Softball shuts out Ole Miss, Fresno State with help of freshman’s first no-hitter

The Bruins witnessed history Saturday night.

No. 1 UCLA softball (7-0) shut out Ole Miss and Fresno State to start the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at Easton Stadium, with freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo throwing her first career no-hitter against the Bulldogs in the Bruins’ third mercy-rule victory of the 2019 season.

“I couldn’t be happier that I got to spend it with some of the greatest teammates that I’ve ever had,” Faraimo said. “I was really in my own zone and didn’t realize it until afterwards that I threw a no-hitter. I was working with my catcher (senior Taylor Pack) tonight and she did a great job behind the plate, so I have to give it up to her.”

Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said she was proud of Faraimo and that she will lessen the pitching burden on redshirt junior pitcher Rachel Garcia and sophomore pitcher Holly Azevedo throughout the season.

“There’s a reason that she was Gatorade Player of the Year,” Inouye-Perez said. “Tonight was her defining moment – she lost the game in the first inning, but came back and found a way to get a no-hitter, which is huge as a freshman.”

The Bruins scored eight runs against the Bulldogs in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, with senior utility Zoe Shaw opening up the offense with a full-count 2-RBI triple in the second inning.

“I tried to work the count a little more,” Shaw said. “I was battling in that 3-2 situation, but all I wanted was just a base hit to move the runners or score them.”

UCLA started its Saturday against Ole Miss, where pitcher Brittany Finney held the high-scoring Bruins to two runs after five innings. Garcia went on to earn her third win of the season, pitching seven full innings with 13 strikeouts and allowing six hits. Junior utility Bubba Nickles, who later batted in two runs against Fresno State, was responsible for the game’s only RBI.

Inouye-Perez said she was especially proud of the team’s defensive performance against Ole Miss and said how her team must be strong both offensively and defensively if they want to vie for a national championship.

“Back in the day, defense won championships,” Inouye-Perez said. “We knew that Ole Miss was going to be a scrappy opponent and the game showed that. Ole Miss is a very competitive and aggressive program … so I’m very proud of the way we played and how we executed on defense.”

Shaw further emphasized the importance of having strong communication from a defensive perspective.

“Even with me being in right field, I’m feeling connected all the way across the field to the third baseman,” Shaw said. “Continuously having that communication makes things work really smoothly.”

UCLA will look to continue their seven-game win streak on Sunday, first hosting UC Riverside before facing Loyola Marymount to end the tournament.