Pepsi Prestige Park, Lighton: The Prestige return home to finish their trio of games, fighting dejection against a hungry visitor in the Tradewinds. Tigerette started Commerce off pretty well, striking a solid 548 to give them a good foundation. Acorn was happy to be home, but maybe a bit too much, as an aggressive swing ended his turn at 320 for Lighton, putting them in a familiar trailing position. Ice Cream made the most of her turn while fighting a cluttered pitch, picking up 417 to pad the Tradewinds lead. Spirit couldn't adjust in time to hit a ball that hung in the air, watching it roll off the back of her bat to end her turn at just 75 for the Prestige. Lionel left no doubt as to Commerce's dominance with his 989, doubling their offense with the effort. Twinkie I couldn't make any progress for Lighton, ending at 266 in a mediocre turn. Lorde tacked on a solid 400 for the Tradewinds, giving them 2354 in what should be a win. Salmo ended on a paltry 171 for the Prestige, giving them 832 in a brutal loss. Commerce rises to 16-23, while Lighton crashed to 17-26 with a sixth straight home loss.
Mercedes-Benz Field, Harrison: The Specters end a seven-game home stand with a doubleheader, with Northeast Division rivals, the Central Warriors, first in line. Twilight got flustered with a deflection, ending her turn on the next offering at 208 after a bad backhand ended the Central captain. Sydney countered with 487 for Harrison, not earning a huge lead but a noticeable one. Dustin bashed a big 893 in his reply for the Warriors, giving them a larger second lead with the good performance. Twinkie II fired back with 722 for the Specters, enough to give them a small lead at the midway point. Mario barely covered the deficit with 187 for Central, a poor outing endangering their chances at the game. Lexi gave the Harrison lead a mild extension with her 260, keeping them ahead as the final players come to bat. Gizmo popped up with 411 for the Warriors on his turn, bringing their final to a less-than-safe score of 1699. Sugar stumbled at 224 for the Specters, costing them the game as they finish with 1693. Central survives a very close call to get to 26-12, while Harrison falls to 16-27.
Mercedes-Benz Field, Harrison: The Specters complete the home stand with a visit from the Cascades, who are building a little road momentum. Freedom's Jasmine had a bit of a disappointing backhand as she tried and failed to save her turn, ending with a middling 271. Sydney replied with 439 for Harrison, again giving the hosts the initial lead by a noticeable margin. Stinky didn't put up much of a fight for the Cascades, bowing out at a measly 63 in a terrible appearance. Twinkie II couldn't keep her swing tight, ending at a meager 129 for the Specters, who still hold a small lead. Roxy couldn't cover the deficit for Freedom either, coming up short at 204 in the low-scoring game. Lexi offered up a bit of padding for the Harrison lead, batting a strong 535 to keep them in control. Nikolai sealed the terrible loss for the Cascades, hitting 98 individually to give them 636 total. Sugar bundled her way to 423 for the Specters, bringing their winning total to 1526. Harrison is now 17-27, while Freedom drops to 12-19.
Blades Fusion ProGlide Park, Swordpoint: The Blades end a three-game home stand facing the talented Rockers, whom they will also meet on the road next week. Misty received and took an optional replay for Westside, improving to 608 to start them off very well. Snowball got precisely half of it back with 304 for Swordpoint against her best friend's team. Goatee carved out a strong 804 for the Rockers, padding their lead with the wonderful performance. Dreamy tried to keep the Blades going, scoring 648 to minimize the effects of the second attack against them. Midnight tripped up with 211 for Westside on her turn, weakening their lead at a critical point in the game. Bandit wasted the chance to help Swordpoint catch up, producing only 150 on a poor turn from the rookie. Slinks also fell apart quickly, unraveling at 75 for the Rockers to leave them with 1698 total. Stealth couldn't overcome the deficit for the Blades, exiting at 408 to give them 1510 in a tough loss. Westside gets going upward again to 26-15, while Swordpoint hopes their departure from first overall is temporary at 31-14.
