Huskies look to right errors of previous two matches against Bruin softball team
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.”
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