Cricket: Quarterfinals Game 2s

The series are now at Game 2 status. We begin the cycle in...

Eastside, as the Sharks host the Central Warriors at HP Field. Twilight's output dipped again for Central, with just 104 points from this opening effort. Graham got caught out of position for Eastside, and ended up scoring 90 points. Gizmo left the door open again, registering just 36 points for the Warriors after a bad bounce ended his turn early. Chelsea swatted 552 to put the Sharks firmly in the lead. Noelle struck 292 for Central, as the teams appear to now be settled in again. Taylor Swift turned out 336 for Eastside, adding on modestly to the hosts' lead. Dustin posted a strong 375 for the Warriors, but it wasn't enough as they finished with 807 in the loss. Robyn's 42 iced the Sharks' victory at 1020. With the win, Eastside has tied the series at 1 before they head onto the road. If the first round is anything to show, both of these teams like pressure, so it could be a long series.

Across the territorial region, the Golden Pilots welcome the Pacific Volcanoes to Amazon Field. Starlight came out swinging for Pacific, crushing an absolutely epic performance with 1932 points to her name. Valencia showed off her batting skill early on by navigating a potentially dangerous opening, but she ended up with 226 for Golden, leaving quite the large deficit. Ms. Kitty grabbed 384 for the Volcanoes, adding onto their lead. Strut answered with 321 for the Pilots, who appear to have been a bit deflated from their first-round efforts. Pacific's Jack was tagged with a 50% penalty after his false start, and he produced only 119 for his team. Dusty countered with 384 for Golden, getting a few points back. Leonette's 64 put the Volcanoes at a very strong 2499 final score. A. Charlton had a reasonable 327 for the Pilots, but they suffered a loss with their final at 1258.

To the northwest, the Whitewater Shores bring in the Southridge Defenders to Samsung Whitewater Stadium. Boots knocked a powerful 353 for Southridge, showing a bit of muscle in her turn. Bear committed a false start, drawing a 50% penalty, and earning just 179 for Whitewater, which may prove costly if the team doesn't pick him up. The Defenders got only 71 from J. Garcia, leaving the door wide open for a dangerous opponent. Twinkie III picked up 368 for the Shores, pushing them to a modest lead. Debby Ryan pulled Southridge back to the lead with 384 points from the reigning Rookie of the Year. Cheddar scored 305 for Whitewater, leaving the game extremely close with one player each to go. Shaggy came up clutch by hitting 405 for the Defenders, giving them 1213 as their final score. Jennifer's 265 left the Shores slightly short at 1117. With a gutsy performance, Southridge heads home with the series tied at 1, which can only be considered a success given the quality of the opponent.

Finally, we head slightly to the east, as the Maplewood Lumberjacks host the Royal Crowns at UPS Ground in Maplewood. Frosty put up her worst performance of the playoffs, drawing a voluntary replay and then committing two false starts in a row. With the 67% penalty as per the rules, her score stood at 131 for Royal. Fluffina's tough postseason continued, as she failed to cover the gap with only 128 points for Maplewood. Sydnee managed 120 for the Crowns, leaving the game low-scoring and close thus far. Bryant's 162 gave the Lumberjacks a small but noticeable lead. Jake rocked 352 for Royal, gaining a little separation from the previous players. Maplewood's best player so far, Diddley, faltered in this game, earning only 57 points. Nightfur added 256 to put the Crowns at a final of 859. Cubby salvaged the game for the Lumberjacks, cranking out 712 to secure a victory with 1059 points. The heroic effort by Maplewood's caboose hitter means the series will head south tied at 1.

Soon to follow will be the Quarterfinals Game 3s post, where the lesser seeds get their turn to host the first of two games in a row. As for the look ahead, I can confirm three series will reach at least Game 5.