Here's The Deal: Episode 1

Here's The Deal EP 1: Oregon Streak Ends

What a weekend in NCAA softball. In the aftermath of Oregon's unbeaten streak coming to an end, there may be a new best team in the country. Elsewhere, the state of Florida is preparing for a Wednesday night battle, and the Southeastern Conference title is up for grabs. Here is a look at the national fallout from this past weekend's results.


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1. Oregon Finally Loses (Twice)


Oregon fell one game short of history on Friday. The Ducks were looking to set the all-time NCAA softball record for an undefeated streak to start the regular season, but instead they suffered their first loss of the season at UCLA.


And then Oregon lost again on Saturday, scoring a grand total of zero runs in both games. Suddenly, 35-0 turned into 35-2 in the blink of an eye. However, the Ducks rebounded on Sunday to beat the Bruins and avoid a shocking sweep.


So, what happened to Oregon in the first two games?


The Ducks ran into UCLA freshman pitcher Rachel Garcia, who shut down their bats on Friday and Saturday. In those games, UCLA won 2-0 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday in nine innings.


Saturday's game was bizarre, with Oregon losing in the ninth on a passed ball. UCLA's linescore was one run scored on the passed ball, only two hits in the game, and three errors committed. Oregon simply could not capitalize on UCLA's three errors to push across a run.


But then the Ducks came alive on Sunday in an 11-4 win. Looking to complete the sweep, the Bruins sent Garcia back to the circle, but OU finally got to her in the third inning.


Nikki Udria had a monster game going 3 for 5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. She got the scoring started in the third; then Madi Bishop hit a three-run home run in the same inning. Suddenly, Oregon looked like Oregon again.


Oregon will likely fall out of the No. 1 ranking this week. And the Ducks are no longer the best team in their conference.




2. Is Arizona Now The Best Team In The Country?


The Arizona Wildcats have been in Oregon's undefeated shadow for most of the season. Now, Arizona can take center stage in the Pac-12 Conference after improving to 40-1 overall and 12-0 in the conference over the weekend.


There will be some argument from teams in Florida and the SEC about this, but Arizona may be the best team in the country right now.


Just look at what the Wildcats did to Stanford at home over the weekend:


Arizona won 20-1 on Friday, 12-0 on Saturday, and 9-1 on Sunday. Let's add it up: 41 runs scored to two runs allowed. That's astounding. And it almost matches the Wildcats' overall record!


Arizona's hitting and pitching is absolutely dominant right now.


In their past three Pac-12 series, the Wildcats allowed two total runs against Washington, one run against California, and two runs against Stanford. That's five total runs allowed in nine conference games.


Up next, Arizona travels to Utah to play the Utes before facing Oregon at home the weekend of April 21. That will be the Pac-12 showdown of the season.