The Huskies want revenge.
The last time the No. 4 Washington softball team played No. 2
UCLA, it was demoralized, beaten 10-0 in a run-rule six inning
slaughter.
The day before, a two-out error by right fielder Aimee Minor
cost the Huskies the game, allowing the Bruins to score all five of
their runs in the sixth inning; a 5-2 UCLA win.
The two teams will reunite today in Seattle.
“Our team always looks for an opportunity to right itself
against any Pac-10 team,” Washington coach Teresa Wilson
said. “In these tough games, all you have to do is create
some small cracks, and all of the water comes through.”
Last time the two met, then No. 3 Washington was coming in on a
hot streak, having won its last seven games. UCLA, on the other
hand, had been in a funk, losing three out of its last five.
But one error seemed to revitalize the Bruins, sending them off
on a six-game winning streak and sending the Huskies into a
downward spiral.
“I have to admit sometimes you’d rather be lucky
than good,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said after the game.
“I always tell the kids, if you stay positive the game will
pay you back. We got a little bit of payback with that break, and
we busted it open.”
The Bruins (39-5, 11-3 Pac-10) continued to create breaks for
themselves against Stanford Saturday and Sunday, winning both games
with late-inning heroics.
Conversely, Washington (40-9-1. 7-7) was on a four-game Pac-10
losing streak until it salvaged an extra-inning game from Cal on
Sunday.
“It was simply a matter of us getting a couple
breaks,” Wilson said. “We couldn’t get any big
hits before that. Sunday; we found a way.”
This game also comes on the heels of the NCAA regional site
announcement Monday evening. Under the old system, both teams would
have hosted regionals, since they are both in the top eight of the
country. But the new system dictates that sites be given based on
geography and travel concerns, not quality of play.
“We were definitely hoping to host a region,” Wilson
said.
“I feel for all the Pac-10 teams, the strongest conference
in the country. The closer the parity gets, the more people have to
be careful. Familiar fields, home crowds and sleeping in your own
bed will give you an advantage, all else being equal.”