Game 1: Verizon Field, Pacific. The first two games are out on the coast, with the Volcanoes playing host as the regular season champions with home field advantage. Goldy made a reasonable start with 410 for Everton in the lead-off role, hoping to establish their offense early in the game. Starlight took a minor step back from her recent production levels for Pacific, only able to take 243 on the hosts' first turn in this game. Puff III showed up with even more strength for the Eagles, slapping 756 to boost their lead. Ms. Kitty made a good counterattack with 668 for the Volcanoes, keeping them within striking distance. Kirstin stumbled quite a bit with a low pace and just 149 points for Everton, weakening their lead. Leonette just edged Pacific ahead with 416 on her turn, setting up a close finish to the first battle between these teams. Blizzard made a decent effort with 371 for the Eagles, giving them a final of 1686. Chicky Phil couldn't get the Volcanoes going at the end, bowing out with a pitiful 37 to leave them at 1364 in the loss. Everton has a 1-0 series lead early on, putting the regular season champions on notice.
Game 2: Verizon Field, Pacific: The Volcanoes have some work to do now after dropping the series opener on their own field. Goldy crushed a much more intimidating 1099 for Everton at the start of this game, setting them up for success with the strong performance. Starlight accidentally tipped a ball backward, and she couldn't recover in time, ending on 168 for Pacific in a poor start. Puff III ran a highly effective second attack with 631 for the Eagles, padding their lead quite a bit. Ms. Kitty made a small dent in the deficit with her 748 for the Volcanoes, trying to keep them in the fight. Kirstin came up a bit flat after a decent start to her turn, closing with 298 for Everton in a small addition to their lead. Leonette added some more pressure with 742 for Pacific, her strong attack pulling them closer with a player each to go. Blizzard took a small stumble with 177 for the Eagles, leaving them at 2205 total for the game, far from a safe mark. Chicky Phil attacked with force, rallying to 594 for the Volcanoes that secured a win for them at 2252 total. Pacific's furious comeback tied the series at 1 before the series shifts to the east.
Game 3: Chevrolet Field, Everton: The Eagles just got a taste of the dangerous Volcanoes offense, and will need to be better at locking games down at home. Starlight's struggles with scoring continued on the road, with just 30 points to lead things off in poor form for Pacific. Goldy had a much more respectable start for Everton, slicing 480 to give the hosts a nice lead early on. Ms. Kitty wasn't able to cover the deficit on her turn, tapping 348 as the Volcanoes scuffle again. Puff III had a sloppy appearance for the Eagles this time out, only able to take a meager 65 points as their lead weakens. Leonette covered the deficit with 192 for Pacific, but not by a wide margin as the game remains low-scoring. Kirstin took a middling 200 in response for Everton, restoring their small lead ahead of the final players' turns. Chicky Phil applied some pressure with 416 for the Volcanoes this time, ending their offense at 986 for the game. Blizzard thought she had enough with 240 for the Eagles, but in the end, they had 985, losing by a single point that could change the direction of the series. Pacific has to feel blessed to get this win and the corresponding 2-1 series lead.
Game 4: Chevrolet Field, Everton: The Eagles need to swallow the heartbreak quickly, as the Volcanoes will take the recent narrow win as motivation. Starlight found her offense to lead off this battle for Pacific, hammering 800 for a strong start for the visitors. Goldy made up about half of the initial deficit with 396 for Everton, but they've got work to do after being rattled at the end of the last game. Ms. Kitty fired back with 1016 for the Volcanoes, her big performance extending the lead significantly. Puff III answered with 499 for the Eagles, a strong turn but also not enough to keep the deficit steady at the midway mark. Leonette had a rocky turn for Pacific with only 184 points added to the offense, weakening their lead. Kirstin did her part well for Everton with 416, trying to pull them closer late in the game. Chicky Phil shot back with 585 for the Volcanoes at the end, setting their final at 2585, a lofty mark. Blizzard took an embarrassing 12 for the Eagles at the end, leaving them with 1323. Pacific's win here sends them home on the brink of the championship at a 3-1 series lead.
Game 5: Verizon Field, Pacific. The Volcanoes have a chance to sweep the cricket season if they can pick up one more win at home against the Eagles. Goldy attacked with pace for Everton early on, but an errant hit downed her at 225, a mediocre performance on the whole. Starlight saw her offense deflate a bit again for Pacific, but her critical backhand touch kept her turn going until she ended at 299. Puff III offered a far more imposing effort for the Eagles in attack with 571, giving them a nice lead. Ms. Kitty offered up a stronger counterattack for the Volcanoes, her 679 restoring their lead halfway through the game. Kirstin covered the deficit for Everton with 486 on her turn, a strong performance from the sophomore. Leonette couldn't quite keep up for Pacific, her 298 putting them behind by just a handful of points with the final players' turns left. Blizzard offered a stern challenge with 431 for the Eagles, putting their final score at 1713. Chicky Phil couldn't secure the game for the Volcanoes, falling at 305 instead as they lost with 1581 this time. The Eagles can't be counted out yet, as this win brings the series to 3-2 in favor of Pacific.
