Amazon Field, Golden: The Pilots and Predators, Southeastern rivals, battle it out in a tied series as both teams look for the inside lane heading toward the finish. Shawn had a tough time getting started for Midland with 126 on his opening turn, letting early pace give way to bad game management. Valencia slugged a massive 1601 for Golden on their first turn, giving them a mammoth lead. Rainmane pulled the Predators back into the fight with 1150 on her turn, a strong response for the visitors. Dusty took a stumble at 54 on a bad hit for the Pilots, allowing their lead to shrink drastically. Leonardo kept the Midland attack at a high pace with 688, covering the deficit with the big performance. Strut made a bit of a mess near the end of his turn, but he restored Golden's lead with 656 this time out. Fuchsia had just 60 for the Predators at the end, their comeback dying in a loss at 2024. A. Charlton easily provided 576 at the end to cap the Pilots' winning total at 2887 in the high-scoring game. Golden has this win, and will travel again leading the series 3-2.
Verizon Field, Pacific: The Volcanoes took a pair of road games yesterday, and now the Warriors are the road team, fighting for their playoff lives going forward. Twilight lined 433 for Central to open the scoring in this game in decent form for the visitors. Starlight kept close but had trouble with her pace for Pacific in this appearance, taking 340 to minimize the deficit early on. Dustin lacked an explosive presence for the Warriors this time, adding a mild 312 to their lead. Ms. Kitty made very minor progress for the Volcanoes with 339 on her turn, cutting into the deficit slightly at the midway point. Mario popped a ball straight up and couldn't corral it on his backhand, ending with 176 as Central becomes quite vulnerable. Leonette took care of business for Pacific, belting 856 on her turn to give them a huge lead with a player each to go. Gizmo forced the hosts to respond by hitting 695 for the Warriors to give them 1616 total. Chicky Phil went simple at the end, with 133 for the Volcanoes enough to give them the win at 1668. Pacific wins the series 4-1, the first team to punch their ticket to the semifinals, and they finally look like the regular season champions again.
Blades Fusion ProGlide Park, Swordpoint: The Blades lost twice yesterday, putting them in an unfavorable position as they return home on the brink of elimination against the Rockers. Misty had her worst game of the playoffs this time, poking a sorry 25 for Westside after a bad swing. Snowball took advantage of the chance to establish Swordpoint as leaders, slicing 639 for a big lead at the start. Goatee pulled back just a bit too much on one of her swings, ending at 128 as the Rockers see the deficit worsen. Dreamy didn't provide a devastatingly effective attack, but she added 324 for the Blades to pad their lead. Midnight exploded with 956 for Westside, quite suddenly putting them in the lead with her deficit-covering effort. Bandit covered the deficit, but not by much, as he took 242 in a mediocre performance. Slinks didn't get much done for the Rockers with her 160, leaving them at 1269, which will force the hosts to respond. Stealth chipped in with 336 for the Blades on his turn, sealing their win at 1541. Swordpoint stayed alive for another game, but they're still down 3-2 in the series with a road game next on the slate.
Samsung Whitewater Stadium, Whitewater: The Shores have to stop their skid now if they want to play another game against the suddenly-surging Eagles. Goldy attacked with pace early in the turn, but a long swing ended her turn at 144 as she lifted a ball out of bounds. Bear countered effectively with 560 for Whitewater at the start of the game, giving the hosts a nice lead. Puff III slammed 673 in response for the Eagles, her big attack covering the deficit by a noticeable amount. Twinkie III blew the lead away for the Shores, stumbling at 152 to give them a slight deficit halfway through the game. Kirstin tacked on another 551 for Everton, as the visitors make up for their slow start with a potent mid-game attack. Marsell had only 193 for Whitewater on the response, making their comeback less likely as the final players come to bat. Shaggy couldn't save the Shores with only 319 on her turn, giving them a losing total of 1224 to seal their elimination. Blizzard nearly had a brilliant backhand, but she got tangled up and ended at 36, giving the Eagles 1404 in the win. Everton advances on a 4-1 series win, making an improbable run into the semifinals.
BMW RockDome, Westside: The Rockers get another chance to advance, this time playing host to the Blades, who hope to build off their momentum from the last game. Snowball had a shaky start for Swordpoint this time, unable to find her swing just right and ending on a poor 176. Misty just barely put Westside ahead on her turn with 184, getting a ball stuck on her bat before a poor swing ended her turn. Dreamy couldn't set the Blades apart this time, wasting a good pace with a bad swing that ended her turn at 144. Goatee got the offense on track with 719 for the Rockers this time, giving them a large lead in the middle of the game. Bandit almost assuredly ended Swordpoint's season with a poor turn, taking a measly 28 after a deflection ended his turn. Midnight put in a wonderful effort to secure the lead for Westside with 824, a huge boost to the hosts on the brink of advancing. Stealth tried to rally for the Blades, but his 328 was far from enough as they lost with 676. Slinks accepted 227 for the Rockers at the end as a technical error ended her turn, and they took the win with 1954. Westside advances to face the Pacific Volcanoes in the semifinals after this 4-2 series win.
HP Field, Midland: The Predators once again find themselves behind when returning home, while the Pilots could get past their Southlands rivals with a win here. Valencia maintained good form for Golden to lead off this game with 579 for the visitors. Shawn couldn't even manage to get half of it back for Midland on his turn, a middling 268 holding the hosts back early on. Dusty gave a good supporting run with 432 for the Pilots, doing well on her turn to pad the lead. Rainmane kept the deficit steady on her turn, contributing 416 to an increasingly desperate Predators team that trails at the halfway mark. Strut kept the Golden offense both efficient and balanced, carving out 490 more for their lead. Leonardo made one frantic push with 710 for Midland, helping them close the deficit a bit before the final players come to bat. A. Charlton had a rough game with 256, leaving the Pilots at 1757 total, far from a safe mark. Fuchsia gave the Predators new life with her 457, saving the day as they win with 1851 total. The series is tied at 3, somewhat shockingly sending it back for a game 7 in Golden.
Amazon Field, Golden: The only Game 7 of the round is between the Southlands rivals, and will be the final game played for the quarterfinals. Shawn was mostly stymied again for Midland in this game, beginning the scoring with a modest 299 despite a fairly long turn. Valencia picked a bad game for a downturn in offense, taking only 193 after an awkward hit, giving Golden an early deficit. Rainmane had a solid 391 for the Predators this time, adding a bit to their tight lead. Dusty covered the deficit with 562 for the Pilots, including a wonderful backhand to keep her turn alive in the middle. Leonardo couldn't step up with a backhand of his own, bowing out at 149 as Midland falls into a dangerous position. Strut barely retained the lead for Golden, a deflection cutting him off at 92 to create a very close finish to the game. Fuchsia played a solid turn with 392 for the Predators, giving them a total of 1231 to challenge the hosts. A. Charlton let a swing get away from her, ending on 185 to send the Pilots packing at 1032. Midland played with fire for the entire series, but emerged with a 4-3 series win, earning the right to host the Everton Eagles in the semifinals.
That's all for today. Tomorrow, games 1-3 of the Hutton Cup Semifinals will be played for both series, with the leftovers played on Friday. Despite a busy weekend ahead, the Finals are still on track for Monday.
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