The Oakland Outlaws defeated the Berkeley Resistance in a close match this past Saturday. The final score was 138-131.

The game opened with the traditional full spectacle of the B.ay A.rea D.erby - or BAD - Girls. The Oakland Outlaws circled the ring, handkerchiefs up, followed by the Berkeley Resistance, gerber daises in hand to the Age of Aquarius. After the brief opening ceremonies and a quick introduction to the rules, it was on.

Berkeley's aggressive jammers drove up an early lead of 24 to 0. Oakland's Hazel-Raw was the first to break the blockade, bringing the Outlaws 16 points in a game that remained close until the very last jam.

Time after time, the Oakland defense forced Berkeley's jammers to earn their points. But every now and then, a Berkeley player like Home Leslie would thread a seemingly effortless path through Oakland's blockers two, three or even four times in a two-minute jam.

Berkeley's defense was also strong, and their jammers were agile, but Oakland triumphed in the end with a combination of endurance, equally aggressive jammers (notably Hazel-Raw, P.B. Arson and Murderyn Monroe), and Berkeley's own penalties. On more than one occasion, Berkeley's jammer and two of four players watched from the penalty box, allowing Oakland to pick up a few easy points.

Towards the end of the match, particularly with the teams tied at 129 with 3:21 on the clock, the spills and blocks definitely got a little more exciting. For the last few minutes, to Europe's Final Countdown and the crowd's chants for Oakland, it was still anybody's game. In the end, Oakland's Ivy Profane racked up the crucial points in the final jam, after the regular clock wound down, even going on to win a few more points for good measure.

This match is the first home game for the Outlaws this season, bringing them to third place in the Bay Area League behind the Richmond Wrecking Belles with two wins.

The next game will be a double header on April 30, with appearances by the Outlaws, Resistance, San Francisco SHEvil Dead and Richmond Wrecking Belles. Tickets are $15 at the door and $13 in advance. Get there early for a good seat, or enter the raffle for ring-side stadium couch seating. Tickets will go on sale in early April.

New to the sport?

Basically, each team has a jammer, a pivot and a three blockers. The first jammer to pass the pack of blockers and pivots becomes the "lead jammer," and is the only person who can score points. She scores by lapping the pack, and picks up a point for each member of the opposing team she passes (up to four per lap).

For more on the Bay Area Derby Girls, check out their website.