In Reply to: Re: UCLA outslugs Arizona 15-9 for NCAA softball championship posted by 8clapping on June 12, 2010 at 07:03:56
I thought someone was going to correct my post that declared this to be the 12th UCLA softball championship, since the NCAA only recognizes 11.
Back in '95, UCLA defeated Arizona 4-2, behind the stellar pitching of Tanya Harding (no, not THAT Tonya Harding). The Bruins had recruited Tanya from Down Under, where she was the star of the Australian National Team. Tanya matriculated midway in the season, and she flew back to rejoin the National Team immediately after the college world series. This was technically legal (many other athletes have left college after just one successful competitive season), but Tanya skipped out before finals, which made it appear . . . well, you can see how it appeared.
So the NCAA vacated the title, without giving it to Arizona. If the two softball powers didn't already dislike each other enough, this heightened emotions to the level of burning hatred. Arizona got revenge in '97, by beating UCLA in the final game, but the feud has simmered on since then. The Bruins' 15-9 victory this year threw gasoline on the coals (overdone metaphor alert). These teams do not like each other, which adds a lot to the entertainment value of any contest between them.