Recap

Prairie Pronghorns Rally to Clip Rocky Mountain Rush in 5-Game Thriller

Pronghorns Women Crush Rush Counterparts 15-8

As CNPL games have gone so far, this one wasn’t even close. With many a game going to double freeze and slim margins, the Prairie Pronghorns women’s pair Kim Brent and Pam Clarke made short work of the Rush’s Alex Walker and Casey Rodgers.

Early in the game, the Pronghorns jumped out to a 4-1 lead, mostly due to returns going long or finding nothing but net. The Rush came back and knotted things up at 4-4 but found themselves down 8-5 at the side change. The Pronghorns had garnered the eighth point on a beautiful return lob that the Rush returned long.

After the change, it was much of the same, however, the Rush looked like they were getting rolling, scoring a crucial point on a great dinking rally to get the score to 12-8 in favor of the Pronghorns.

That would be as close the Rush would get, with Clarke and Brent keeping the pressure on to score the final three points and secure the opening-game victory for their team.

Rush Men Stomp Pronghorns Twosome 15-6

Unlike their female teammates, the Pronghorns Ravi Prakash and Matt Stodola couldn’t muster much in the way of offense, losing handily to the Rush’s Brett Forsythe and Sunny Buttar.

Neither pair were extremely consistent early in the proceedings, with a few key returns batted into the Selkirk net. After some uninspired play that resulted in the Rush taking a 7-3 lead, the Pronghorns opted for a timeout.

After the side change and up 8-3, the Rush kept up the aggressive play, smashing returns well, with one hitting Prakash in the mid-section to give the Rush a commanding 10-3 lead.

The rest of the way, dinking rallies weren’t particularly long, with short and deep returns ending them very quickly. After a quick timeout and the score 14-6, the final point for the Rush was quite anti-climactic, with the return on serve hitting the net.

Rush Mixed Pair Defeat Pronghorns Duo 15-12 to give their Team the Match Lead

The Rush kept the momentum in this closest of all games, though it wasn’t particularly sharp in the beginning minutes, with both teams trading long and short returns, flipping the score back and forth.

The Rush’s mixed duo of Brett Forsythe and Alex Walker made just enough good shots to escape with an 8-5 lead into side change over Pronghorns pair Pam Clarke and Ravi Prakash.

After side change, there were a few spirited dinking rallies, but in most cases the team on its heels was able to escape after returns were sent into the net our out. Down 12-8, the Pronghorns did stage a small rally, taking three straight points to go into a timeout down only 12-11.

The Pronghorns failed to capitalize on the momentum they built before the timeout, handing the Rush two easy points on long returns in the 15-12 defeat.

Pronghorns Turn the Tide with Impressive 15-9 Win in Second Mixed Doubles Game

Anyone watching this pivotal game in the first minutes could see that the Pronghorns mixed twosome of Matt Stodola and Kim Brent were on a mission to square the catch for their team. They kept their Rush opponents Sunny Buttar and Casey Rodgers on their heels, jumping out to a 5-1 lead on some inspired dinking play and forcing the Rush to take a timeout.

The teams swapped three points apiece on some good dinking play, with the Pronghorns taking an 8-4 lead into side change. The Rush took advantage of the break, playing a little more inspired pickleball to outscore the Rush 4-2 going into a timeout down just 10-8.

Buttar and Rodgers failed to capitalize, though, going down 13-9 into a last timeout. Stodola and Brent played staunch defense after the break, dinking very well, and winning on a solid lefty smash by Stodola.

Pronghorns Complete Comeback over Rush with overwhelming Singles Victory

Ultimately, this was the Matty Stodola Show, as the Pronghorns lefty won both his three-point mini-games against his Rush opponent in the pivotal singles game.

He started hot, earning a 2-1 advantage for his team by sending Brett Forsythe all over the court with great deep shots for the second point. After that, it was all downhill for the Rush. Sunny Buttar surrendered another three-spot to the Pronghorns’ Ravi Prakash and both Pronghorns women Kim Brent and Pam Clarke won 2-1against Alex Walker and Casey Rodgers of the Rush.

With the score 9-3, then, Stodola – fittingly – was set up to finish the game and the match. And he did, admirably, outplaying Forsythe once again to hand the Pronghorns a hard-fought match win.