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UCLA Softball: Bruins win sixth consecutive Pac-12 series, sweep Utah

By Mike Regalado

8 Apr 1998: General view of a bat and glove that belong to Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals during a game against the Colorado Rockies at the Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
8 Apr 1998: General view of a bat and glove that belong to Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals during a game against the Colorado Rockies at the Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Cardinals defeated the Rockies 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /
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The UCLA softball team has won their sixth conference series of the season and have two remaining. The Bruins are on pace to capture a Pac-12 title, but they will have to go through Arizona.

Eight games in a row. This is where the UCLA softball team’s winning streak stands. The last time the Bruins lost was back on April 13 against Oregon. That was only the second “L” of the season as UCLA have an overall record of 43-2 and a conference record of 17-1.

This past weekend, the Bruins vanquished the Utah Utes for their sixth series win in a row with a sweep that included two of the three games being called in the fifth inning due to the run rule.

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Over the weekend, UCLA’s pitchers all had their shot against the Utes and none of them disappointed. In Friday’s 3-0 win, Rachel Garcia struck out seven in as many innings on her way to a 19-0 record. On Saturday, it was freshman Megan Faraimo’s turn as her seven strikeouts helped shut down Utah for the 9-1 win as she improved to 14-2. On Sunday, Holly Azevedo did not have to do much in her shut out the Utes in a 10-0 victory as she now boasts a 10-0 record.

The Bruins’ batters were also on full display as they put on a clinic as they had 26 total hits against Utah. Briana Perez became the teams’ leading hitter as her 3 RBI homerun (her 5th homer of the season) clinched the game for the Bruins on Sunday. Though she had a quiet weekend, UCLA’s other top hitter, Bubba Nickles, added her 47th run of the season as well as her 59th hit, both of which occurred in the final game of the series.

To put it lightly, UCLA is on a roll.

This type of efficiency is what will help the Bruins compete for the Pac-12 title. UCLA has an impressive record and resume, but the conference championship will not be an easy one to win.

Arizona currently has the same conference record which is setting up a potential conference winning series next week. This weekend, UCLA travels to Stanford (7-8, 4th in the Pac-12) for a series they cannot take for granted. Though the Bruins will have the edge, they need to win as many games as possible because Arizona is taking on Washington (14-4, 3rd on the Pac-12) making this a very intriguing weekend in Pac-12 softball.

The following weekend, Arizona comes to Easton Field to face the Bruins, and one can expect a fierce series which could crown the next champion.

UCLA has done a bang up job this year, but there is still a lot to do. Winning is the key as they not only want to lock up another title, but they also want to host a first-round regional playoff in the Women’s College World Series.