Blades Fusion ProGlide Park, Swordpoint: The Blades get the first game of the day, hosting the Rockers in a minor rivalry on top of the playoff intensity. Misty led things off with 513 for Westside, a strong start for the visitors from their star captain. Snowball's rough playoff form continued with 311 for Swordpoint in this appearance, giving them a bit of a deficit early in the game. Goatee pummeled a stronger 775 for the Rockers on her turns, padding their lead nicely with the effort. Dreamy provided a highly effective counterattack with 920 for the Blades, bringing the scores close at the halfway mark. Midnight chipped 287 for Westside on her turn, weakening their lead pretty badly. Bandit did enough with 400 for Swordpoint to give them the lead with a player each to go in a close game. Slinks had good pace and contact on her swings for the Rockers, drilling 484 to give them a final score of 2059. Stealth couldn't launch another comeback for the Blades, ending with 113 for a total of 1744 in the loss. Westside's win here marks Swordpoint's first playoff loss of the year, with Westside leading the series 1-0.
Samsung Whitewater Stadium, Whitewater: The only team to pull off an upset is in town, as the Eagles visit the Shores in what could be a high-scoring series between past league-leaders. Goldy didn't get the memo for offense, hitting a paltry 48 on the opening turn for Everton. Bear easily handled his opening turn for Whitewater, smashing 959 to give them a huge lead initially. Puff III put up a decent 447 for the Eagles on her turn, but that only halved the deficit her side faces. Twinkie III couldn't match her sister after a technical error, but her 421 kept the lead mostly steady at the halfway mark. Kirstin scooped up 479 for Everton on her turn, but the visitors aren't digging deep enough into the deficit. Marsell had some initial struggles with pace for Whitewater, but his persistent and chaotic swings turned into 592 points to boost their lead one more time. Blizzard managed 428 for the Eagles, but they couldn't get enough as they took the loss with 1402. Shaggy ripped another 704 for the Shores at the end of the game, giving them a winning score of 2676. Whitewater's undefeated march continues with a 1-0 series lead over Everton in this series.
Amazon Field, Golden: The Pilots had a slightly easier time than the Predators in the first round to reach this all-Southeastern quarterfinal series. Shawn got bailed out of a distracted effort by a technical error replay, only to score a meager 98 on the second try as Midland starts cold. Valencia capitalized on the early opportunity to make an impact with 613 for Golden, good for a big lead early on. Rainmane made a good attempt to get back into the game with 439 for the Predators, but they still trail slightly. Dusty took a bit of a stumble for the Pilots with an uncharacteristically low 120 on her turn. Leonardo struck 375 for Midland on his turn, the solid effort covering the deficit by a thin margin. Strut reclaimed the lead with 367 on his turn, but the relatively tight game is still up for grabs at the final players' turns. Fuchsia attacked well for the Predators in response with 411, giving them 1323 total to force one more reply out of the hosts. A. Charlton flicked 339 for the Pilots at the end, sealing their win at 1439 in a competitive first game. Golden will have the early advantage at 1-0 in the series.
Verizon Field, Pacific: The Volcanoes and Warriors renew a bitter playoff rivalry on top of the usual Sisterhood Derby represented by their captains. Twilight found a more difficult set of offerings on hand than from the previous series, taking just 102 for Central to lead off here. Starlight kept better control of the ball on her turn with 447 for Pacific, giving them a noticeable lead. Dustin had a couple of false starts for the Warriors, but he settled in to score 714 on the third attempt, pulling the visitors ahead. Ms. Kitty couldn't produce a response with 133 for the Volcanoes, allowing the hosts to slip behind at the midway mark. Mario couldn't keep his swing down enough for Central, ending at 160 to create a bit of vulnerability. Leonette made minor progress with 255 for Pacific after getting into a good rhythm. Gizmo went with 484 for the Warriors at the end, his strong pace helping them close at 1460 overall. Chicky Phil picked up 326 for the Volcanoes at the end, not enough to save them from losing with 1161. Central holds the 1-0 series lead as Pacific takes another early-series stumble.
