We're ready to resume under normal scheduling today. Leading off...
Mitsubishi Arena, Apex: Maren v. Dustin. The green cue's lone series of the day is in 10-ball. Apex's Maren made the 1 on the break but scratched while shooting the 2. Central's Dustin easily made the 2 and then jammed a 3-10 combination past the 4 into the top left for the win and 1-0 series lead. In game 2, both players struggled initially. The Warriors' Dustin put the 10 near the bottom left, but he didn't get to make it, as the Wonders' Maren used a deflection off the 3 to sink it instead. This tied the series at 1. In game 3, a choppy offense on both sides saw Dustin ultimately get the win with a pair at the end. Dustin beat Maren 2-1 to earn his place in the second round.
Intel Center, Diamond: Leonardo v. Sage. The red cue enters the action with a 15-ball series. Diamond's Leonardo didn't assert his offense very well in game 1, and that left the door open late. Victoria's Sage walked through on a four-ball run-out for the win and 1-0 series lead. The 15 drifted toward the top left early in game 2. The Spurs' Sage wasn't able to put up much offense, while the Gems' Leonardo made a double-pot and sparked a five-ball run-out that ended with the 8-15 combination. This tied the series at 1. In game 3, both players started strong and then got a little shaky on offense near the end. A bad shot on the 13 from Sage ruined her chances of hitting the 14, and Leonardo made the final pair of shots for free. Leonardo won the series 2-1 to reach the second round. This was Leonardo's 100th unique opponent.
Samsung Arena, Whitewater: Shaggy v. Rudolph. The blue cue gets a turn in 8-ball here. Both players had untimely scratches in game 1, but Whitewater's Shaggy gave herself enough time to recover. Eastside's Rudolph suffered his scratch late, and Shaggy answered it with a four-ball run-out to put herself ahead 1-0 in the series. The Shores' Shaggy tried to generate offense late in game 2, but she came up a bit short. The Sharks' Rudolph made a four-ball run and then added the 8 on the next turn for the win to tie the series at 1. In game 3, Rudolph had the lead for a brief moment at the end, then saw Shaggy pull off a three-ball run-out with a bank and great positioning to take the win. Shaggy won the series 2-1 and will host again in the second round.
Nissan Hall, Infinity: Shelley v. Spot. The red cue cycles back in for 9-ball. Game 1 didn't see the sharpest of play, as Infinity's Shelley left the 9 at the bottom left and Pronger's Spot felt lucky to clean it up after missing his chance for a big run. Spot leads the series 1-0. Game 2 saw the Torpedoes' Shelley in particular leave a lot on the table, but it still took three chances for the Tridents' Spot to bury the 9 at the top left. Spot shakily sealed the series at 2-0 with his unconvincing win. In game 3, Shelley finally played a solid effort with a four-ball run-out at the end to get her lone win. Spot rides a 2-1 series win into the second round.
T-Mobile Center, Victoria: Strawberry v. Kayla. The silver cue draws into the action with Rotation. Victoria's Strawberry had a nice four-ball run late in game 1, but she couldn't catch up before Royal's Kayla finished off an 8-5 win. Kayla leads the series 1-0. The Crowns' Kayla stormed ahead with a six-ball run fueled by a triple-pot in game 2. The Spurs' Strawberry couldn't muster a response, and Kayla ended up with an 8-0 win to secure the series at 2-0. The only things that seemed able to stop Kayla were her three scratches in game 3, and even then she overcame it for an 8-5 win over a hapless Strawberry. Kayla will visit fellow South Division captain Valencia of the Golden Pilots in the second round.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Shawn v. Easter. A captains' battle is set for 10-ball with the blue cue. Midland's Shawn had a rough start to game 1, but he was able to pick up the win after Todavía's Easter fell short on a three-ball run after some mind games with deferrals. Shawn leads the series 1-0. A sloppy battle on both sides in game 2 eventually ended with the Stills' Easter picking up the final pair of shots for the win. She tied the series at 1 versus the Predators' Shawn, who simply wasn't sharp on his shots. In game 3, neither player had much pace on offense. Shawn wasted most of his late chances, and Easter eventually banked the 10 to the bottom left to get the win and 2-1 series win. Easter will visit the Lighton Prestige mainstay Spirit in the second round, one of her seven advancing bids.
FedEx Arena, Eastside: Lily v. Ingrid. South Division rivals battle in Rotation with the silver cue. A back-and-forth game 1 featured good pace, but it was decided on Southridge's Ingrid missing the 14 late. Eastside's Lily took the final pair for the 8-7 win and 1-0 series lead in a tight battle. The Sharks' Lily did much more to earn the win in game 2, keeping things even again early before bursting ahead for a three-ball run-out for the 8-4 win over the Defenders' Ingrid. Lily clinched the series at 2-0. Ingrid had a fairly solid push in the middle of game 3, but she couldn't make it stick when Lily made a four-ball run-out for the 8-6 win. Lily swept the series 3-0 and will host Zenith Skywatchers veteran Nightfur in the second round.
HP Field Events Center, Midland: Shawn v. Taylor S. The host's second series today is in 7-ball with the purple cue. Midland's Shawn took forever to find his offense in game 1, and even then he didn't do well. Commerce's Taylor S. was able to make the last pair of balls for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Predators' Shawn did a fair amount of work in game 2 with a pair of three-ball runs, but he couldn't bank the 7 to the top side. The Tradewinds' Taylor S. poached the win on a cut to seal the series at 2-0. Shawn had some moments in game 3 as well, but Taylor S. was there to finish on the 7 at the bottom right. Taylor S. swept the series 3-0 and will act as visitor to Tradewinds teammate Luigi in the second round.
