick it to Westside's Misty. She couldn't get anything going, allowing Waluigi to take the 8-2 win for a 1-0 series lead. Waluigi didn't have as good of a game 2 for the Lumberjacks, lacking the authority in his shooting that he possessed earlier. The Rockers' Misty followed up with stronger shooting herself, holding a lead for most of the game. Waluigi pulled ahead late, but Misty used a three-ball run-out to earn the 8-7 win, tying the series at 1. Waluigi dominated at the start of game 3, and this bought him enough time to play patiently at the end, eventually winning 8-3 to take the series 2-1. Waluigi advances to the second round, where he hosts his Maplewood Lumberjacks teammate Bryant.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Jasmine v. Yekaterina Vasilyeva. The silver cue is up for 7-ball in this series between fierce competitors. Freedom's Jasmine had a decent three-ball run in game 1, the biggest showing in the game, but she missed the 7, and Victoria's Yekaterina tapped it in for the win, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Yekaterina did nearly all of the work in game 2, but got none of the reward, as her four-ball run went to waste when she scratched on the 7 a turn later. The Cascades' Jasmine, while not effective in shooting, easily won to tie the series at 1. The scratch that cost Yekaterina game 2 had an even deeper impact when Jasmine made the 7 to the top left on the game 3 break for an instant win. Jasmine took the series 2-1 despite a lack of involvement, advancing to face Cascades teammate Roxy at this venue in the second round.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Bear v. Brownie. The blue cue is back for 10-ball in this series. Game 1 was pretty even between the two players, with Whitewater's Bear showing well but also producing a few more errors. The last of these was missed contact late in the game, allowing Tysini's Brownie to win with ball-in-hand to make the last two balls. Brownie leads the series 1-0. The Hummingbirds' Brownie put in a much stronger game 2 effort, keeping the Shores' Bear on the periphery for much of the game. This came to an end when Brownie missed on the 8, and Bear took it from there, making the last two shots to win and tie the series at 1. Bear came out hot in game 3, playing well from the start of the game. Brownie picked up the pace late with a three-ball run, but went just wide on the 10, and Bear tapped it in for the win and a 2-1 series win. Bear will host the Todavía Stills' Bells at this venue in the second round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Sierra. Two very strong players meet in a series of 8-ball with the blue cue. Diamond's Smokey was the only one to shoot in game 1, as he made a pair of balls early on, but saw an errant kick result in the 8 being sunk illegally in the top right. Todavía's Sierra contributed nothing to the game, but earned the win and a 1-0 series lead anyway. The Stills' Sierra showed a consistent approach to offense in game 2, while the Gems' Smokey sputtered for a bit before unleashing a six-ball run to make it interesting. Smokey came up short in the end, as Sierra won with a three-ball run-out to clinch the series at 2-0 despite the heavy run against her. Sierra had a rocky start in game 3, which saw Smokey make a six-ball run right after her scratch, but Sierra buckled down and Smokey couldn't finish the effort, allowing Sierra to earn a 3-0 series sweep with the win. Sierra is in the second round.
Cisco Arena, Tysini: Brownie v. Ted. The blue cue gets another series of 8-ball, with this winner facing last series' winner. Web City's Ted capitalized on a bad break from Tysini's Brownie, making a six-ball run at one point, but he couldn't finish the effort. Brownie pulled back with remarkable resilience, earning the win on the last two shots to go ahead 1-0 in the series. The next rack didn't break hardly at all, with only two balls displaced, so the league put pause into the playing process for an impromptu cleaning. The Hummingbirds' Brownie had a good start in game 2, but the Spiders' Ted burst forward with a six-ball run, just unable to make the 8. Brownie picked it up from here with a five-ball run-out to grab the win, securing the series at 2-0. Game 3 saw Brownie put in quite the effort to catch up to a faster Ted, using a four-ball run, but a later scratch ruined her play. Ted ended the game at his own pace, closing up the series at 2-1 for Brownie, who will host Sierra in the next round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Smokey v. Sweetheart. Two savvy veterans close this half of the day with 9-ball and the silver cue. The other six series in this post will be dealt with tomorrow. Diamond's Smokey had an underwhelming break, allowing Boston's Sweetheart quite a bit of space to operate. She wasted it with a scratch, and Smokey took the win from ball-in-hand to go ahead 1-0 in the series. The Swifts' Sweetheart ended up getting a bit lucky to win game 2, as neither player had much of a chance to establish a run. The Gems' Smokey nearly had one at the end, but left the 9 short at the bottom right, and Sweetheart's tap-in tied the series at 1. Sweetheart was a bit more decisive early in game 3, but Smokey showed up late to make it a tight battle again. He missed on the 9, and Sweetheart made no mistake in burying it for the win to take the series 2-1 and advance to the second round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Nicole v. Watermelon. The red cue opens the second half of the league-day in 7-ball. Capital City's Nicole had a few issues with placement early on, allowing Pearl's Watermelon a three-ball run, but Watermelon missed the 7, and Nicole mopped it up for the win to take a 1-0 series lead on a tap-in. The Surfers' Watermelon played a similarly dominant game 2, leaving the Sharpshooters' Nicole with only a small chance. Watermelon's scratch appeared to turn the game, but Nicole left the 7 standing, and Watermelon tapped it in for the win to tie the series at 1. Nicole broke free in game 3, her best performance of the series, as she took the win on a five-ball run-out after Watermelon's second unsuccessful turn. Nicole took the series 2-1, and will host the Lighton Prestige's Spirit in the second round at this venue.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Shawn v. Hoppy. A former Monarch hosts a rookie for the same team in the red cue's 8-ball finale for the round. Southern's Hoppy had to weather an early attack from Midland's Shawn, but Hoppy showed well at the end with a four-ball run-out to give her a 1-0 series lead with the win. The Predators' Shawn had another decent start for game 2, making a few shots after a poor break from the Monarchs' Hoppy, who then answered with a fierce five-ball run. Shawn tried to counter after this, but left his last ball standing, and Hoppy made the last two shots for the win, clinching the series at 2-0. Game 3 went much the same, with a short run by Shawn early on cancelled out by Hoppy making a deeper run late and holding on for the win. Hoppy swept the series 3-0, and will travel to Queens' Ebay Center to oppose the Flames captain Crystal in the second round.
