The Cathedral City Classic which is held in Palm Springs, California is the most prestigious NCAA Division 1 softball tournament outside of the Women’s College World Series.

After dropping eight spots in the ranking last week the University of Oregon Ducks go 4-0 scoring 40 runs to their opponents abysmal 10 runs. Among those that the Ducks defeat was the #21 ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls by a decisive 8-0 in just six innings and the #22 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in a 4-3 victory.

Both the #15 Stanford Cardinal and the #1 California Bears continued their seasons of domination by each going 4-0. The Cardinal allowed just five runs with three shutouts including a 5-0 upset over the #6 Oklahoma Sooners. The Cardinal should soar up the rankings this week. The Bears trounced their opponents by commanding the circle and flexing their defensive muscle allowing just one run and scoring 19 over four games. This performance should ensure the Bears stay at the top of the food chain.

Another surprise this weekend was the University of New Mexico Lobos eating up their competition by going 4-1 and scoring 37 runs (second only to Oregon) to their opponents 18 runs. The Lobos jumped off to a quick start by annihilating the #14 ranked Texas A&M Aggies by a score of 15-3 in six innings and proved to be one of the toughest teams in the tournament. Look for the Lobos to leap into the rankings after a howling good weekend!

On the flip side, there were several very disappointing performances. First, after slipping out of the polls last week the Oklahoma State Cowgirls continue their backslide by going 2-3 scoring a measly seven runs and giving up 26 runs. Let’s hope this good team can find their way back. Second, the #14 Texas A&M Aggies go a substandard 1-4 for the Cathedral City Classic. The Aggies score 23 runs but all opponents to score 39 runs (the highest total of the tournament). Finally, and probably the most disappointing performance of the tournament is the #5 UCLA Bruins who go just 1-4 scoring 16 runs and allowing a whopping 31 runs. Unfortunately for the Bruins who were 10-0 entering the tournament they are likely to a significant tumble in the rankings. However, do not look for this to be a trend for UCLA - they are one of the most storied and successful Division 1 softball programs and they know how to overcome adversity.

Team to watch

The team to watch is the University of New Mexico Lobos; they have a relatively light schedule until the face the Texas Longhorns in a three game set March 30, March 31 and April 1.   

Day 3: Cathedral City Classic scores

Saturday February 25, 2012

Florida 3, Boise State 0

Pacific 2, Texas A&M 0

Georgia 3, Oklahoma 2

Oregon 8, Oklahoma State 0 (6)

Iowa State 6, San Diego State 4 

Cal Poly 14, Nebraska 7

Northwestern 8, Colorado State 1

Fresno State 6, UCLA 3

California 2, New Mexico State 0

New Mexico 7, UC Davis 5

Nebraska 6, Missouri 4

Oregon 10, Northwestern6

Texas 5, UCLA 4

California 4, Cal Poly 1

Syracuse 5, UC Davis 3

Missouri 2, Washington 0

Cal State Northridge 1, Iowa 0

Arizona 3, Fordham 2

Ohio State 9, Cal State Fullerton 0 (5)

New Mexico State 7, Long Island 1

Stanford 3, Long Beach State 0

Arizona 5, Syracuse 0

Fordham 3, Cal State Fullerton 1

BYU 11, Long Island 4

Day 4: Cathedral City Classic scores

Sunday February 26, 2012

Missouri 1, Northwestern7

Texas 3, Nebraska 0

Iowa 7, Long Island 0

Ohio State 8, Colorado State 9 (6/time)

Oregon 7, New Mexico State 1

Missouri 7, UCLA 5 (6/time)

Washington 6, Nebraska 3

Stanford 5, New Mexico State 2

Oregon State 4, Colorado State 2

Oregon 11, Cal Poly 1 (6)

UCLA 6, Syracuse 3

Long Island 5, Long Beach State 2

Stanford 8, San Diego State 3

California 7, Cal State Northridge 0

Cal Poly 4, New Mexico 2

Arizona 4, Long Beach State 0

San Diego State 7, Cal State Northridge 1

Check out the breakdown: