Washington entered its California swing riding as much momentum as any team in the country. The Huskies had won 20 straight games, climbed into the top 15 nationally, and looked among the class of the Big Ten through the first half of conference play. But the trip to Palo Alto served as a reminder that even very good teams can hit turbulence away from home. UW opened the week with a split against Saint Mary’s and Stanford, then dropped two more close games later in the weekend to finish the trip 1-3.
By the end of it, the Huskies had fallen to 31-9 overall, though they remained undefeated in conference play at 12-0.
Washington first faced Saint Mary’s on Wednesday and suffered an unexpectedly frustrating 5-2 loss. The Huskies managed only three hits all game, wasting another strong performance from Alexis DeBoer, who homered in the fourth inning to open the scoring. Ava Carroll added an RBI double later in the frame to give UW a 2-0 lead, but everything unraveled in the sixth. Saint Mary’s scored five runs in the inning, aided by a Washington error and a key RBI triple, turning what looked like a comfortable Huskies win into an upset loss.
Washington quickly bounced back later that same day with perhaps its best nonconference win of the season. The Huskies knocked off then-#24 Stanford, showing the kind of resilience that had defined their long winning streak. Stanford had the stronger national profile entering the game and playing at Stanford Softball Stadium gave the Cardinal a quasi-home-field edge, but UW found enough offense and enough pitching to pull out the victory. That split felt important in the moment because it kept the Saint Mary’s loss from becoming the entire story of the day. Instead of leaving Wednesday frustrated and doubting themselves, the Huskies left with a top-25 win in hand.
Unfortunately for UW, the rest of the weekend did not continue that rebound. Friday brought another matchup with Saint Mary’s, and once again the Gaels proved to be a thorn in Washington’s side. This time the Huskies lost 3-2 in 11 innings despite one of Morgan Reimer’s best performances of the season. Reimer threw all 11 innings and struck out 10 batters, recording her first double-digit strikeout game of the year and just the third of her career. She deserved better than the loss.
Saint Mary’s jumped ahead early with a two-run homer in the first inning, but Giselle Alvarez nearly carried Washington back by herself. She cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the fourth, then tied the game later with an RBI double. After that, neither team could break through for several innings. Washington had chances but could not deliver the one big hit to finally put the Gaels away. In the top of the 11th, Saint Mary’s finally landed the decisive blow with another home run. The Huskies went quietly in the bottom half, sealing a second loss to the same team in three days.
That result was probably the most concerning of the weekend. Losing once to a solid mid-major can happen. Losing twice in the same week, especially for a team with Washington’s aspirations, suggests there may still be some vulnerabilities beneath the impressive record. The Huskies’ offense has often been explosive this year, but both Saint Mary’s losses followed a similar formula: UW failed to create much sustained pressure, and when a game stayed close into the late innings, the Gaels found the big swing while the Huskies did not.
Washington closed the trip with another game against Stanford and could not replicate its earlier success. The Cardinal beat the Huskies 8-4 in the weekend finale, giving UW its third loss in four games. Stanford built an early lead and Washington spent most of the afternoon chasing the game. To the Huskies’ credit, they did not go quietly. Melody Acevedo, Giselle Alvarez, and Sophi Mazzola all had multi-hit games, but Stanford’s offense proved too much to contain over seven innings.
Stepping back, the weekend was not a disaster, but it did cool some of the excitement that had built during Washington’s 20-game winning streak. The Huskies still earned a quality victory over a ranked Stanford team, and there is no shame in losing a competitive game to another top-25-caliber opponent. But the Saint Mary’s losses stood out because they exposed some of the same concerns that have lingered around this team all year. When the offense is not bludgeoning opponents with crooked numbers, Washington can still look vulnerable in tight games.
There were still bright spots. Reimer’s 10-strikeout effort on Friday was encouraging, especially for a pitching staff that has sometimes lacked a dominant presence in the circle. Alvarez continued her excellent season and was probably the Huskies’ best player of the week, contributing power, extra-base hits, and key RBI in multiple games. DeBoer stayed productive as well, while Acevedo and Mazzola helped give the lineup some needed depth against Stanford.
Even after a rough weekend, Washington remains in an excellent position overall. A 31-9 record and 12-0 conference mark still make the Huskies one of the best teams in the Big Ten and a strong bet to host in the NCAA Tournament. But if this trip proved anything, it is that there is still a gap between being a very good team and being a truly elite one. The Huskies have shown they can overwhelm weaker competition. The next step is proving they can consistently execute in close games against quality opposition.