Verizon Field Events Center, Pacific: Leonette v. Shannon. The blue cue is back for 10-ball in this series between veterans. The Volcanoes' Leonette maintained a strong pace in game 1, but it looked like Southern's Shannon was going to take the game late as she lined up on the 10. Shannon just left it short at the bottom left, and Leonette tapped it in for a lucky win and a 1-0 series lead. The Volcanoes' Leonette had another good break in game 2, and it followed a similar pace, with the Monarchs' Shannon striking especially well from distance. Shannon did miss on the 7, allowing Leonette to make it and the 8, but she then missed on the 9. Shannon opted for a classical finish after making the 9, banking the 10 to the top right to tie the series at 1. Leonette took some time to get going in game 3, but once she did, she proved to be unstoppable, making a six-ball run-out that ended with a 3-10 combination to the top right that became a double-pot with a 3-9-5 combination to the bottom right. Leonette won the series 2-1, passing Shannon to host the Southridge Defenders rookie Hughbert in the second round.
Apple Park, Todavía: Easter v. Bright. Established veterans meet in 9-ball with the red cue in what should be a tight series. North Modernistic's Bright proved a bit opportunistic in game 1, as Todavía's Easter scratched after a long exchange of misses on the 3. Bright made the 3-9 combination as a double-pot in the top side, going ahead 1-0 in the series and drawing the ire of Delila Enterprises' players. The Nighthawks' Bright played a much cleaner game 2, while the Stills' Easter still lacked command of her shots. Bright used this advantage well, making a three-ball run-out in the end with no controversy to clinch the series at 2-0. Bright remained the strong player despite some good shots from Easter in game 3. Her late scratch allowed Bright to make a three-ball run-out, including a two-rail bank on the 9 for the final shot. Bright won the series 3-0, and will face his brother, the Pearl Surfers' Wings, on the road at Honda Driftwood Coliseum in the second round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Fluffina v. Slinks. After a lunch break, the blue cue gets some 9-ball between these stars. Westside's Slinks had the first spurt of offense in game 1, but it was the ending that drew most interest. Maplewood's Fluffina twice missed the 9 on tough cuts, and Slinks potted it to the top left the second time to grab the win despite a near-scratch. Slinks leads the series 1-0. The Rockers' Slinks didn't get anything on her break, and game 2 started very slowly because of it. Eventually, things cleared up, and the Lumberjacks' Fluffina used this clarity in her win, taking a three-ball run-out that ended with the 9 banked to the top right. Fluffina tied the series at 1. Slinks seemed to have a bit more pace in her play in game 3, but it didn't do any good when she missed the 9. Fluffina buried it on a tap-in for the win, taking the series 2-1. Fluffina will host the Capital City Sharpshooters captain Chris in the second round at this venue.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Delila v. Midnight. These two clubs meet again to end the league-day with 12-ball and the silver cue. Atlantic's Delila managed a three-ball run from the break in game 1, good enough to pace her as Westside's Midnight challenged but never pulled even. Delila ended with a tough shot on the 10 for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Rockers' Midnight started well before a fade in the middle of game 2, at which point the Pirates' Delila showed efficiency in getting to her last ball. This fell apart in the positioning stage, as Midnight used her two balls on the table to fine-tune her position before taking the win and tying the series at 1. Midnight didn't get a great set from her break, but she made it work in the end, positioning herself faster than Delila could and using Delila's miss from ball-in-hand to make her final shots. Midnight won the series 2-1, advancing to the second round.
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