Amazon Field, Golden: The Pilots and Predators go at it again to lead off the game 2 portion of the day after lunch. Shawn still had a troublesome lack of pace plaguing his efforts for Midland, as he produced a mild 252 on the opening turn of the game. Valencia countered with 424 for Golden on her turn, not as strong as last time but enough to establish a lead. Rainmane failed to cover the deficit for the Predators, managing a weak 160 to get them fairly close. Dusty made a modest addition to the lead for the Pilots, tapping 273 as the offense seems to be cooler in this meeting. Leonardo had a much more convincing appearance for Midland this time, his 480 covering the deficit by a slight margin. Strut broke things open again for Golden, slashing 707 to give them a large lead with a player each to go. Fuchsia had to go to her backhand rather early for the Predators, and she couldn't bring the ball down, ending with 150 to give her side 1042 in the loss. A. Charlton occasionally flirted with danger for the Pilots, but hauled in 552 to ice their win at 1956. Golden is up to 2-0 in the series with this win, a good mark to head slightly east with.
Blades Fusion ProGlide Park, Swordpoint: The Blades are prepared for another match with the Rockers, who got by them in the opener today. Misty didn't do as much damage this time for Westside, settling for a solid 344 on the first turn of the game. Snowball showed great pace and a bit of urgency as well in striking 723 for Swordpoint to give them a significant initial lead. Goatee made a mess of her turn with only 207 for the Rockers after attacking at a slow pace. A cluttered pitch brought down Dreamy for the Blades, but not after a small gain of 242 to add to the hosts' lead. Midnight couldn't manage to cover the deficit for Westside, grabbing an acceptable 326 to challenge the hosts. Bandit had only 144 for Swordpoint, weakening their lead late in the game as the final players come to bat. Slinks covered the deficit with 452 for the Rockers to put them at 1329, forcing the hosts to respond. Stealth answered with 663 for the Blades, a big finish to cap their win at 1772. Swordpoint showed a more resilient side this time, tying the series at 1 before they north for tomorrow's games.
Samsung Whitewater Stadium, Whitewater: The Shores have yet to dip under 2000 points in any game, setting a high standard to keep meeting as they host the Eagles again. Goldy launched a much stronger attack this time, blasting 716 for Everton to give them a strong opening turn. Whitewater finds themselves in an unfamiliar position after Bear had just 320 in response to create an early deficit. Puff III replied with 907 for the Eagles on her turn, padding their lead with another massive performance. Twinkie III couldn't get the Shores offense back on track, taking just 260 as the deficit gets worse. Kirstin stumbled with a measly 25 for Everton, accidentally slapping a ball up and out of play on her third swing. Marsell had the makings of a rally early in his turn, but a failed backhand would stall him at 264, leaving a large deficit in play late in the game. Blizzard spiked 670 for the Eagles in a strong outing to seal their likely victorious score at 2318. Shaggy had the Shores' best effort with 463, but they ended up taking the loss at 1307, their first of the postseason. The series heads east tied at 1.
Verizon Field, Pacific: Both teams change into their third jerseys for the finale today, as the Warriors look to take an even stronger lead than they could have expected. Twilight pounded 591 for Central on the opening turn here, a stronger output than in the last game. Alarms should be sounding for Pacific, even this early in the game, as Starlight had just 152 to create a sizable deficit. Dustin took the poor outing this time for the Warriors, contributing a meager 51 to their offense. Ms. Kitty did enough to cover the deficit very lightly, her 496 making it virtually a new game at the midway point. Mario made a big impact for Central in response, restoring their lead with his 615 in a strong appearance by the rookie. Leonette gathered a strong 496 for Pacific, keeping them within striking distance late in the game. Gizmo melted under pressure, unable to turn onto his backhand when a deflected ball got behind his swing. He ended at 63 to give his team 1320 overall. Chicky Phil swatted 499 in the end to give the Volcanoes 1643 in the win, tying the series at 1 with their balanced comeback effort.
That's all for the first two quarterfinal games. We've got games 3 and 4 on the slate tomorrow from the lower-ranked teams' venues.
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