Even the Pickleball Industry is not immune from the increasing financial burden of inflation and rising costs. Our lead reporter was forced to pick up a second career to cover these costs and missed some of the early action in the day, so please note the recaps are either gathered second-hand or completely fabricated, depending on your point of view. 😊
Match 1:  The Zimmerman’s vs The Morgan’s
Rob and Lisa were back in CPL action to make their season debuts against the Ross and Catlyn, looking to build off of a successful Week 1 outing. The Morgan’s wasted little time in setting the tone to quickly take game 1 by a score of 11-5. The Zimmerman’s, however, would not go quietly and stormed back in game 2 with a 11-5 win, forcing the deciding third game. In the end, it was the Morgan’s who came out on top in Game 3, 11-4 to earn the victory.
Match 2:  The Keck’s (Scott & Stephanie) vs The Schmidt’s
Back on the court for the first time this season were two-time defending champions, Scott & Stephanie. There to greet them were Damon and Erin looking to end the Keck’s run of dominance at the top. The Keck’s came out hitting on all cylinders to earn Game 1 by a 11-0 final. The Schmidt’s were able to avoid a second pickle in Game 2, but still fell short 11-4 to fall to 1-2 overall on the year.
Match 3:  The Morgan’s vs The Miller’s
The third match of the evening saw a highly entertaining and engaging matchup between the Miller’s and the Morgan’s. The two foes split the first two games with Ross and Catlyn winning Game 1, 11-6; and Matt and Renee taking Game 2 11-4 to set up an epic battle in Game 3 where 11 points were not going to be enough to win. Both team had opportunities to seal the win, but in the end it was The Morgan’s who would get the necessary 2 point advantage first to earn the 13-11 win and take the match.
Match 4:  The Keck’s (Scott & Stephanie) vs The Zimmerman’s
After witnessing the previous matchups 3-game thriller, the Keck’s were on a mission to get to the beer cooler early with Rob and Lisa reeling from a narrow defeat in the first match of the evening. Scott and Stephanie would not be denied another pair of shutouts and won the match 11-0, 11-0 in straight games.
Match 5:  The Miller’s vs The Schmidt’s
Our next match-up for the evening had defense as the focus in a good old-fashioned, slobber-knocker the set the record for longest match in league history. Points were hard to come by with both teams limiting scoring opportunities during opponents serve. Matt and Renee were able to sneak just enough of a lead and hold on to win Game 1, 11-7. Game 2 was more of the same with both teams making it difficult for the other to score. Damon and Erin were able to get a little momentum at the right time to force a third game by winning game 2, 13-11. As the game aproached the 60th minute, Air Miller found his mojo to power the Miller’s to an 11-8 victory to earn the win. Due to a lack of oxygen masks available during this marathon of a match, neither team was available for comment on this historic encounter.
Match 6:  The Brown’s (Kurtis & Chelsea) vs The Weisenburger’s
Curtis and Rose were back for their second season, making their season debut against Kurtis and Chelsea who were looking to remain atop the league leader board. The Brown’s were on a mission to get the games back on schedule and worked quickly in a 11-1, 11-0 victory.
Match 7:  The Keck’s 2 (Ryan & Katie) vs The Weisenburger’s
One of four new franchises to enter the league this year, Ryan & Katie debuted against Curtis & Rose with both teams looking to enter the win column for the first time on the season. The Keck’s though came out looking to take the league by storm and earned an 11-1 win in Game 1. Game 2 was more of the same with Ryan and Katie teaming up to earn the pickle and win the match with an 11-0 score in Game 2.
Match 8:  The Brown’s vs The Van Ham’s
Our next match saw the season debut of the fan-favorite Van Ham’s, with Kelly back in action after being on the sidelines last year with a uterus full of child. Mark and Kelly were ready to make a statement, but Kurtis and Chelsea had other plans. By the time reporters gathered, Game 1 was already won by the Brown’s 11-4, with Game 2 well into its flow. Despite some solid back and forth action, the Brown’s continued their Season 3 momentum and rolled to an 11-1 win in Game 2 to start the year 4-0.
Match 9: The Keck’s vs The Donaldson’s
Fresh off of winnig in their league debut, the 2021’s CPL runners-up were next on the docket for the Keck’s. The Donaldson’s were looking to start their season off with a win and jumped out to an early lead. Despite some impressive range shown by Ryan and Katie’s left-handed assault, Brian and Sarah were able to take Game 1, 11-1. Game 2 echoed Gem 1 with Sarah serving The Donaldson’s to an 11-2 victory.
Match 10:  The Donaldson’s vs The Van Ham’s
The final scheduled match of the evening pitted a DuPont cross-town showdown. The Van Ham’s raced out to a 4-3 lead in Game 1 highlghted by an emphatic slam by Mark that caught Brian in the inner upper thigh region. Now aware of the intensity of the match, the Donaldson’s went on a roll with Sarah leading the charge to finish out Game 1 with a score of 11-4 for the Donaldson’s. Game 2 saw some nice action at the net from both teams, but in the end it was Team Donaldson able to secure the match with an 11-4 win in Game 2.
And with that, week 2 is in the books. Due to Father’s Day next weekend, Week 3 will be a fun week with all teams being mixed with different partners for a fun mid-season tournament. Thanks for tuning in and see you all next week!