Thanks to the strong batting of Mary Iakopo and DJ Sanders, the No. 4 Oregon Ducks defeat the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats 10-0. (0:44)

Consider this a travel guide for teams headed to the Pacific Northwest in May because it looks ever more certain that two roads to the Women's College World Series will go through that part of the country.

You can pack for the rain. Layering is key. But if the past week is any indication, nothing you pack will help you with the pitching in Eugene or Seattle.

Perfection was in short supply in recent days in college softball. Few favorites ended up entirely on the wrong end of a weekend series, but a great many struggled to end up on the right side.

Consider just a partial accounting. Without Rachel Garcia in the circle -- the All-American has been limited to part-time hitting duties by a sore shoulder -- No. 3 UCLA dropped a game at home against Pac-12 struggler Stanford. Without ace Brittany Gray's services, No. 5 Georgia did the same at home against SEC struggler Missouri. (Georgia announced on Monday that Gray would miss the rest of the season with a biceps injury). No. 9 Florida State dropped a game at home against Pittsburgh. No. 6 Florida still has work to do Monday at No. 15 Alabama after the Tide bounced back from a loss against Kelly Barnhill and evened the series Sunday.

That each of those teams lost without its respective innings leader in the circle is not necessarily a matter of cause and effect. Florida's Aleshia Ocasio and Florida State's Meghan King, for instance, lost but pitched well enough to win and will be trusted come the biggest moments of the postseason.

On the other hand, pitching depth was quite literally the reason No. 1 Washington and No. 4 Oregon were perfect in a week of such imperfection elsewhere.

Oregon's No. 2 pitcher by innings and starts, sophomore Miranda Elish threw the first seven-inning perfect game in program history and struck out 16 batters against Portland State.

Washington No. 2 pitcher by the same measures, freshman Gabbie Plain threw the seventh perfect game in that program's history -- and the first since Danielle Lawrie -- to win the middle game of a series against Utah.

Those two performances weren't aberrations, either. While Elish's perfect game came against a struggling opponent out of conference, she was scarcely less effective in helping Oregon sweep No. 8 Arizona in the week's headline series. She struck out 13 batters in a six-inning shutout to win the rain-delayed middle game and pitched a perfect sixth inning to finish the run-rule shortened finale.

Granted, neither Elish nor Oregon ace Megan Kleist needed to be perfect in the series. The opening game a taut 1-1 tie as it entered the bottom of the sixth inning, Oregon broke through against Taylor McQuillin for four runs in that frame and outscored Arizona 18-0 in the final two games. The catcher for all of Kleist's work as well as Elish's midweek perfect game, Gwen Svekis, in particular, did more than frame pitches. She keyed the run production with two home runs in the opening win against the Wildcats and at least one RBI in each game of that series. King or Ocasio would have loved such run support.

Still, the combination of Kleist's wicked changeup and Elish's power shut down an elite lineup.

Washington freshman Gabbie Plain has allowed two or fewer hits in 11 of her 17 appearances. Courtesy Washington

During an in-game television interview Sunday, Ducks assistant coach Jimmy Kolaitis suggested it is the best one-two combination in the country. He'd get an argument from Florida, Florida State, LSU and Oklahoma, among others, but the first challenge might come from a few hours north on Interstate 5.

A season ago, Washington ace Taran Alvelo led all Pac-12 pitchers when she threw 104 innings in conference play, 64 percent of the team's total innings in those games. That's because the Huskies had a 5.19 ERA in the Pac-12 games in which she didn't pitch. She was their only route to a top eight seed and a home super regional in the NCAA tournament, so they took it.

The Huskies have a 1.17 ERA when Alvelo isn't in the circle in Pac-12 play this season. The rotation shortened to two from what it was earlier in the season, Plain is responsible for all of that. She's now working on a streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings.

It's a completely anecdotal moment, but watch the final out of Plain's perfect game. Without a hint of awkwardness or panic at what was at stake, the 6-footer chased after a ball that deflected off her glove, set herself and made an accurate, strong overhand throw to first base. In the absence of several hundred innings of sample size, that was at least eye-catching poise.

Alvelo or Plain, Kleist or Elish. There are no easy trips to the Pacific Northwest this year.