UCLA Team Can’t Have It All

The UCLA softball team defeated second-ranked Arizona on Friday, then clinched the Pacific 10 Conference title Saturday. What did it get for its efforts Sunday? A 3,000-mile trip to Columbia, S.C.

Despite being ranked No. 1 in the nation and increasing efforts to host an NCAA regional, the Bruins were sent to South Carolina as the top seed in the six-team regional. In fact, no No. 1-seeded team will host any of the eight regionals. Big West champion Cal State Fullerton (50-11) got a top seeding but will head to Stanford.

The Bruins (50-6) did not get a regional despite putting $40,000 into installing lights at Easton Stadium to comply with a 1999 ruling by the NCAA Softball Committee mandating that host teams have lighted facilities. Arizona, Louisiana State, Texas, Washington, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic also earned top seedings.

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After being held to five runs in two losses to Long Beach, No. 15 Cal State Northridge (36-16, 16-5) salvaged the final game of a three-game baseball series Sunday by scoring seven runs in the eighth inning for a 10-8 victory. The Matadors took a two-game lead in the Big West Conference. No. 17 Fullerton (34-17, 14-7) had pulled to within one game of the lead with two wins over UC Riverside (28-23, 8-10) but dropped one back with Sunday’s loss. UC Irvine (31-22, 12-6) stayed in the title hunt by taking the final two games against Sacramento State, winning, 10-6 and 4-3. Meanwhile, Pepperdine (28-28, 16-11) took control of the Coast Division of the West Coast Conference with a four-game home sweep of St. Mary’s. The Waves have a two-game lead over Santa Clara.

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The USC and UCLA men’s and women’s tennis teams and Pepperdine men’s team advanced to the third round of the NCAA championships. In the men’s tournament, UCLA advanced with wins over UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State at home while USC defeated Oral Roberts and Arkansas at Tulsa, Okla. Pepperdine also will head to Texas A&M; for the round of 16 after victories over Richmond and Minnesota.

In the women’s tournament, the Trojans and Bruins will go to Stanford for third-round matches.