Megan Faraimo Rakes, UCLA Softball Beats Northwestern at Women's College World Series
Megan Faraimo had gotten through the first four frames facing little to no resistance, but she ran into real trouble in the fifth.
The Wildcats blooped a one-out single into center for their first hit since the opening inning, although it only dropped after bouncing out of Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Briana Perez's glove. From there, the Big Ten regular season champions drew a walk, then hit a double down the left field line to cut the Bruins' lead from two to one.
Faraimo, the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, walked another batter to load the bases with two down, and she started off the next at-bat by tossing three straight riseballs that missed the zone high and left her on the verge of walking in the tying run.
She battled back, though, hurling three consecutive called strikes to Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Lewis, escaping the jam and leaving the circle with a screaming fist pump.
Faraimo managed to make up for the run she allowed just moments later, stepping into the batter's box and launching a leadoff home run to left that led to many more emotional fist pumps as she rounded the bases.
Behind Faraimo's two-way clutch effort, No. 5 seed UCLA softball (49-9, 19-5 Pac-12) avoided elimination by beating No. 9 seed Northwestern (45-13, 19-4 Big Ten) at the Women's College World Series on Friday. The 6-1 final was ultimately inflated by the Bruins running up the score in the seventh, riding the momentum their ace provided on both sides to close out the win in the loser's bracket.
The late barrage of three runs in the final inning came after another slow day at the plate for UCLA – albeit not as slow as Thursday's loss to Texas.
The Bruins actually started hot, drawing a walk and hitting back-to-back singles before getting a run on an RBI by senior catcher Delanie Wisz in the first. Five UCLA batters were retired in a row, though, and even once they got more traffic on the bases in the third, they stranded two runners in scoring position to end that frame.
For the second inning in a row, the Bruins put multiple runners in scoring position by loading the bases with one out in the fourth. They managed to bring one across the second time around, but only because the Wildcats' left fielder dropped a pop up that allowed freshman Savannah Pola to score, and they still stranded runners on second and third.
As a result, UCLA's lead stood pat at two, which was only a lead to begin with because of Faraimo's work in the circle. It was a turnaround performance for Faraimo, who had given up four runs in 2.1 innings Thursday against the Longhorns. When she finally allowed a run Friday, she immediately got it back with her solo shot in the sixth.
Faraimo pitched a complete game while striking out 10, and she was also one of five Bruins with an RBI. Although she did not drive in a run herself, sophomore center fielder Maya Brady led her team in hits after going 3-for-4 with a double and a run.
UCLA will face the loser of Saturday's game between No. 7 seed Oklahoma State and No. 14 seed Florida in an elimination game Sunday at noon PST. Northwestern, meanwhile, is headed home after an 0-2 trip to Oklahoma City.
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