UPS Hall, Maplewood: Marissa v. Lily. The visitor goes again today in 13-ball with the blue cue. Maplewood's Marissa used her defense wisely in game 1, forcing Eastside's Lily into a late scratch. Marissa then made the 8 on her second attempt for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Lumberjacks' Marissa didn't set the pace in game 2, and that led to a much slow game. In the end, the Sharks' Lily eventually found her way to the win, tying the series at 1 when she put the 8 in the the bottom left. Marissa smashed her way to a big lead early in game 3, and Lily didn't have the time to catch up. Marissa won the series 2-1 and advanced to the second round.
Mitsubishi Arena, Apex: Cowzart v. Cleo. Club-mates are set to meet in 9-ball with the purple cue. Apex's Cowzart tried to play tough in game 1, but his miss on the 4 opened up a 4-9 combination for Everton's Cleo to bury at the bottom left. Cleo's patient approach paid off for a win and 1-0 series lead. The Eagles' Cleo made a mess of game 2, scratching three times. The last of those scratches set up the Wonders' Cowzart to make the final pair from ball-in-hand. Cowzart converted and won, tying the series at 1. Game 3 saw Cleo do a little better, but she couldn't stop Cowzart from turning his miss on the 7 into a lucky bounce to pot the 9 at the top left. Cowzart won the series 2-1 and will play on into the second round.
Amazon Field Exhibition Hall, Golden: Sparkles v. Dani. The blue cue cycles in again for Accuracy in its last series. Golden's Sparkles briefly lost the lead in the middle of game 1, but Viewpoint Sound's Dani couldn't stay even. Sparkles held on late to get a 2-3 win for the 1-0 lead in the series. In game 2, both players were perfect down to the final ball. The Meteors' Dani made and nearly forced overtime were it not for a scratch that gifted a 0-1 win and the 2-0 series lead to the Pilots' Sparkles. Neither player ended up looking good in game 3, which ended up nearly tied at the end before Dani sportingly played a miss to give Sparkles a 4-5 win. Sparkles swept the series 3-0 and will move on to the second round.
Toyota Arena, Freedom: Nikolai v. Hoot. The purple cue gets a look in Accuracy. Freedom's Nikolai had a scratch on the break, and it came back to bite him when he was forced to play overtime in game 1. Nikolai missed on the overtime break, and Viewpoint Sound's Hoot nabbed a 4-5 win for the 1-0 series lead. The Meteors' Hoot took a turn to perfection in game 2, while the Cascades' Nikolai wasn't able to make such a drastic improvement. Hoot's 0-2 win clinched the series in his favor at 2-0. In game 3, both players missed early, and the result was determined on Nikolai's late miss. Hoot took a 1-2 win to complete the 3-0 series sweep that lets him travel to Oceanside to take on Waves captain Celestia in round two.
Google Hall, Modernistic: Puff I v. Bandit. The red cue is done after 12-ball. Swordpoint's Bandit elected to go through the defense of Modernistic's Puff I in game 1. It worked out, as Bandit got the win with his final ball in the bottom right, taking a 1-0 series lead. The Union's Puff I made the choice to play stripes in game 2 and made an early pair. The Blades' Bandit acknowledged the danger and tried to disrupt her positioning, but didn't get what he wanted from the play. Puff I then made a four-ball run-out for the shutout win to tie the series at 1. Bandit looked to have the win in his hand in game 3, but he scratched while sinking his final ball. In response, Puff I worked a three-ball run-out for the win and 2-1 series win to the delight of her home crowd. Puff I is set to host Stonebridge Wolves captain Juno in the second round.
Starbucks Arena, Archtown: Greg v. Violetta. The silver cue checks out with 15-ball. Queens' Violetta looked pretty good early in game 1, but Archtown's Greg found a six-ball run in the middle. After some scrapping, Greg made the final pair for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Flames' Violetta had an error rather late in game 2, but she didn't show much concern in the choppy battle. Sure enough, the Arrows' Greg made a four-ball run and then scratched, leaving an easy finish for Violetta on the 15 to win the game and tie the series at 1. Violetta lost the possession battle in game 3, but a close finish could have gone either way. Instead, Greg cashed in the 15 on a lucky bounce to the top side for the 2-1 series win, setting him up to visit Victoria Spurs captain Spice in the second round to renew a burgeoning rivalry.
Nike Field Events Center, Commerce: Bear v. Citrus. The day ends with the purple cue in 10-ball. Lighton's Citrus had a strong game 1 with creative play, but Commerce's Bear took a no-nonsense four-ball run-out at the end for the win and 1-0 series lead. The Tradewinds' Bear tried to keep up his pace in game 2, but he hit a few bumps along the way. The Prestige's Citrus ended with a stunning split double-pot of the 6 to the bottom left and the 10 to the bottom right, her win tying the series at 1. Citrus got the last laugh in game 3, making a 5-10 combination to the bottom left for the win and 2-1 series win over Bear. Citrus will visit Westside Rockers captain Misty in the second round with one of her three advancing bids.
That's it for a slow-moving milestone day, as the First Round is two-thirds done and we're 50 days deep into the Tournament overall.
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