We're back on Wednesday for another day of games. We begin with...
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Americus v. Twinkie III. The first series today is in 12-ball with the blue cue between these lesser-known veterans. Atlantic's Americus took advantage of a scattered and disjointed effort in game 1 from Whitewater's Twinkie III, with Americus making a four-ball run, and then making her final two balls two turns later for the win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the play was much slower to develop. The Shores' Twinkie III gave back the wild-card ball the Pirates' Americus gave her on the break, leading to more stagnation. Twinkie III eventually broke out with a three-ball run-out when Americus left the shots open, and Twinkie III's win tied the series at 1 after the grueling battle. Twinkie III surged with a four-ball run to start game 3, getting off to a much better beginning than before. Americus struggled at first, but she did get onto her last ball. Unfortunately for the host, Twinkie III tapped in her final shot on the next turn to win, taking the series 2-1. Twinkie III heads to Viewpoint Sound's Volkswagen Stadium Events Center to face the Meteors' Dominic in the second round.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Isabella v. Jake. The blue cue remains in the Eastern Hills for its last 9-ball series of the round. Atlantic's Isabella appeared to be on a mission in game 1, running six balls from the break but showing great frustration at missing the 7. Royal's Jake worked from here, making a three-ball run-out for the win and a 1-0 series lead in the quick game. The Crowns' Jake came up empty on the break, allowing the Pirates' Isabella to make a couple of shots early on. Jake then had a chance to shoot the 4-9 combination to the top right, but he narrowly missed it. Isabella used the 4 to deflect the cue to the 9, sinking it on a tap-in for the win, which tied the series at 1 with the savvy play. Game 3 was about as back-and-forth as it gets, with the players exchanging shots pretty evenly throughout. The excitement at the end came when Isabella got position on the 9, but missed it from short range, and Jake tapped it in, swiping a 2-1 series win with the shot. Jake advances to face the Tridents' Spot at Ford Forum in Pronger in the second round.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Bandit v. Princess. The blue cue returns after lunch to conclude its 12-ball series for the round. Swordpoint's Bandit made two balls on the break, a margin that would benefit him quite a bit in the end. Tysini's Princess had trouble getting some shots organized, and a weak contact play allowed Bandit to make his final two balls for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Blades' Bandit saw a quick route to victory right from the break in game 2, although he was sluggish in initiating his run. The Hummingbirds' Princess made it close as well, as each player got to their final ball before Bandit turned in a sharp cut for the win, taking the series at 2-0. Bandit had a great start in game 3 with a three-ball run from the break, but it wouldn't hold up. Princess spent two turns setting up shots before unleashing a five-ball run. Rattled, Bandit missed on his last ball, and Princess ended the game on a tap-in. Bandit took the series 2-1, and will host the Lighton Prestige rookie Salmo in the second round.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: Missy v. Sweetheart. These two feisty veterans meet in Accuracy with the silver cue. Game 1 went perfectly through regulation, and Capital City's Missy made a ball on the break, so Boston's Sweetheart did the overtime break. Sweetheart had a soft break and a scratch on her two turns, allowing Missy to tap in for a 1-2 win and 1-0 series lead on her second shot. The Sharpshooters' Missy started and ended game 2 poorly, but it had nothing on how bad the Swifts' Sweetheart was in the middle. Sweetheart missed a number of simple shots, to the point that Missy's late errors just blemished the score of her 3-4 win. Missy also clinched the series at 2-0 despite the fade. Game 3 went fairly back-and-forth, as Sweetheart fell behind early but managed to keep herself in the game long enough to pull Missy down. Missy tried to recover late in the game, but Sweetheart shut the door to win 3-4, making it a 2-1 series win for Missy. Missy will host the Golden Pilots captain Valencia in the second round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Citrus v. Paige. Two veterans meet, but one may be eliminated as the silver cue gets more Accuracy. Diamond's Citrus had a clamp on game 1 early on, but lost her grip and fell into a tie with Queens' Paige, who applied a lot of pressure late. Paige's second-to-last shot was under-hit, allowing Citrus relief as she took the 2-3 win for a 1-0 series lead, with Paige down to her final loss. Game 2 saw the Gems' Citrus holding a lead until a very late miss on the 5, a banked attempt that would have won her the game. The Flames' Paige held up well in overtime, missing only once to the twice that Citrus missed, giving Paige the 3-4 win and tying the series at 1 as Paige just holds on. Game 3 had all the tension of a final series at the end, with Paige twice missing the final ball, and Citrus coming through on the second attempt to take the 3-4 win, winning the series 2-1 as well. Citrus will host Twinkie I of the Lighton Prestige in the second round. Citrus' first kill of the year, while Paige's Tournament career ends with this loss, the seventh player eliminated this year.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Slinks v. Prism. The blue cue returns to action for this 8-ball series. Westside's Slinks and Stonebridge's Prism couldn't exceed a three-ball run at any point in the game, making for some tense exchanges. At the end, Slinks had a chance on the 8, but Prism came out with the win, as her ball deflected the cue in to the bottom right while the 8 fell in the top right. Prism's win gave her a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw a weak break from the Wolves' Prism, one successful shot for the Rockers' Slinks, and then an eight-ball run-out on Prism's second turn, as she burst from out of nowhere to get the win and clinch the series at 2-0 with the remarkable performance. Prism had a decent effort in game 3, with a four-ball run, but this came in the middle of two four-ball runs from Slinks, the latter doing enough for the host to get a win. Prism still won the series 2-1, and will travel to Infinity's Nissan Hall to face the Torpedoes rookie Solaris in the second round.