SB Roundup 5-3-17: Sun Devils pull an upset in Tucson, Ducks sweep 5th straight Civil War

Results

Arizona State at Arizona (Wildcats win 2-1)

Wildcats 4, Devils 3
Devils 5, Wildcats 2
Wildcats 8, Devils 0 (5 inn)

Oregon State at Oregon (Ducks sweep 3-0)

Ducks 8, Beavers 0 (5 inn)
Ducks 7, Beavers 2
Ducks 7, Beavers 0

Washington at California (Huskies sweep 3-0)

Huskies 4, Golden Bears 0
Huskies 4, Golden Bears 2
Huskies 3, Golden Bears 2

UCLA at Stanford (Bruins sweep 3-0)

Bruins 13, Cardinal 8
Bruins 6, Cardinal 5
Bruins 8, Cardinal 1

High Five

Megan Kleist, sophomore P, Oregon

Kleist was completely dominant in the Ducks 3 wins that extended their Civil War winning streak to 15 games, dating back 5 seasons. She pitched a run-rule shortened 3-hit shutout in game 1, then one-upped herself with a 7-inning 1-hitter in the series finale.

12 IP, 4 hits, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts, 2 wins

Kylee Perez, junior 2B, UCLA

Perez picked up 8 hits in just the three games against Stanford, including a terrific 5-for-6 game 1 in which she also scored four runs.

8/14, 2 RBI, 6 runs

Shannon Rhodes, freshman CF, Oregon

5/8, HR, SB, 6 RBI, 4 runs, and she would have had another homer if not for some armed robbery by Oregon State CF Jessica Garcia

Jessie Harper, freshman 1B, Arizona

The freshman slugger went 3 for 3 in the first and third games of the series, piling up 8 RBIs to get the Wildcats the series win. In game one, Harper had the game-tying RBI single in the third AND the drove in the eventual winning run with an RBI double in the fifth. Then she came back on Sunday and homered twice, including this grand slam:

6/9, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 2 runs

Giselle Juarez, freshman P, Arizona State

The numbers aren’t as impressive as some you’ll see, but when a pitcher is able to give up only two runs to the best offense in the country, you’re doing something right. Juarez gave up just a 6th-inning two run homer to Katiyana Mauga in getting the Sun Devils a huge upset win. She was also the only pitcher to get the aforementioned Jessie Harper out in the series, and she did it all three times they matched up.

Game 2 stats: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 7 K

Storylines

With two weeks to go before the regular season is complete and the NCAA tournament field is announced, here’s a look at some of the things teams are playing for:

A) Pac-12 championship (sole or shared)

Who: Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Washington, UCLA

The skinny: Arizona controls this race. The Wildcats have only three Pac-12 games left - this weekend in Los Angeles. If the Wildcats sweep, or if they lose only once and Utah loses at least once, they are sole Pac-12 champs. If UCLA can take at least two games, that opens up more possibilites. But realistically, the champ will most likely be Arizona or Utah.

B) Top Eight national seed, and the right to host a Super Regional

Who: Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Utah.

The skinny: Arizona has basically clinched a top 8 seed at this point. The resume is strong enough that even if the ‘Cats lose all three against the Bruins in LA, they would be fine. But the other four listed have varying cases.

The Ducks should be in, as long as they do okay from here out. Two wins against FSU would clinch their case, but just one might be good enough if the losses are competitive.

The Huskies are also on the should be in side. With series remaining vs. Stanford and at Utah, 5-1 would clearly do the trick. 4-2 might or might not.

The Bruins are right on the fence, and they have multiple opportunities to prove themselves in the final two weeks against the Arizona schools. Going 4-2 would be difficult, but if they can do it, that should get them in. The Bruins’ fate also depends a lot on the performance of fellow top-8 bubble teams, such as Tennessee and Oklahoma.

The Utes are a longshot, due to a fairly weak non-conference schedule (by Pac-12 standards) but considering the 7th-ranked Huskies come to town in the final week, if Utah were to go 6-0 the rest of the way, I imagine they would steal the Huskies spot in the top 8.

C) Making the tournament

Who: California, Oregon State

The skinny: Besides the five national contenders, the only other team clearly in the field is Arizona State. Stanford, meanwhile, is clearly out. The Golden Bears and the Beavers are the two teams that could be remotely considered on the bubble, although neither one is very close to the cut line.

California, despite an underwhelming performance in conference play, should still make the field. As long as Cal wins at least a couple of games in the final two series (at ASU, vs. OSU), the Bears will be fine. 1-5 might even be good enough, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Oregon State is on the other end of the stick. The Beavers have played decently in conference play, picking up 3 wins against the elite members of the conference (2 vs UCLA, 1 at UW). But a so-so non-conference performance and an overall record near .500 puts the Beavs as somewhat of a longshot. In order to be eligible for postseason play, a team must finish the season at least .500 overall, so Oregon State must go at least 3-4 in their final 7 games (single game at Portland State, 3 vs Utah, 3 at Cal) to have a chance. But realistically, I think 4-3 would give the Beavers a reasonable chance at making the field.

Standings, with new NFCA rankings (records current through Tue, 5/2)

1. #3 Arizona (47-5, 17-4)
2. #10 Utah (32-9, 12-4)
3. #5 Oregon (41-6, 14-6)
4. #7 Washington (37-10, 11-7)
5. #12 UCLA (37-12, 11-7)
6. #22 Arizona State (28-16, 7-11)
7. Oregon State (24-22, 6-12)
8. California (27-19, 3-14)
9. Stanford (18-27, 1-17)

Schedule

Featured series: #3 Arizona at #12 UCLA

Friday, 5 PM (P12 Net/LA)
Saturday, 6 PM (ESPN2)
Sunday, 1 PM (ESPN2)

#10 Utah at Oregon State (no TV/stream)

Friday, 1 PM
Saturday, 1 PM
Sunday, 11 AM

California at #22 Arizona State

Friday, 5 PM (P12 Bay only)
Saturday, 5 PM (P12 Bay/AZ)
Sunday, 3 PM (P12 Net/Bay/AZ)

Stanford at #7 Washington (no TV/stream)

Friday, 6 PM
Saturday, 1 PM
Sunday, noon

Oregon is off from conference play this week, but they aren’t taking the week off. A huge non-conference opponent comes to Eugene, as the #5 Ducks host the 2nd-ranked Florida State Seminoles for three games (DH Saturday, single game Sunday):

#2 Florida State at #5 Oregon

Saturday, 4:30 PM (P12 Net/OR)
Saturday, 7 PM (or shortly after game 1 finishes, whichever is later) (P12 Net/OR)
Sunday, 5 PM (P12 Net/OR)