UCLA Shuts Out California in Regular-Season Finale

LOS ANGELES – Led by Maya Brady at the plate and Holly Azevedo in the circle, the No. 6 UCLA softball team completed its regular season with a 5-0 win and sweep of California Saturday at Easton Stadium.

The Bruins (43-8, 19-5 Pac-12) recorded their 20th shutout of the season and second in three games with the Golden Bears (28-27-1, 8-16).

Brady went 3-for-3 with a home run and a double. She scored three times and drove in a pair. Megan Faraimo, Savannah Pola and Anna Vines also knocked in runs. Azevedo threw 6.1 scoreless innings and recorded four strikeouts on Senior Day.

Seniors Azevedo, Briana Perez, Taylor Sullivan, Kinsley Washington and Delanie Wisz, who were playing in their final regular-season home contest, were joined by family members and friends for a pregame ceremony.

Forever Bruins 💙🐻💛 pic.twitter.com/nnk8kKlRxZ

— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 14, 2022

Faraimo, who was the pitcher of record after getting UCLA out of a second-inning jam, earned her 20th win of the campaign. Cal's Sona Halajian took the loss.

The Golden Bears loaded the bases with a hit batter and two singles against Azevedo in the second, but Faraimo needed just eight pitches to record two outs and keep them off the board. Brady led off the bottom of the inning with her first extra-base hit of the afternoon, nearly clearing the wall in left field. Pola singled her in and came around to score on a base hit by Vines for a 2-0 lead.

Azevedo re-entered the game in the top of the third and immediately turned in a 1-2-3 inning. The Bruins subsequently logged their second crooked number in as many innings. Following a Wisz walk, Brady deposited her 12th home run of the year over the center field fence to make it 4-0.

Cal would manage just one baserunner over the next two innings. Wisz and Brady notched back-to-back singles to begin the bottom half of the fifth and, while Wisz was cut down at home on a fielder's choice, Brady scored on a fielding error for the day's final run.

The 64-team NCAA tournament field will be announced Sunday at 4 p.m. PT, when ESPN2 airs the NCAA Softball Selection Show. Regionals will be played May 20-22. Super Regionals will follow May 26-29. The Women's College World Series begins June 2 and runs through June 10, if necessary.