Cricket: Quarterfinals, Game 1s

We're down to just eight teams, six of whom were supposed to make it here based on their seeds anyway. The league is just unpredictable enough to stay interesting. First on the list, we have...

The Whitewater Shores hosting the Southridge Defenders at Samsung Whitewater Stadium. Boots began by slamming 735 for Southridge, an impressive feat given the venue. Bear showed the composure expected of an MVP by answering with 717 for Whitewater. Jessica slipped up with 112 for the Defenders. Twinkie III came in a little too strongly, hitting just 80 for the Shores after her energy got the best of her. Debby Ryan continued the run of poor scores behind the captains, putting up 117 for Southridge. Cheddar slapped 997 for Whitewater, asserting the hosts' dominance once again. Shaggy melted with 16 for the Defenders, leaving them well short at 980. Jennifer tallied 202 to finalize the Shores' effort at 1996. Whitewater takes an early 1-0 series lead that few expect them to relinquish at any time.

To the east, the Maplewood Lumberjacks welcome the Royal Crowns to UPS Ground in Maplewood. Frosty led off with 419 for Royal after accepting the opportunity for a non-penalized replay after a technical glitch. Maplewood's Fluffina also took a replay, but hers was for a false start, and after the 50% penalty, she provided just 96 points. Sydnee stumbled to 66 points for the Crowns, leaving them vulnerable to being caught by a fairly strong home side. Bryant failed to capitalize, hitting only 57 for the Lumberjacks. Jake slapped a strong 504 for Royal, extending their lead to a more stable mark. Maplewood got 471 from their wily veteran Diddley, but the deficit they faced still grew incrementally. Nightfur's 160 put the Crowns at a final of 1149. Cubby took a measly 32 for the Lumberjacks, leaving them at a loss with 656. Royal earned a 1-0 series lead, and have now won thirteen of their last fourteen road games, a major source of their recent success.

Down south, the Golden Pilots bring in a well-rested Pacific Volcanoes team to the confines of Amazon Field. Starlight led off with 384 for Pacific, a solid number to use as a baseline. Valencia double-tapped an oddly-bowled ball, and it ended up costing her, as the Golden superstar hit just 90 points. Ms. Kitty added on with 545 for the Volcanoes, providing another solid source of offense. Strut posted 283 for the Pilots, leaving them a little further behind. Jack had only 184 for Pacific, a team often considered to be a little imbalanced on offense. Golden, on the other hand, is quite balanced, as evidenced by their third hitter, Dusty, drilling 659 to pull them back into the game. Leonette batted only 169 to put the Volcanoes at 1282 for their final score. It worked out to be enough, as A. Charlton hit 225 for the Pilots, leaving them narrowly short at 1257. Pacific managed to pull out a 1-0 series lead in what appears to be living up to its billing as a close series. It must be said: the Volcanoes are on a five-game winning streak in the playoffs so far.

The last of this round's first games comes from HP Field, where the Eastside Sharks host the Central Warriors. Twilight chipped 260 to open for Central, showing a bit more confidence than she did in the first round. Graham did slightly better for Eastside, providing the hosts 304 points to take a small lead early in the game. Gizmo had a meager 69 for the Warriors, allowing his team to slip a bit. Chelsea notched 120 for the Sharks, keeping the game uncomfortably close. Noelle batted 148 for Central, but they could have done better with a little bit more. Taylor Swift failed to cash in for Eastside, managing just 106 points as her first-round yips appear to have transferred over. Dustin swatted 183, leaving the Warriors at 660, forcing the hosts to produce something. Robyn failed to do that for the Sharks, taking a 50% penalty and producing just 12 points after that was assessed, allowing her team to fall with 542. Central got lucky to grind out an early win, taking a 1-0 series lead as things look grim for three of the four teams with home-field advantage.

I hope to play again tomorrow night, but no guarantees. We will see what time I am provided to work with.