We're back for the second-to-last day of the first round. We'll play twelve series, beginning with...
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Fuchsia v. Twinkie II. A sophomore and a captain lead off the day in Accuracy with the blue cue. Midland's Fuchsia scuffled out of the gate in game 1, missing twice early on, which opened a lead for Harrison's Twinkie II. Fuchsia played well late, but Twinkie II closed up a 1-2 win with solid play of her own after her only miss, giving the visitor a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 saw the tables turn, as the Specters' Twinkie II had a couple of early misses to fall behind. The Predators' Fuchsia dropped quality late in the game, but Twinkie II missed more later on, and Fuchsia walked away with a 2-4 win to tie the series at 1. A messy middle of game 3 left the players tied until the last ball, where Fuchsia's hard shot banked twice but never fell, allowing Twinkie II to take the game 3-4 on a tap-in. Twinkie II won the series 2-1, and will visit Terrace City Knights rookie Quincy in the second round. Twinkie II has four bids going forward, while Fuchsia moves on with six bids.
Gillette Center, Swordpoint: Jason N. v. Charli XCX. The blue cue ends its first round with another Accuracy series. Swordpoint's Jason missed early in game 1, and while Tysini's Charli briefly fell into a tie, Jason missed another pair of shots immediately after. Charli closed out the win at 1-3, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Hummingbirds' Charli fell absolutely to pieces in game 2, missing more shots than she made by a wide margin. The Blades' Jason just had to clean up tap-ins for the most part, winning quite convincingly by a 1-11 score to tie the series at 1. Game 3 saw both players at lower quality of play. Jason gave up a number of leads by being unable to make a shot after Charli missed, eventually forcing overtime. Jason went empty on the overtime break, and Charli made a 5-2 combination to win 5-6, giving her the 2-1 series win. Charli will visit the Pearl Surfers' Bright in the second round, one of her four advancing bids.
Sprint Hall, Victoria: Strawberry v. Jeremias. The silver cue comes on now to wrap up its 10-ball for the round. Victoria's Strawberry had two good turns at the start, but then struggled as Royal's Jeremias moved the game onto the 10. Game 1 was settled when Jeremias missed the 10, and Strawberry tapped it in for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Spurs' Strawberry had another good start in game 2, taking a three-ball run from the break. Strawberry continued to pace the attack later on, preventing a resurgence from the Crowns' Jeremias, who saw his hopes dashed when he missed on the 9. Strawberry made it, then banked the 10 to the top side to secure the series at 2-0. Strawberry had a ball on the break again in game 3, but waited until the end to develop a strong offense this time, beating Jeremias with a four-ball run-out to earn the 3-0 series sweep. Strawberry will host Southern Monarchs captain Panda in the second round. Strawberry has six bids advancing to the next round, while Jeremias carries three.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Leonardo v. Stealth. The silver cue takes another appearance, this one in Accuracy. Midland's Leonardo had an impressive performance in game 1, making most of his shots. Swordpoint's Stealth fell behind around the middle of the game, and then lost ground late as Leonardo won 1-3 for a 1-0 series lead. The Predators' Leonardo failed to take a decisive lead early on, but he forced the Blades' Stealth into a couple of late misses to help steady his own lead. Leonardo eventually earned the win at 3-4, clinching the series at 2-0. Stealth had game 3 in his hands near the end, holding the last shot advantage and a one-shot lead, but he scratched while making a ball, leading to overtime eventually. On the overtime break, Stealth failed to pot a ball, and Leonardo took the 2-3 win to sweep the series 3-0. Leonardo has five bids to play in the next round, while Stealth takes four.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Tigerette v. Puff II. A strong captain a slumping star compete in 15-ball with the silver cue. Commerce's Tigerette opened with a three-ball run on the break, answered by Boston's Puff II soon doing a three-ball run. Puff II had the better of the play, but late scratches on both sides eventually allowed Tigerette to take the 15 from ball-in-hand for the win and a 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Tigerette had some shooting issues early in game 2, allowing the Swifts' Puff II to put up a couple of good runs initially. Tigerette stormed back on a run late, and then won with a pair of shots, sealing the series at 2-0 in a good comeback. Tigerette had her best turns in game 3, making a five-ball run late in the game to get onto the 15, only to rattle it out of pockets twice. Puff II would bury it on her second chance for the win, making it a 2-1 series win for Tigerette, who will play her opposing captain in the Industrial Derby, the Whitewater Shores' Bear, in the second round. Tigerette advances with six bids into the next round.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Shelley v. Sprinkles. The silver cue takes another series in 15-ball in this Southwestern Derby. Capital City's Sprinkles had a large share of the offense in game 1, making a four-ball run at one point, but she faltered near the end of the game, and Infinity's Shelley took over to get the win with a pair of late shots. Shelley leads the series 1-0. Game 2 saw a lot more back-and-forth action between the players, with neither developing much of a run in the first half. The Sharpshooters' Sprinkles changed things at the end, winning on a four-ball run-out after the Torpedoes' Shelley missed contact on the 10. Sprinkles' win tied the series at 1. Game 3 followed the pattern of game 2 until the end approached. This time, the 13 refused to go down on any spinning attempt at the top left, and it took until Shelley made it to also sink the 15 for her win. Shelley took the series 2-1, and will host the Royal Crowns' Cassie in the second round. Shelley moves on with four bids, while Sprinkles takes three to the next round.
