FedEx Ground, Eastside: The Sharks get to open the season with their home opener in the sparkling new stadium, located a few miles east of their former home, which will house the Midland Predators. Spice looked solid with 631 for Victoria in the opening turn of the season. Eastside saw Chelsea take 361 back for them, limiting the damage well. Yekaterina stumbled with 64 for the Spurs, putting their lead in a more vulnerable position. Taylor answered with 224 for the Sharks, cutting the deficit but not quite covering it. B. Chapman was solid in tacking on 379 to the Victoria lead. Niki couldn't handle the pressure for Eastside, producing only 60 points as the deficit grows late in the game. Spurs rookie Wario scored 240, giving them 1314 for their final score. Paps chipped 166 for the Sharks, marking a weak debut for his new team. They also lost with 811 overall. Victoria has spoiled the building-opening festivities, going to 1-0 while dropping Eastside to 0-1.
GE Stadium, Southridge: The second game of the season sees two unlucky teams from last year have a go at starting out well. Sally lined 497 for Archtown right at the start, setting the tone for the notoriously high-offense team. Bianca kept Southridge in range, making her first official start with 416 points. Sleepy B. countered with 434 for the Arrows, keeping the scoring high in this game. Debby, finally off what became a five-month suspension due to league issues, scored 328 for the Defenders in her first game as their captain. Ruby stumbled with 148, accidentally knocking a ball into her own wicket to end her turn for Archtown. Stephanie gained a little ground for Southridge, taking 222 in her debut with the team. Dusky's veteran experience helped her and Arrows quite a bit, as her 510 put the team on a total of 1589, a good output. Hughbert had only 63 for the Defenders, as their inexperience shows early in the year, and they lost with 1029. Archtown goes to 1-0 early in the year, while Southridge is 0-1 and facing growing pains.
The Intel Pitch, Diamond: The year's first derby match is in the Yellow Derby, with the Spurs' second game coming very early against a younger Gems side. Spice was much less active in this game, scoring only 263 for Victoria. Smokey failed to match it, with a meager 128 to put Diamond behind early on. Yekaterina tapped 233 for the Spurs, keeping their lead solid in a low-scoring event so far. Citrus answered with 351 for the Gems, making it a much closer game at the halfway mark. B. Chapman was already committed to swing when the ball took an odd bounce, and she sent it straight up, ending her turn at 87 for Victoria. Pedey tried to capitalize for Diamond, but ended up with 161, pulling them slightly ahead with a player each to go. Wario muscled up with 786 for the Spurs, giving them a final of 1369, which might just suffice for the win. Rosalina answered with 600 in her first Gems regular season game, but they ended short at 1240 for the loss. Victoria's salvaged a second win to go to 2-0, while Diamond drops down to 0-1 at the start of the year.
Honda Driftwood Coliseum, Pearl: Out west, two strong teams meet for the first time this year. Acorn seemed to have a good pace for Lighton, but a bad hit cut him down with 192. Pearl's captain Watermelon did much better, collecting 471 to put her team ahead in the early going. Spirit replied with 720 for the Prestige, regaining a stronger lead in this competitive battle. Neopolitan squandered the chance for the Surfers, taking just 176 as they'll fall behind at the halfway mark. Twinkie I swatted 577 to strengthen the Lighton lead ahead of the late stages of the game. Boots erased that damage with 617 for Pearl, bonding very early with the fans along the coast. Salmo put up only 162 for the Prestige, giving them a final of 1651 that they are far from comfortable with. Wings, a long-time Surfers veteran, rallied the team from behind with 456 at the end, stealing the win with 1720 in the first truly thrilling match of the season. Pearl is 1-0, and Lighton will have to try harder next time to erase the 0-1 start.
HP Field, Midland: The first of many games between expansion teams is here, as these two newest teams battle it out in the Sharks' old home. Juno showed off excellent control of wild offerings, but couldn't escape the early barrage, scoring a pathetic 28 for Stonebridge in their first official game. Shawn was hardly better with 51 for Midland, making it a slow start for these new teams. Frosty had only 36 for the Wolves, barely covering the deficit in a challenging game so far. Rainmane answered with 400 for the Predators, breaking the rut and giving the hosts a good lead. Cobalt was off to a good start but an early swing ended his turn at 144 for Stonebridge, hurting their chances of a comeback. Leonardo answered with 171 for Midland, giving them a little more of a lead late in the game. Prism had just 82 for the Wolves, and they end their first game with an embarrassing 290 total points. Fuchsia racked up 600 points in garbage time to make the Predators look a bit more solid at a total of 1222 in their first win. Midland is 1-0, dumping Stonebridge to 0-1 and probably a bit of anger in the rematch later in the year.
Verizon Field, Pacific: It's a quick turnaround for the Predators, who face a highly talented Volcanoes team in their first road game. Shawn improved from last time, hitting 200 for Midland to start the game with. Starlight looked to be in the zone, but an unfortunate deflection stopped her with 240 for Pacific. Rainmane kept her offense steady with 288 for the Predators, regaining the lead temporarily. Ms. Kitty rallied for 560 for the Volcanoes, building their lead on a stronger foundation this time. Leonardo faltered with 144 for Midland, putting them farther behind. Leonette earned a voluntary replay after a technical error, but she lost a little ground with only 169 on the second try for Pacific. Fuchsia tried to keep the Predators alive, but missed the corner and had 276, giving them the loss with 908 overall. Chicky Phil snagged 544 for the Volcanoes in this game, making a good impression as he iced his new team's win at 1513. Pacific starts off 1-0 with a decent offense, while Midland slides to 1-1 in the tough scheduling arrangement.