Subway Field, Stonebridge: The Wolves return home to host a hungry Surfers team, which takes a mini-tour of the Eastern Hills for a pair of road games. Watermelon did alright for not having a solid swing, ending at 489 as a ball rolled off her backhand and into the wicket. Juno worked at an excellent pace for Stonebridge, putting them ahead as she uncoiled 626 for the hosts. Neopolitan narrowly covered the deficit for the Surfers with her 179, but they are not out of trouble yet. Frosty hammered back with 905 for the Wolves, padding their lead significantly at the midway mark. Boots tried to offset some of the damage done, rallying for 694 to pull Pearl back into the game. Cobalt weakened the Stonebridge lead with a poor turn, hitting just 157 to leave the hosts a bit vulnerable late in the game. Wings didn't have enough pace or points to help the Surfers, falling at 266 to leave them in a loss with 1628. Prism supplied 340 for the Wolves to ice the game at 2028 in their win. Stonebridge rises to 17-22, while Pearl drops to 18-20, slowly reducing their chances at a playoff spot.
Pepsi Prestige Park, Lighton: The Prestige need to recover from a recent tripleheader sweep, but the Volcanoes have eyes on a season sweep and first place if they can win. Starlight had a brutal start for Pacific with 138, setting them with a low offensive beginning. Acorn answered with 564 for Lighton, giving them a much more stable start to work with. Ms. Kitty couldn't get control on her turn either, ending at a paltry 96, which hurts the Volcanoes even more. Spirit went big for the Prestige, belting 912 as the day continues to go well for second hitters. Leonette charged back with 860 for Pacific, but they remain noticeably behind even after the good showing. Twinkie I acrobatically dealt with a series of tough offerings, but the last one clipped her handle, ending her effort at 132 for Lighton. Chicky Phil couldn't pull off a rally, falling at 66 as the Volcanoes lose with 1160. Salmo capped the losing-streak-breaking Prestige win with 433, giving them 2041 to snap the six-game skid. Lighton rises to 18-26, while Pacific drops back into fourth place at 29-14.
Chevrolet Center, Everton: The Eagles look to snap an eight-game home losing streak, hosting the currently-dethroned Blades as they start a three-game road trip. Snowball was happy a technical error wiped out her first error, and she replaced it with 488 for Swordpoint at the start. Goldy countered with 823 for Everton, doing a great job to establish the hosts in the lead for now. Dreamy covered the deficit for the Blades, batting 568 in a solid performance from the star. Puff III fought it off with 470 for the Eagles, but their lead has weakened at the halfway mark of the game. Bandit came up short again for Swordpoint, hitting a meager 64 to keep them at a deficit. Kirstin also wasted a turn for Everton, hitting a pathetic 12 when she could have solidified their lead late in the game. Stealth made a rally with 650 for the Blades, bringing their final score to 1770 for the game, which leaves it too early to tell. Blizzard sealed the Eagles win with 495 in a spectacular rally that set them at 1800 overall. Everton is out of their funk, going to 23-18, while Swordpoint falls again to 31-15.
Nissan Infinity Stadium, Infinity: The Torpedoes need to find their feet, and facing the last-place Crowns should allow them to do that. Nightfur launched a firm attack with 594 for Royal to open the scoring in good form for the visitors. Smudge fought off some tough offerings with poise for Infinity, drilling 782 to give the hosts the initial lead. Jake countered with 464 for the Crowns, doing his part to cover the deficit and put pressure back on the hosts. Solaris failed to keep up for the Torpedoes, bowing out with 192 as the hosts trail at the midway mark. Kayla found a nice groove for Royal, riding it to 737 to pad their lead significantly with the performance. Whiskers got a favorable judgement from the referee on a deflected ball, and then cleared her cluttered pitch to end at 416 for Infinity, who still trail by a decent margin. Hannah faltered at 164 for the Crowns, giving them a final score of 1959. Mr. Snowman flicked 568 for the Torpedoes, coming up a point short at 1958 in the most heartbreaking loss of their season. Royal is shocked they held on to get to 12-29, while Infinity collapsed to 24-19.