BMW RockDome, Westside: Misty v. Lorde. The silver cue continues its 15-ball binge with a third straight series. Westside's Misty had a slight edge on offense in game 1, which grew apparent when she made four of the last five balls despite a scratch in between her turns. Capital City's Lorde was unable to take the 15, so Misty made it to win for a 1-0 series lead. The Sharpshooters' Lorde had a bit more of the action in game 2 in this minor rivalry, making a three-ball run and adding a pair of late shots to pressure the Rockers' Misty. It didn't work out, as Lorde missed on the 15, and Misty buried it to the top left to secure the series at 2-0. Misty had a good break in game 3, but some of the distribution led to Lorde's 4-15 double-kissed bank combination to the top right for a quick win. Misty still took the series 2-1, looking convincing at times on offense, and she'll host the Boston Swifts' Ice Cream in the second round. Misty moves on with five bids, while Lorde has four bids in the second round.
McDonald's Hall, Atlantic: Delila v. Frosty. The red cue finally makes an appearance, between two veterans in 9-ball. Atlantic's Delila had a four-ball run and a pair of shots on her next turn but still nearly came up empty. Stonebridge's Frosty just missed a cut on the 9 at the end, and Delila tapped it in for a well-earned win and a 1-0 series lead. The Wolves' Frosty lived dangerously with her attack in game 2, getting a majority of the offense but with a lot of shots that barely went in. Frosty offed the Pirates' Delila this time with a three-ball run-out, cutting the 9 to the bottom left for the decisive shot, which tied the series at 1. Frosty did almost all of the work in game 3, making a seven-ball run only to see a scratch end her turn. Delila converted the 7-9 combination to the top right for the win, justifying the play with the logical shot doctrine as she won the series 2-1 in controversial fashion. Delila will host her best friend and club-mate, the Westside Rockers' Goatee, in the second round. Delila advances on four bids, while Frosty has just one bid to her name going forward.
Home Depot Forum, Web City: Sugar v. Hannah. The red cue gets another series, playing 8-ball in this one. Queens' Hannah had a productive game 1, matching an early three-ball run from Web City's Sugar to stay even. Hannah then used fantastic positioning to create a five-ball run-out for her win and a 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Hannah had a five-ball run early in game 2, reestablishing herself on offense, but she faded in the middle. The Spiders' Sugar used a four-ball run and some other shots to catch up and even briefly gain the lead, but Hannah won with a well-played three-ball run-out, clinching the series at 2-0. Sugar had the first burst of offense in game 3, making a five-ball run before Hannah gathered a couple of shots in response. Sugar would take the game on a later three-ball run-out, giving Hannah only a 2-1 series win. Hannah will play visitor in her home arena as she faces her Flames teammate Kyle in the second round. Sugar will take four bids to the next round.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Ms. Puppy v. Isabella. A captain and a sophomore go at it in the last 12-ball series of the round, played with the silver cue. Modernistic's Ms. Puppy gave away a wild-card ball on the break, but Atlantic's Isabella soon gave it back, and Ms. Puppy had control from there. Ms. Puppy won with a three-ball run-out, using good positioning to earn the 1-0 series lead. The Union's Ms. Puppy had a slower to develop offense in game 2, but it would work out in the end. The Pirates' Isabella gave away a wild-card ball, and while she had a promising look at her last ball, she couldn't convert, as Ms. Puppy rallied for the win to secure the series at 2-0. Ms. Puppy made stripes and a solid on the break, giving Isabella a wild-card ball to start game 3. Once again, Isabella gave it away, and Ms. Puppy eventually emerged with the win for a 3-0 sweep. Ms. Puppy will host a major Urban Derby match when the North Modernistic Nighthawks rookie Gal pays a visit in the second round, one of her seven advancing bids, while Isabella moves on with five bids.
Volkswagen Stadium Events Center, Viewpoint Sound: Hoot v. Solaris. The silver cue stays on for Accuracy in this series. Infinity's Solaris faltered a couple of times in game 1, enough for Viewpoint Sound's Hoot to get away with a scratch. Hoot held on at the end despite some tough cuts, winning 1-3 for a 1-0 lead in the series. The Meteors' Hoot couldn't recreate his performance in game 2, missing a few shots in the game. The Torpedoes' Solaris made a massive improvement, going perfect this time to earn the 0-3 win, tying the series at 1. Solaris made a ball on the break in game 3, which didn't seem that important as he and Hoot went shot-for-shot early on. Hoot then fell behind, only to gain the lead after Solaris missed twice late. Hoot missed a cut on the last ball to fall back into a tie, and then went empty on the overtime break, as Solaris won 2-3 and took the series 2-1. Solaris will visit the Southridge Defenders' Caitlin in the second round, one of his five advancing bids, while Hoot has only one bid going forward.
Microsoft Center, Del Sur: Hoppy v. Neopolitan. The red cue wraps up the day with its last 9-ball series of the round. Southern's Hoppy had a three-ball run off the game 1 break, but it didn't matter when Pearl's Neopolitan double-kissed the 2-9 combination to the bottom side on her second shot for the win. Neopolitan holds a 1-0 series lead. The Surfers' Neopolitan got two balls on the break, and then exchanged a series of short and choppy runs and errors with the Monarchs' Hoppy. Neither player had control of the even game, but Hoppy lost it when she missed a short shot on the 9, and Neopolitan tapped it in to secure the series at 2-0. Hoppy bounced back with a strong outing in a chaotic game 3, accidentally picking up the win when her shot on the 8 went wrong but sank the 9 at the bottom right anyway to close on a four-ball run-out. Neopolitan took the series 2-1, and will visit the Whitewater Shores' Marsell in the second round. Both players have two bids going forward.
Tomorrow, we bring the first round to an end on Day 55 after the end of the first legs of United Cup play.
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