The Intel Pitch, Diamond: The Gems become the first team to host multiple games in a week by bringing in the Blades, who are showing off their new logo. Snowball picked up 354 for Swordpoint in their first turn of the year, a solid outing for the veteran captain. Smokey fumbled on his turn, taking only 69 for Diamond. Dreamy countered with 338 to add nicely to the Blades lead. Citrus kept the Gems in it, striking 504 to get them much closer at the halfway point. Swordpoint's Bandit kept them in good shape, accumulating 367 to add to their lead. Pedey cut into the deficit even deeper, slicing 423 for Diamond to set up an interesting finish between these teams. Stealth got a bit too chippy, ending at 112 for the Blades, and producing their final of 1171, putting them in a vulnerable position. Rosalina didn't do well for the Gems, but her 209 stole the victory away on a final of 1205. Diamond is back on the level at 1-1, while Swordpoint starts disappointed at 0-1.
FedEx Ground, Eastside: The Sharks get their second home game against a Union team who will wear black, gold, and silver this year in all venues. Ms. Puppy started the year well for Modernistic, tallying 484 to start this game. Chelsea fired back with 410 for Eastside, keeping them in range early on. Daisy looked good in her first official appearance for the Union, as the rookie scored 538 to boost the lead. Taylor stayed solid with 420 for the Sharks, but they lost a bit more ground in this high-offense game. Puff I had to go to her backhand, and this left the ground unprotected, stopping her at 304 for Modernistic. Niki couldn't capitalize for Eastside, grabbing only 289 on her turn as the times have turned desperate for the hosts. Strawberry left the door wide open, with a meager 136 for the Union putting their final at 1462. Her former Tridents teammate and current Shark, Paps, failed with only 69 points, leaving the Sharks at 1188 in the loss. Modernistic is 1-0 on the year, while Eastside's about to hit the panic button at 0-2.
Ebay Center, Queens: The Surfers will try their luck on the road against a Flames team hoping to erase a bad previous season from their memory. Watermelon pounded 555 for Pearl to lead things off in great form. Crystal provided a robust challenge, scoring 401 for Queens to cut the deficit down. Neopolitan nearly cancelled that out with her 393 for the Surfers, extending their lead quite well. Paige batted 665 for the Flames in her new role as their second hitter, lifting them ahead at the midway mark of the game. Boots scooped up 745 for Pearl, pushing their offense even higher as this game turns into a shootout. Violetta couldn't keep up, and her career debut with Queens ended on a weak 112 points that puts them far back. Wings smacked 521 for the Surfers in the end, and their final stands at a healthy 2214. Max looped his way to 336 for the Flames, and while they lost, they had a respectable total of 1514. Pearl is 2-0 on the year and looking like a dangerous opponent, while Queens will start from 0-1.
GE Stadium, Southridge: The Defenders face a new-look Stills team, with their first new player and a much bolder logo than previous years. Todavía's longtime captain Easter set the tone just right with 591 for her team in their first game of the season. Southridge's most hyped rookie, Bianca, answered with 517 to keep the game close initially. Sierra, Bianca's aunt, replied with a big 611 for the Stills to pad their lead. Debby got jammed with a ball that hopped over bat, and while she delayed trouble, she still ended on 188 for the Defenders. Sparkles showed why Todavía considered parting with her, scoring a measly 80 to destabilize their lead. Southridge got a lot back through another rookie, as Stephanie clobbered 487 to cut the deficit dramatically. Bells staved off trouble, contributing 454 for the Stills in her first appearance in their colors. They ended with 1736. Hughbert corralled 360 for the Defenders, but they came up short with 1552 in a loss despite the overall improvement. Todavía starts on the right side of the ledger with a 1-0 record, while Southridge is trying to break an 0-2 rut next time out.
Subway Field, Stonebridge: The opening of the Wolves' home field comes in a battle between two of the most authoritative captains in the league. Tigerette churned out 495 for Commerce, with a lucky bounce to the back 6s helping her cause. Juno didn't fare as well for Stonebridge, tapping a light 80 as they'll work from behind. Ice Cream tried to stay in front of the ball, but it got behind her and ended her effort at 178 for the Tradewinds. Frosty answered with 288 for the Wolves, cutting a little bit into the deficit. Lionel muscled up for 497 for Commerce, boosting their lead at a critical point in the game. Cobalt reclaimed 280 for Stonebridge in a decent outing for the rookie. Lorde tacked on 359 for the Tradewinds, producing their final score of 1529 in what should be enough for a win. Prism's 187 left the Wolves at a loss with 835, another brutal first for the team in their first home loss. Commerce starts last season right about where they left off last year, standing at 1-0, while Stonebridge is 0-2 now.
Verizon Field, Pacific: This segment of the week ends with a battle between two of last year's most elite teams. Snowball had a terrible start for Swordpoint, producing just 32 points. Starlight hasn't had the same game-changing impact as last year, but her 281 is enough for an early Pacific lead. Dreamy fired back with 373 for the Blades, salvaging the slow start to reclaim at least a temporary lead. Ms. Kitty navigated a cluttered pitch brilliantly, but couldn't adjust to a slower pace and took only 101 for the Volcanoes, sending them to a chasing position. Bandit got a bit jittery after a lucky call, but he still managed 429 for Swordpoint to strengthen their lead. Leonette chaotically flipped her way to 487 for Pacific, edging them ahead with a player each to go in a game that has all the makings of a true battle. Stealth looked far more solid this time with 425 for the Blades, icing their score at 1259, which is definitely within reach. Chicky Phil couldn't quite do it for the Volcanoes, putting up 304 with some strong bat-work, but they ended up with a loss on 1173. Both teams are now 1-1 on the year.
I hope this weekend will bring a few more games, and maybe even the conclusion of week 1 of play.
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