The fight to get to the CWS opens tonight as #8 seed softball faces Cal Baptist at 7 pm PT in the LA Regional. UCLABruins.com reports game to be carried on ESPN.
Meanwhile, the #1 ranked baseball team - #1 from pre-season throughout the season - plays the second game of its final regular season series @ Washington after getting throttled last night 8-0. They went into the previous series against #13 Oregon - at home - with only 4 losses on the entire season and riding a 26 game winning streak. After winning the first game by run rule, 11-1, they lost the middle game of that series 6-9 for their 5th loss. They turned that around with a come from behind win the next night 9-6. Now they've lost their 5th game of the season in their first game against a markedly inferior team, one with a losing record in the B1G. Two of their last three games.
Could be nothing. It's baseball; it happens. But HOW it's happened is significant. Missplays, giving up runs on passed balls, errors. They just haven't looked very sharp of late (to say the very least). Hopefully this is just a blip and will give them the kick in the backside they need to regain focus and enter the post season firing on all cylinders. But the last few games have provided some real cause for worry at this point.
Hope any who have followed them all season can add your insights as I will happily - very happily - defer to your judgement about where we stand right now.