Coca-Cola Field, Boston: The Swifts are the lucky team to host the Lumberjacks at the start of a four-game road trip as they try to snap a recent run of failure. Fluffina could only hang her head as she misplayed a deflection to end on 162 for Maplewood to open the game. Patches likely locked up a Boston win before the game even got going, smashing a satisfying 2096 to give them a likely insurmountable lead. Diddley made no move to change course for the Lumberjacks, bailing at a weak 112. Puff II decided to put the Swifts on cruise control, tapping 128 to make a mild impact in her appearance. Bryant made the Maplewood attack a bit more respectable, swatting 559 to get them off the ground a bit. Gradley showed no mercy for Boston, going out of his way to match results by scoring 564 on a good and crisp turn. Waluigi fell with 96 for the Lumberjacks, bringing their final score to 929. Sweetheart gathered an extra 579 for the Swifts, bringing their winning mark to 3367. Boston ascends to 26-14, while Maplewood crashes to 12-28.
Nike Field, Commerce: The Tradewinds are looking to be out of the race now, but the Tridents aren't as they start a four-game road trip in the Urban city. Precious played at a dangerously low pace for Pronger, and she couldn't rise up enough, ending on 237 in a poor start for the visitors. Tigerette couldn't take full advantage for Commerce, as a deflection stalled her with 249. Zach covered the deficit without issue, but fell earlier than expected at 329 when a ball got under his bat. Ice Cream couldn't do anything to save her turn from a high-arcing ball that landed square on her wicket to stop her at 147. Spot found his way a bit better for Pronger, smacking 529 to give them a stronger lead. Lionel fired back with a huge 891 for Commerce, covering the deficit to give the hosts a lead late in the game. Potter failed to get the Tridents back in front, falling at 87 to leave them with 1182 in the loss. Lorde produced a measly 45 for the Tradewinds, sealing their win at 1332. Commerce's surprise win carries them to 17-23, while Pronger falls back to 19-17.
Capital City SuperCenter, Capital City: The Sharpshooters look to earn a season split as they host the Blades in one of their weakest moments of the season in this Heartland Derby/Southwest Divisional. Snowball didn't have the strongest of starts for Swordpoint, hitting a modest 280. Chris immediately applied pressure with 801 for Capital City, giving the hosts a sizeable lead. Dreamy didn't leave anything to chance, firing back with 912 to restore a minor lead for the Blades. Missy attacked with pace and fantastic placement to wrangle 705 for the Sharpshooters. Bandit held up well for Swordpoint despite recent fatigue concerns, collecting 681 to cover the deficit again. Sprinkles cracked at 162 for Capital City, leaving them in a trailing position with a player each to go. Stealth put up 359 for the Blades, giving them a final of 2232, which leaves a lot to be decided in the final turn. Nicole couldn't pull it off for the Sharpshooters, ending at 319 to give them 1987 in the loss. Swordpoint gets a much needed recovery win to go to 32-15, while Capital City drops to 22-22.
Chevrolet Field, Everton: The Eagles have played a big role this week, toppling one league-leader and now getting a crack at the newest one when the Pilots come to town to end the week. Valencia didn't get great contact on her turn, falling off at 257 in a middling start for Golden. Goldy shot back with 710 for Everton, giving the hosts the initial lead with a much stronger effort. Dusty successfully went to her backhand three times for the Pilots, but her low pace didn't help much, as she scored 379 and failed to match the deficit. Puff III kept the Eagles in charge with 480, extending their lead at the midway mark. Strut put a good dent in the deficit for Golden with 519 on his turn, making things interesting as the game progresses toward the finish. Kirstin got beat on a wicked deflection at 129, weakening Everton's lead at a terrible time. A. Charlton failed for the Pilots at 89, sealing their loss with 1244. Blizzard kept it simple, ending on 328 to bring the Eagles to their final score of 1647 in the win. Everton seems to resent teams occupying the spot they held for so long last year, improving to 24-18, while bumping Golden aside at 25-12.
That's it for the recent three-weeks-in-one binge on Cricket. The standings will be updated soon, and the players of the week will be named on Twitter @UnitedPCL in short order. As we play through an expected 24-day Second Round of pool, we will try to get a league week of cricket in for every four or five days of pool. After the round, I do expect another, shorter, break to be taken for more cricket.
