Arizona State knew it would have to play a weekend of near perfect softball in order to steal a victory or two from perennial powerhouse UCLA in the Pac-12 opening four game series this weekend in Westwood. After dropping the first three games, ASU again fell to the Bruins Sunday. It’s their fifth straight loss.
UCLA didn’t wait long to throw the first punch. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the first, freshman Maya Brady blasted an opposite field grand slam off of ASU freshman hurler Allison Royalty. The Bruins did not look back, blitzing ASU on their way to a 9-0 run rule victory.
Sophomore Lindsay Lopez took over in the circle for Royalty, but UCLA was unphased. They added runs in the third and fourth innings to cap their offensive onslaught, totaling 10 highlighted by two doubles and two home runs.
The Sun Devil bats were dominated all afternoon by UCLA pitcher Megan Faraimo. The redshirt sophomore allowed just two hits while striking out eight in the five inning complete game shutout. UCLA’s dominant duo of Faraimo and Rachel Garcia continues to be the class of Division I softball, and will be a tall task for Pac-12 hitters all year long.
Looking ahead, the Sun Devils return home this weekend for another big conference challenge when they host the Washington Huskies. The four game set will feature a Friday night opener, Saturday doubleheader and Sunday finale.
