Stanford shatters UCLA softball’s winning streak with back-to-back shutouts

After starting conference play 10-0 for the first time in program history, the Bruins were shut out for the first time all season.

No. 3 UCLA softball (32-5, 10-2 Pac-12) defeated Stanford (26-10, 5-4) in the first contest of the three-game series Friday before being shut out in back-to-back contests Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s loss snapped the blue and gold’s 25-game winning streak, tied for the most consecutive wins in the coach Kelly Inouye-Perez era.

Inouye-Perez said it was difficult to pinpoint why the Bruins could not string together quality at-bats in their back-to-back shutouts.

“It’s not something that we’re used to,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s not something that I could really put my finger on, or I would have done something about it to prevent that. It was a difficult weekend.”

UCLA struck first in Friday’s series-opening contest with a second-inning leadoff double from redshirt sophomore utility Seneca Curo followed by an RBI single from redshirt senior infielder Kinsley Washington. The Cardinal took until the bottom of the seventh to tie up the game at one apiece, sending the contest to extra innings.

A two-out solo home run from redshirt senior infielder Delanie Wisz gave the Bruins a narrow lead in the eighth frame. Redshirt junior utility Anna Vines proceeded to tack on an insurance run with an RBI single up the middle.

Redshirt junior pitcher/first baseman Megan Faraimo, who pitched a complete game for the Bruins, retired three consecutive batters to secure UCLA’s 3-1 triumph.

Redshirt senior pitcher Holly Azevedo took the circle for the blue and gold in its second contest, giving up three hits and no runs through her first six innings. With no runs on the board for either team in the final frame, Azevedo gave up a walk-off single that allowed the Cardinal to clinch a 1-0 victory.

UCLA faced a similar fate in the rubber match Sunday.

Stanford scored the contest’s sole run in the third inning when graduate student pitcher Lauren Shaw gave up an RBI double, propelling the Cardinal to back-to-back 1-0 wins to take the series.

Faraimo said Stanford’s pitchers have given UCLA a lot to work on in the coming days.

“You got to give it up to the pitchers on Stanford’s staff,” Faraimo said. “They were hitting their spots, moving the ball well, and I think it definitely gives us some things to work on throughout this week at practice. … The cool thing about this team is that we’re going to do something about it.”

In a series in which UCLA failed to string together hits and score runs at its typical rate, Wisz continued to produce for the Bruins’ offense. The redshirt senior infielder went 5-for-7 in the batter’s box over the three games and extended her on-base streak to 28 games.

Wisz said she tries not to think about her on-base streak when she’s at the plate.

“I try to ignore it just because I don’t want that lingering in the back of my head,” Wisz said. “Every at-bat I just try to be a tough out any way I can, so just trying to do whatever I can to get on base for my team.”

The blue and gold will resume Pac-12 play in 11 days following a midweek contest against San Diego on April 19.