Chevrolet Field, Everton: The Eagles won their first of up to three must-win games, earning a trip back home for this game 6 against the Volcanoes. Starlight saw her offense fail her again this time, taking a weak 112 for Pacific in a lackluster start to this critical game. Goldy responded with a massive performance, crushing 1123 for Everton to give them a large lead immediately. Ms. Kitty shot back with 666 for the Volcanoes, doing her part to pull them closer after a rough first turn. Puff III did fairly well to fight off most of that damage with 619 for the Eagles, maintaining their lead at the midway point. Leonette chipped in with 411 for Pacific on her turn, but it's not considering a threatening effort from the veteran. Kirstin had a bit of a tumble with 192 for Everton, weakening their lead slightly with a player each to go. Chicky Phil made one late rally with 504 for the Volcanoes, leaving them short at 1693. Blizzard kept it fairly simple with 423 at the end, sealing the Eagles' win at 2357. Everton has fought hard to this point, tying the series at 3 to set up the grandest of finales for this year.
Game 7: Verizon Field, Pacific. The season, the series, and the Hutton Cup's destination all come down to this single game, as the two foes break their 3-all tie for the championship right now. Goldy floated 455 for Everton to open the game, a serviceable performance from the captain. Starlight didn't cover the deficit for Pacific at first, but her 359 kept it closer than most of the starts in this series. Puff III covered that damage easily, although the deflection that ended her turn overshadowed a remarkable pace she had going for the Eagles. Ms. Kitty didn't do as well for the Volcanoes with 308, allowing the deficit to grow at the midway mark. Kirstin made a hefty contribution to the offense for Everton with her 627, padding their lead quite nicely at this stage of the game. Leonette charged back with 755 for Pacific, as if this series could end any other way than a close battle between the final players in the final game. Blizzard didn't get a whole lot out of her turn with 256 for the Eagles, who end at 1699 overall and will wait to see how the hosts respond. Chicky Phil came up short at 96 for the Volcanoes, their 1518 ending their title hopes. The Everton Eagles lift the Hutton Cup with a 4-3 series win.
Interviews
Hutton Cup MVP and Eagles captain Goldy: "It feels great to be able to bring this city, this team, a championship. I was here in those early years where we could barely score any points and we were constantly getting run over, and I'm glad the team stuck by me, allowed me to be the core of this team for our championship. Obviously, our depth is one of our strengths, and while the middle of this season was tough, we got hot when we needed to and maybe surprised some of our opponents here. We're never done when others think we are, and that's what makes being an Eagle so great."
Puff III: "I really enjoy playing a spark-plug role with this team. I thrive under pressure, and I'm so excited to see everything fall into place to make this championship possible. I think Goldy and I especially do a great job of setting the table, making it easier for the players behind us to contribute in a comfortable environment. I obviously had my best year this year. To end with the Hutton Cup makes it that much sweeter, and I love my teammates and what we've built here."
Blizzard: "I remember when the Eagles drafted me after I got cut by the Blades two years ago, and I thought 'they're good at pool, but cricket's never been good.' Now, I've seen a regular season title and a Hutton Cup in my two years here, and I'm really happy to be a part of it. We have a good group here, and it'll be great to get Cleo back in the fold next season. This team stays so composed, we always fight back, and while our regular season wasn't great, we did what we had to here to get ourselves at the Premier level for next year, where we can be in a good position to defend this title. I look forward to enjoying this championship, but also for next year and years beyond."
Kirstin: "It's my first year here, and coming here after kind of a messy rookie year with the Monarchs... I really learned to be a professional. I appreciate the confidence of management to bat me third, even though I didn't show much last year in that role with Southern. Having a veteran like Blizzard behind me, a captain like Goldy, they both know how to have patience when things aren't going right. Puff [III] and I are a bit more relaxed, and she had an amazing year. Just being surrounded with talent like this, every single game, it's a pleasure. Best way to end the year."
Now, for the bad news. The UPCL season is done, after facing so much adversity. It's been a long 14 months to get to this point. The recent boost in cricket activity is going to have to give way to a prolonged absence from action, both to let the players and let myself rest. As of now, I would expect preseason action to begin in the first week of November, and the regular season should get going around the middle of the month. For the rest of this week, we'll have silence on here until Thursday, when the trading window opens. Deals are being negotiated currently, but all will be announced come Thursday, ahead of the draft tentatively scheduled for Friday. A list of players available for selection should be published following the trading window on Thursday. The early part of the week will be contained to mostly administrative tasks, and potentially the formation of the schedules for the upcoming cricket season and such things as cue allocations for pool. This may happen this week, or it could be put off until later. When pool resumes next Monday, it will be with the Cutthroat mini-tournament. You'll see some of this stuff in action as it happens.
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