Cricket: Round 1 Game 5s

There are seven games to cover in this post. If you read the post for the Game 4s, you know that six of these seven games could see a team get eliminated. Let's dive in with the only one that isn't an elimination game.

We begin the night in Southridge at GE Stadium, where the Defenders host the Todavía Stills. Easter was stalled at 76 for Todavía, getting off to a rough start for a pivotal game. Boots hit 685 to give Southridge their best start of the series so far. Sierra answered with 527 for the Stills, keeping them in contention. J. Garcia nearly got it all back for the Defenders, scoring 504 in her turn to maintain their lead. Sparkles popped 392 for Todavía, failing to cover the deficit again. Debby Ryan bounced back after a rough go of things in the playoffs thus far, hitting 256 for Southridge. Leonardo slugged 527 for the Stills to produce their final score of 1522. Shaggy slapped 391 for the Defenders, giving them the win with a total of 1836. With the win, Southridge leads the series 3-2, but they'll get their first of up to two chances to seal the series in a very difficult road stadium.

To the immediate west, the Boston Swifts welcome the Royal Crowns back to Coca-Cola Field, where the visitors have had much success already. True to form, Frosty crushed 927 for Royal to open the game with a substantial lead. Patches got 324 back for Boston, but her team still faces an uphill climb. The Crowns suffered a 50% penalty for Sydnee's score, as she committed a false start, and ended up with 73 points. Puff II failed to capitalize for the Swifts, taking a 50% penalty of her own and then ending up with just 34 points. Jake couldn't get Royal back on track, claiming only 113. Gradley cashed in for Boston, bringing the crowd to their feet while scoring 881 to put the hosts in front with a player each to go. Nightfur produced 211 for the Crowns, giving them a final of 1324 and a narrow but still existent chance to win the game and series. Sweetheart crushed those hopes by hitting 326 for the Swifts, giving them a final of 1565. Royal still owns a 3-2 series lead, but they must return home for their next attempt, a venue that has been far less friendly to them than the open road.

Up north, the Central Warriors bring in the Web City Spiders to Nestle's Warriors Park. Web City's captain, Shadow, again faltered in a road game, scoring only 64 points. Twilight, complying with the rules, earned a non-penalized voluntary replay after a technical error, but failed to maximize the second chance with 186 points for Central. Rainmane also had a weak effort for the Spiders, putting up just 73 points. Gizmo's 240 provided the Warriors slightly more separation. Sugar grabbed 204 for Web City, getting the team out of a run of bad form. Noelle left Central's back door open after being cited for a 50% penalty that resulted in her scoring 128. Dominic swung well but ended up shot after finishing with 160 to put the Spiders at 501 in a low-scoring loss. Dustin capped the Warriors' successful survival effort with 279, producing a final of 833. The series still favors Web City 3-2, and it is Web City that will host a pivotal Game 6.

Way to the southwest, the Capital City Sharpshooters host the Maplewood Lumberjacks at the Capital City SuperCenter. For the first time this series, Fluffina lived up to the nickname of "Breakfast," starting Maplewood off right with a big 1099. Chris faltered with jut 24 points for Capital City. Bryant sliced another 213 to add onto the Lumberjacks' lead. Sprinkles got most of that back for the Sharpshooters, hitting 198 despite a brutal 50% penalty for a false start. Diddley scooped out 267 for Maplewood, extending their lead a little more. Capital City remained mostly punchless when Missy tallied only 63 points, essentially dooming the hosts to elimination. Cubby chipped 229 for the Lumberjacks, and they set the bar with their final score of 1808. Dani's 88 made the elimination scenario reality for the Sharpshooters, as they posted a final score of 373. Maplewood took the series 4-1, and they now await either the Boston Swifts or the Royal Crowns in the quarterfinals.

Heading east, the Golden Pilots bring in the Westside Rockers to Amazon Field, with the hosts having the chance to advance. Misty, once again, failed to reach triple-digits in hitting 94 for Westside, continuing a bout of the yips in the playoffs for Westside's loveable captain. Valencia put up a fairly average 296 for Golden, once again capitalizing on her opposition's failure. Goatee managed 200 for the Rockers, but she didn't play very comfortably in her turn. Strut batted a strong 414 for the Pilots, giving them the appearance of taking control again. Westside's Alyssa, a regular-season disappointment, once again pulled the team back into the game with 337. Dusty let the lead shrink a little, hitting just 160 for Golden. Chicky Phil's 139 was not enough for the Rockers, and they ended up with a final of 770, losing the game and the series. A. Charlton capped off the Pilots' triumph with a frenzied 279, finalizing the winning total at 1149. Golden won the series 4-1, and they will face the Pacific Volcanoes in the quarterfinals. The early underlying story is the impending generational battle between league superstars: Dusty of the 90s for Golden against Starlight of the modern era for Pacific

Next up, we head northwest to the Whitewater Shores welcoming the Pearl Surfers to Samsung Whitewater Stadium, or as it's known around the league, "The Hardest Place to Score." Victoria would agree with the common name, as she scored just 90 points to begin for Pearl. In an apparent stroke of luck for the heavy underdog visitors, Whitewater's Bear took a 50% penalty on his turn and submitted a score of only 166. Wings scored 336 to get the Surfers on more stable ground. After three underwhelming efforts in a row, the Shores got 846 from their de facto deputy point-earner, Twinkie III, and they took a strong lead. Neopolitan continued her mistake-prone postseason with 185 for Pearl, doing little to close the gap. Cheddar blasted another 505 for Whitewater, in what can only be considered another classic example of their sheer force. Watermelon posted 420 for the Surfers, but they were still toppled at their final score of 1031. Jennifer hit 368 for the Shores, icing their series-clinching effort at 1885. Whitewater took the series 4-1, avoiding the fate of what they did to the Diamond Gems last year in a position similar to the Surfers. The #1 seed awaits whichever beaten and bloodied team comes out of the fistfight known as the Defenders/Stills series.

Finally, the last of the Game 5s features the Eastside Sharks hosting the Pronger Tridents at HP Field. Strawberry continued her run of remarkably consistent efforts with 391 to lead off for Pronger. Graham slipped up by scoring just 99 points for Eastside. Hoot added on for the Tridents by slugging 623 to solidify the lead. Chelsea managed only 162 for the Sharks in what has been a lackluster playoffs for her. Speaking of lackluster, Paps had only 122 for Pronger, once again failing to find positive consistency. Taylor Swift shot back with 450 for Eastside, which is individually good but probably won't be enough given the deficit. Precious rallied for 359 to give the Tridents a final score of 1495. Robyn's 237 left the Sharks in shallow water at 948, taking a second loss in the series. Eastside still owns the series 3-2, but their own inconsistency could do them in against a tight-knit opponent that players bigger than their seed suggests.

That's all for Game 5s. We will have coverage of Game 6s tomorrow, and potentially Game 7s if time permits.