UCLA Takes on Cal State Fullerton

LOS ANGELES -- The No. 3 UCLA softball team plays a midweek game versus Cal State Fullerton at Easton Stadium on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. PT. The Bruins (36-5, 13-2 Pac-12) lead the all-time series with the Titans (31-15, 15-3 Big West) 53-34-1.
 
Venue: Easton Stadium
First Pitch: 6 p.m. PT
Listen: UCLA Lean Player
Talent: Darren Preston
Live Stats
 
THREE STRAIGHT ONE-RUN VICTORIES
UCLA nabbed three one-run wins in its sweep of Oregon State last weekend which placed them back atop the Pac-12 standings in a tie with Arizona State.
 
The Bruins rallied for five runs in the seventh inning to steal a 6-5 victory from the Beavers in game one. UCLA's 7-8-9 hitters all singled to load the bases for Kinsley Washington who, with a ground out to second, brought one UCLA runner home and moved two others into scoring position. Delanie Wisz, who had already homered in the game, stepped to the plate. After eight pitched and UCLA down to its final strike four times, Wisz delivered a game-tying 2-RBI double down the left field line to even the score, 4-4. Maya Brady dug into the batter's box after Wisz. On a 1-2 count, Brady golfed a drop ball for a go-ahead, two-run homer to opposite field.
 
Briana Perez shined in games two and three of the series with a pair of multi-hit performances and a collective three RBI. Perez knocked in the go-ahead runs in game two with a 2-RBI single in the fourth inning. The next day, Perez led off game three with a solo home run on the ninth pitch of her at-bat. Perez went on to score two of the Bruins' four runs in the series finale after putting herself into scoring position with a single and stole base in the third inning.
 
LAST TIME THE BRUINS & TITANS MET
UCLA overcame early deficits twice to win a pair of nail-biters in a double-header the last time it met with Cal State Fullerton in 2021.
 
The Bruins responded to back-to-back solo shots by the Titans in the first inning with six unanswered runs in their final five trips to the plate to win 6-2. Faraimo earned the complete game victory, striking out seven batters and allowing five hits over seven innings.
 
UCLA trailed by a run, 4-3, entering the seventh inning of game two before Taylor Edwards stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and ripped a 2-RBI double down the right field line to give the Bruins the lead. The Bruins went on to tack on five more runs in the seventh, capped by a 3-run homer by Briana Perez to bring the score to 10-4.
 
BP300
In her first at-bat of game two versus Oregon State, Briana Perez joined UCLA's 300 hits club with a single to right-center field. Perez is just the fourth Bruin in program history to reach 300 hits in her career (Natasha Watley – 395, Stacey Nuveman – 322, Kylee Perez – 301).
 
SISTER GREATNESS
Perez surpassed her big sister Kylee Perez for career hits with her leadoff home run in the first inning of game three. The Perez sisters are just the second sister duo in collegiate softball to each record at least 300 hits in their careers, joining Sydney Romero (Oklahoma) and Sierra Romero (Michigan). They are the only sister duo to each reach 300 hits for the same program.
 
PEREZ IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Perez's leadoff triple on an 0-0 count in the fifth inning of game one versus Oregon marked her sixth three-bagger of the year, surpassing her former season high of five in 2021 which led UCLA a year ago. The last time a Bruin had more than six triples in a season was Andrea Duran with seven in 2006. Duran holds the program single-season record for triples with eight set in 2005.
 
Perez is now in sole possession of third place on UCLA's career triples list with 18. She need three more triples to tie Janice Parks and Natasha Watley for first place with 21.
 
Perez's two runs in the Oregon State series put her at 249 runs scored in her career. She needs three runs to tie and four to surpass Natasha Watley (252) for UCLA's runs scored crown. Perez leads the Bruins with 35 runs this season.
 
WISZARD OF WESTWOOD
Delanie Wisz continues to be the Bruins leader at the plate this season with a team-best .396 batting average, 10 homers, 37 runs batted in, 23 walks and .507 on-base percentage.
 
Wisz has reached base safely in 32 consecutive games which is the fourth longest active streak in the NCAA (Delanie Cumbie – UNC Greensboro, 41; Mac Barbara – San Diego State, 36; Kiki Milloy – Tennessee, 38).
 
JUST NO. 3 HITTER THINGS
Delanie Wisz leads the Bruins in conference play with a .600 batting average with runners in scoring position (also leads UCLA during the regular season with a .478 batting average with RISP).
 
Wisz's seven extra-base hits in the conference schedule have come at crucial times with each giving the Bruins' the go-ahead run or proving to be the difference in a W. Most recently, her solo homer and 2-RBI double in game one at Oregon State on April 22 rallied the Bruins to their come-from-behind 6-5 victory. UCLA and Wisz were down to their final strike four times before she clutched up and ripped that double to left field.
 
Other notable Wisz clutch hits this Pac-12 season include:

• Wisz's solo homer to dead center versus Stanford on April 8 that propelled the Bruins to and extra-inning, 3-1 victory.
• Wisz's first of two doubles in game one of the Arizona series that scored the first run in the Bruins' 5-0 shutout victory.
• Wisz's double in game one of the Washington series put UCLA up 1-0 in the first inning. Her homer in the seventh inning of game three against the Huskies proved to be the winning run in UCLA's 5-4 triumph.
• Lastly, in game two of the Oregon series, the Bruins rode Wisz's two-run blast in the first inning and RBI single in the third to victory.

 
LEADING THE PAC-12 IN THE CIRCLE
UCLA's pitching staff boasts a conference-best 1.27 ERA (next closest is Oregon State at 1.72), .166 opponent batting average and 9.66 strikeout per seven innings rario
 
FARAIMO, AZEVEDO NAMED FINALISTS FOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Megan Faraimo and Holly Azevedo were named USA Softball 2022 College Player of the Year Top 25 Finalists on Wednesday. UCLA is the only team in the nation to boast two pitchers on the list. The Bruins are tied for second in representation amongst the top 25 finalists with fellow Pac-12 school Arizona State. Faraimo has now been named a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist in back-to-back seasons. Stacey Nuveman (2002) and Rachel Garcia (2018, 2019) are the only two Bruins to have won the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award in its 19-year history.
 
SAVI POLA: PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Savannah Pola was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the third time this season after notched back-to-back multi-hit games versus San Diego on April 19 and in game one of the Oregon State series on April 22. She now ranks third on the team with 11 multi-hit games this season.
 
Pola becomes the third Bruin in program history to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times in one season in the award's eight-year history (Aaliyah Jordan, Megan Faraimo and Rachel Garcia). Pola is tied with Oregon State's Kiki Escobar for the most freshman of the week awards this season.
 
PAC-12 DOUBLES LEADER SAVANNAH POLA
Following her second two-double game of the season in game one of the Oregon series, freshman Savannah Pola is tied for the Pac-12 lead with 13 doubles this season.
 
BRUINS IN THE RANKINGS AND VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
UCLA is one of just four teams in the nation to be ranked in the top 5 of every National Fastpitch Coaches Association and USA Softball poll this season (others include Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida State). The Bruins are 11-2 against NFCA-ranked opponents this season. UCLA opened its conference schedule by sweeping the three teams picked to finish below them in the Pac-12 Coaches Preseason Poll (all were ranked top 15 by NFCA at the time of competition).