Cricket: Quarterfinals Game 3s

As mentioned in the previous post, the series have shifted to the lower-ranked teams' venues for games 3 and 4. We begin this cycle where the last one left off, sort of...

As the Royal Crowns host the Maplewood Lumberjacks at Kraft Crowns Park. Fluffina opened with 290 for Maplewood. Frosty bounced back from a terrible Game 2 to score 736 for Royal, establishing a significant lead. Bryant answered with 464 for the Lumberjacks, proving that this game is a little more loose than the last one. Sydnee's 160 for the Crowns meant that the visitors dug in quite significantly in their comeback efforts. Diddley drilled 455 for Maplewood, giving them a lead after his strong bounce-back effort. Jake got some of it back, hitting 304 for Royal, but the hosts remained trailing ever so slightly with a player each to go. Cubby hit only 101, leaving the Lumberjacks definitely within reach at 1310. Nightfur failed to capitalize for the Crowns, with her 39 points contributing to a losing score of 1239. With Maplewood rallying to a 2-1 series lead, the question left in the heads of the fans reads "are the Crowns out of magic?"

Across the urban southeastern region, the Southridge Defenders welcome the Whitewater Shores to the expanses of GE Stadium. After a brutal penalty in the previous game, Bear scored 527 to establish the usual Whitewater lead on the road. Boots put up 240, and appeared a little shaky in the effort, probably from the fear that the visitors tend to bring with them. Twinkie III popped 484 for the Shores, in what appears to be another one of their classic efforts. J. Garcia posted 224 for the Defenders as the deficit increased. Just when it looked to be over, Cheddar had only 32 points for Whitewater after taking a 67% penalty for two false starts. Debby Ryan pulled 256 back for Southridge, getting them slightly closer. Jennifer's 156 left the Shores at 1199, continuing their second-round struggles for offense. This time, it wasn't costly, as Shaggy took a 67% penalty on a mandatory replay and a false start, and ended with a meager 17 points, giving the Defenders only 737. Whitewater, a better team on the road than at home, now leads the series 2-1.

Way up north, the Central Warriors bring in the Eastside Sharks to Nestle's Warriors Park. Graham cranked out 466 for Eastside, getting off to a strong start. Twilight answered with 665 for Central, including using a double forehand-backhand maneuver to avoid ending her turn early, fighting off about six wayward bowls. Chelsea replied with 238 for the Sharks, keeping them above water if you'll forgive the pun. The Warriors fell behind when Gizmo put up a meager 20 points, continuing a rough series for him. Taylor Swift failed to cash in for Eastside, scoring only 36 in her turn. Noelle poked 131 for Central, pulling them back into the lead with a player each left. Robyn's 235 gave the Sharks a final of 975, a score that is far from being safe. Dustin did enough by hitting 276 for the Warriors, giving them the win on a final of 1072. Central is still hovering around pulling off the upset, and they currently lead the series 2-1.

Wrapping up this particular cycle of games, the Pacific Volcanoes host the Golden Pilots at Verizon Field. Valencia ripped 377 for Golden to lead the game off. Starlight countered with her usual strong effort, this time hitting 656 for Pacific to give them the lead at home. Strut chipped only 128 for the Pilots, leaving them significantly behind their opponents. Ms. Kitty exacerbated this issue by crushing 824 for the Volcanoes, asserting their dominance that has prevailed thus far in the series. Dusty hit 240 for Golden, doing little to solve their problem of a lack of points. Jack posted 225 for Pacific, who appear content to cruise to victory this time. A. Charlton hit just 200 for the Pilots, leaving them at 945 in another brutal loss. Leonette kept it quick in the end, hitting 33 to give the Volcanoes 1738 and secure the win. Pacific has the chance to advance the next time they play, leading the series as they do 3-0.

More games later tonight! Definitely expect Game 4s to hit the blog in a few hours, and there's a good chance Game 5s get played as well.