In the Arizona heat, the Bruins just kept on scoring.
No. 1 UCLA softball (35-1, 9-0 Pac-12) swept No. 19 Arizona State (25-14, 5-7) in Tempe, Arizona, after driving in 35 runs over the span of three mercy-rule victories to bring its season-high winning streak to 19 games.
The Bruins beat the Sun Devils 10-0 and 9-0 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, before winning 16-5 on Sunday in 95-degree heat. Despite the victories, UCLA remains behind No. 8 Arizona in the Pac-12 standings – which tops the conference with 12 wins.
The Bruins’ first mercy-rule shutout came on Friday, as freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo posted nine strikeouts to record her 12th win of the season. Junior utility Bubba Nickles went 2-for-3 after hitting an RBI single in the first and an RBI double in the third.
Nickles said she was proud of the team’s hitting over the series and that UCLA must remain consistent in order to extend its streak.
“These past three games were a great representation of us just being ourselves and sticking with our plan,” Nickles said. “I was definitely feeding off of the energy of my teammates and how they hit the ball, so I felt like it wasn’t just me putting runs on the board but my teammates (instead).”
Senior catcher Taylor Pack also went 2-for-3, blasting two two-run home runs in the third and fifth innings to cement the Bruins’ 13th shutout win of 2019.
Pack said her hitting success came from weekly tee practice and simplifying her swing, as well as how squad depth will allow for mercy-rule victories moving forward.
“At any point in the lineup, anyone has the potential to hit a home run and be the one who drives a lot of runs in,” Pack said. “No matter where (the coaches) are putting us in the lineup, we don’t really have any holes right now, and so (our confidence) continues to drive us forward.”
UCLA’s shutout on Saturday saw undefeated redshirt junior pitcher Rachel Garcia earn her 15th win of 2019 with 12 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Pack catalyzed the Bruins’ offense early with an RBI double in the first and finished 3-for-4, including a two-run blast to left center in the fifth.
Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said she was proud of the team’s mentality and persistence to improve upon last weekend’s narrow victories by stepping up at the plate.
“We earned a lot of what we did this weekend, especially with extra-base hits,” Inouye-Perez said. “There were some free passes, but a lot of extra-base hits accounted for the run production. It was a powerful weekend.”
The Bruins’ 16-run offensive display on Sunday completed their sweep of the same Sun Devil squad that shut them out in the first game of last season’s series. Sophomore pitcher Holly Azevedo picked up her eighth win of 2019, despite ASU’s two two-run home runs in the third inning.
“If you get caught up on the highs and lows, or what other people expect, then you find yourself riding a rollercoaster,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of talent so that we aren’t relying on any one person for this team to win.”
UCLA has a chance to continue their winning ways when they host unranked Oregon (16-19, 1-8) in a three-game series at Easton Stadium starting Friday.