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Solaris v. Luigi. Rookies are set to duel in 15-ball, the red cue's first appearance of the day. Things early in game 1 were sloppy, especially as North Modernistic's Luigi seemed to flail around even easy shots. Infinity's Solaris broke out on a four-ball run before another lull, and then Solaris made the 12-15 combination to the bottom right for the win, giving him a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 was a lot closer between the players, due to the Torpedoes' Solaris slumping a bit and the Nighthawks' Luigi doing well in picking up the slack. Luigi was coming in hot at the end of the game, but he couldn't quite bank the 15 to the bottom side, and a precise shot from Solaris sent it to the bottom left for the win to clinch the series at 2-0. Solaris dominated in game 3 with a four-ball run and a three-ball run on consecutive turns, but he missed on the 15, and Luigi tapped it in at the end, earning his lone win of the series. Solaris won 2-1, and will host the Southridge Defenders rookie Stephanie in the second round.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Ice Cream v. Sweetheart. The red cue gets more 15-ball between these veterans. Commerce's Ice Cream came up with a clever kick shot on her second turn in game 1, hitting the 2 and 15, with the latter falling in the bottom side for the win while the 7 got bumped to the top side to make it a double-pot. Ice Cream's stunner gives her a 1-0 series lead over a helpless Sweetheart of Boston. Game 2 lasted significantly longer, a fact that favored the Swifts' Sweetheart. In the end, Sweetheart put up a stunning four-ball run-out to defeat the Tradewinds' Ice Cream, ending on a double-pot that smoothly sank the 10 to the top right and 15 to the bottom side after Ice Cream had left it there. The series is tied at 1, with a decisive game on the way. Sweetheart broke out with a five-ball run in game 3, and it looked like she could have gotten more. The later part of the game was more tense, as Ice Cream pulled herself into the mix, but Sweetheart iced it with a clean shot on the 15 for the win and a 2-1 series win. Sweetheart is headed to Audi Hall in Terrace City to face the Knights' captain Kiwi in the second round.
Kraft Forum, Royal: Hannah v. Jasmine. A rookie and a captain meet in 10-ball with the silver cue. Royal's Hannah didn't have an inspiring start, but she quickly pushed Freedom's Jasmine on the ledge, as Jasmine twice made illegal contact to give Hannah ball-in-hand. The first time, Hannah missed the 3-10 combination, but she converted the second time despite a more ethical option, earning the 1-0 series lead. The Crowns' Hannah continued to use defense to build offense in game 2, burying the Cascades' Jasmine's first shot of the game easily. Hannah sparked a five-ball run from here, but allowed Jasmine a chance at the 6-10 combination. Jasmine missed, and Hannah deflected the 6 off the wall to pot the 10 for the win and a 2-0 series lead. Hannah had a decent run at the end of game 3 after continuing her defensive plays, but her four-ball run came up short with a poor shot on the 10. Jasmine tapped it in to take the win. Hannah won the series 2-1, and will host the Lighton Prestige's Twinkie I in the second round.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Isabella v. Lionel. The Pirates rookie faces a daunting Tradewinds veteran in 10-ball with the red cue. Atlantic's Isabella controlled the pace of play as much as she could, but a cluster of balls around the bottom right slowed her and Commerce's Lionel down. Lionel had a chance to go on a big run, but he missed the 9, and Isabella made it and the 10 for the win and a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Tradewinds' Lionel still struggled to get his share of the possession, especially early on, as the Pirates' Isabella was crafty. Isabella had a four-ball run late in the game, but she left the 10 on the table, and Lionel tapped it in, tying the series at 1 with his win. Game 3 saw Lionel execute an early four-ball run and then dominate the game on short runs from that point forward. Isabella made only one ball, although she had a shot on the 10 that stayed out at the bottom side, where Lionel tapped in the series-winner. Lionel advances to face the Knights captain Kiwi at Audi Hall in Terrace City in the second round.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Klaus v. Rainmane. The silver cue plays Accuracy, the last series in the event for the round. Atlantic's Klaus made two balls on the initial break and only had one miss late to fall into a tie with Midland's Rainmane. Klaus had to do the overtime break, and he made the 14 on a slow-rolling shot to the bottom right, followed by Rainmane's miss. Klaus won the game 1-2, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Pirates' Klaus felt virtually no pressure from the Predators' Rainmane in game 2, as Rainmane couldn't keep up with Klaus' strong pace. This led to Klaus winning 1-4, a lopsided result that secured the series for him at 2-0. Klaus had a sloppy and half-hearted effort in game 3, although Rainmane was hardly better, just narrowly winning 5-6 in overtime. Klaus won the series 2-1, and will host Terrace City Knights captain Kiwi in the second round at this venue.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Americus v. Dusty. The day ends with the finale of a venue tripleheader in 15-ball with the blue cue. Game 1 was pretty close, but not all that competitive, as neither player really seemed to take an aggressive approach. Atlantic's Americus came out on top, as Golden's Dusty missed a bank on the 15, and Americus cleaned it up to win and take a 1-0 series lead. In game 2, the Pilots' Dusty had a couple of shots that put the 15 in motion early on. The Pirates' Americus avoided any confrontations, as the calm game plodded on to its end. Dusty heated up at the finish, making five of the last six balls, including the 14 and 15, to earn the win and tie the series at 1 in what has been a fairly uninteresting battle. Game 3 picked up the pace of play a little bit, as Dusty and Americus made more shots in pairs and had less defense involved. However, a lack of highlights brought it down to the 15, where Dusty won on a thin cut on her second try to take the series 2-1. Dusty advances to face the Sharpshooters' Sprinkles at Capital City SuperCenter in the second round.
As always, follow along on Twitter @UnitedPCL to check out the march to the end of the round.
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