(Photo Courtesy of Ross Turteltaub/UCLA Athletics)
Maya Brady Shines, UCLA Softball Completes Sweep Over Cal to End Regular Season
The Bruins ended the regular season on a high note, wrapping things up with a shutout and sweep on Senior Day.
No. 6 UCLA softball (43-8, 19-5 Pac-12) took care of business against Cal (28-27-1, 8-16), securing the 5-0 win on Sunday afternoon. The Bruins were powered by a shutout performance from the circle by redshirt senrior Holly Azevedo, who tossed 6.1 scoreless frames.
The star seniors who make up the top third of the lineup, on the other hand, went just 2-for-10, meaning it was up to redshirt sophomore center fielder Maya Brady to spark the offense from the cleanup spot.
Brady finished the day 3-for-3 at the plate, recording her first multi-extra-base hit performance of the season. Four of the Bruins’ five runs came courtesy of Brady, who had two RBI and three runs on the day.
“It’s super important for me to supply for my team because they’ve had my back all year,” Brady said. “I’m just super happy for the seniors because they’ve had an amazing career. I just really wanted to win, not only because it was important for our team in placing for the postseason, but for the seniors, for sure.”
After both sides posted identical 1-2-3 first innings, the Bears got a few runners on with a hit-by-pitch, a single up the middle and an error. That led coach Kelly Inouye-Perez to pull Azevedo in favor of redshirt junior Megan Faraimo – the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year – who worked the Bruins out of the bases loaded jam without allowing a run.
“In that case, bases loaded, Megan came in, got me out of the jam, can’t ask for anything more,” Azevedo said. “I mean, she got me out, so it’s good.”
Brady led off the bottom of the second with a shot to deep left field that bounced off the top of the wall. The umpires met with the coaches to talk out their decision before ultimately holding her at second, but it didn't take long for her to come across regardless.
“I saw a ball up, and I just kinda went for it,” Brady said. “I didn’t even see if it went out – I was too busy running the bases.”
An RBI double by freshman right fielder Savannah Pola drove in Brady, then Pola came around herself on a single by redshirt junior second baseman Anna Vines. The rally ended when the Bruins got back to the top of their lineup, but they had done adequate damage to go up 2-0.
Brady came up to bat again in the third, and she didn't leave anything up to chance the second time around. She got under a pitch and launched it to straightaway center for a two-run home run that made it 4-0 UCLA.
Azevedo got back in the circle in the third with some run support in her back pocket, and she got back on track with two more 1-2-3 innings in the third and fourth. The Bears finally got another hit to lead off the fifth, but redshirt sophomore catcher Alyssa Garcia gunned her down trying to steal second and Azevedo again faced the minimum three batters.
UCLA gifted Azevedo some more insurance in the bottom of the fifth, with Faraimo grounding one to short and reaching on an error to bring Brady home.
Brady made a ranging, chase-down grab in center in the sixth, saving an extra-base hit that could have brought a runner around to score. The top of the seventh featured another runner getting aboard, but Azevedo once again worked her way out of the traffic to lock up the shutout in her final regular season appearance at Easton Stadium.
“Knowing that we’re heading into postseason, there’s still more shots, there’s still more time.” Azevedo said. “Although it’s definitely a bittersweet moment, it’s not sad.”
The Bruins had a shot at earning a share of the Pac-12 championship heading into Saturday, but Arizona State's win over Washington earlier in the afternoon ruled UCLA out for the conference title.
Still, the Bruins are in line to host NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals, depending on how things shake out during the selection show Sunday at 4 p.m.
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