There was a surprise in the Big Ten Conference tournament quarterfinals, with the Oregon Ducks losing to the Michigan Wolverines 5-0 on Thursday.
Oregon is the top seed in the Big Ten tournament and the No. 7 team in the entire nation and the Big Ten regular season champs are out of the conference tournament after their first game. The Ducks’ departure leaves the UCLA Bruins as the highest remaining seed in the Big Ten tournament.
UCLA’s semifinal game on Friday against Nebraska will be a battle of the two highest remaining seeds, as the Corn Huskers are the No. 3 seed and they might be the hottest team at the moment, having won five in a row heading to the game versus the Bruins.
UCLA struggled against Oregon in their three-game series against the Ducks, losing two out of three, accounting for over 20% of the losses for the 48-9 Bruins this year. Oregon’s bats went quiet in their semifinal loss, totaling just five hits, all of which being singles.
The Bruins used junior Taylor Tinsley for all seven innings against Indiana on Thursday, meaning that both freshman Addisen Fisher and sophomore Kailtyn Terry will both be fresh for the remainder of the Big Ten tournament. Terry and Fisher have combined to go 32-5 on the mound for the Bruins this year.
Even with UCLA scuffling heading into the Big Ten tournament, with Oregon out of the picture, the tournament championship is the Bruins’ to lose.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Oregon out of Big Ten Conference Tournament following shutout loss to Michigan
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
