The hottest sports league in town was back in action Sunday evening with a full docket of matches with 10 teams set to duel it out in Continental Pickleball League action. Sunday had everything from shocking upsets to impressive debuts and continued dominance. Here’s how things all shook out:
Match 1: The Wagner’s were eager for revenge after their razor-thin loss to the top ranked Schmidt’s last week and looking to spoil the debut of the Keck Team (Special thanks to Kelly C for filling in for Mrs. Keck; and special thanks to Stephanie for your work on the front lines in the hospital). The Wagner’s were picked by Fandirt’s betting guru, Bonecutter, as a -10,000 favorite to win based on last week’s momentum. The Wagner’s looked to do just that as they came out on fire and were all over the court en route to a 11-7 win in Game 1. With the competitive juices flaring now, Scott and Kelly refused to lie down and battled back to take Game 2 with a final tally of 11-6. The deciding Game 3 was back and forth throughout with great defensive shots landed and amazing displays of athleticism for a bunch of 30-somethings. When the dust settled it was the underdog story as the Keck’s took the game and match 11-7 making a statement for the coming weeks.
Match 2: The second game of the evening brought on a match between The Winkle’s and the celebrity guest fill-in team for the week, The Louiselle’s. The defensive intensity was through the roof as both teams struggled to score throughout the match with great defensive play by both teams. Game 1 saw the Louiselle’s come out to a brief lead early, but the Winkle’s stormed back to take the game 11-9. A switch of sides spurred another Team Louiselle run to a 4-0 lead to start the game which they eventually grew to 9-6. This is where the defense stepped up as all four players had 2 rounds of serves before any more points were scored. Overcoming fatigue, the Winkle’s broke through to score the final 5 points for the comeback win, securing the game 11-9 and taking the match. The Winkle’s have yet to drop a game and looking like a tough out for the remainder of the season as they now stand at 2-0 in matches and 4-0 in games with an impressive +16 point differential.
Match 3: Making their highly anticipated CPL debut, the Brown’s were set to take on the Zimmerman’s in the third tilt of the evening. It didn’t take long for either team to get comfortable with some incredible skill shots by both sides to get the rowdy crowd going. A couple of emphatic kill shots by Chelsea sealed Game 1 for the Brown’s 11-7. Game 2 saw some back and forth action with some extended volleys going both ways. When it was all said and done, however, Game 2 ended the same as game 1 with the Brown’s winning 11-7 to take the match. The Zimmerman’s have had some bad luck now with a total +/- of -4 over two weeks and look to put some in the win column next week.
Match 4: All the trash talk and build this week centered on the matchup between the Horstman’s and Schmidt’s. The Schmidt’s took that smack talk to heart and came out with intimidation on their side debuting matching jerseys to show their unity and teamwork. It worked in Game 1 as they took it 11-7 despite some very nice skill shown by both teams. Game 2 brought about a renewed focus and determination by the Horstman’s storming back and taking the game 11-6. Sensing defeat the Schmidt’s switched their tactics to hit the ball at the pregnant chick with a whatever it takes to win mindset to build a comfortable lead in Game 3. Despite a valiant effort by the Horstman’s, fatigue from celebrating a Sacrament of the Lord of their firstborn set in and the Schmidt’s dominated the final game 11-4 to take the match.
Match 5: The last scheduled bout of the evening featured the debut of Team Morgan (with the Viper Janet Coble filling in while Catlyn still recovers from surgery) against The Donaldson’s. The first game saw the teams knocking off rust in the beginning. Action picked up throughout and game 1 culminated with a Sarah D kill shot to give the Donaldson’s Game 1 with a final score of 11-5. Game 2 saw a complete turn of events with some spectacular serves by both Ross and Janet. Game 2 went to the Morgan’s 11-4. Game 3 saw a defensive struggle with neither team able to hold serve to score points in the first portion of the deciding game. The Donaldson’s got hot at the right time to finish the game on a little run to win the game 11-5 and take the match.
Bonus Match: The hecklers were out in full force with the crowds ballooning for CPL action. The friendly banter struck a chord with Neil as he challenged the Shoeless Dutchman to a 1v1 match. Mark was so confident he decided to remove his clogs and take on Horstman barefoot. His strange and bold strategy caught Neil by surprise as Mark rushed out to a 4-0. However, the importance of proper footwear became evident as Neil rattled off 11 straight points to win the classic game of Pro vs Heckler.
Week 3 will feature the debut of 2 new teams as well as continued skill development from our others. Feel free to stop out and enjoy the best sports action in town, and quite frankly the world right now. Ticket prices are quite reasonable and the comradery is unmatched! See you all next Sunday.