Megan Faraimo dominates as UCLA staves off elimination at WCWS
If they didn’t already know, the rest of the country found out Friday just how bright a star Megan Faraimo is.
The Bruin pitcher was remarkable both on the mound and in the batter’s box, helping No. 5 seed UCLA stave off elimination at the Women’s College World Series with a 6-1 win over Northwestern. The Bruins will next play on Sunday, June 5, at 12 p.m. PT on ABC against the loser of Saturday night’s Florida-Oklahoma State game.
Faraimo struck out 10 Northwestern batters, including the Wildcats’ all-time home run leader, Rachel Lewis. And maybe none were bigger than that K, as Faraimo fought back from a 3-0 count and delivered a rocket through the strike zone as Lewis just watched. Northwestern had juiced the bases and UCLA had just a one-run lead.
From 3-0 down in the count, @MeganFaraimo fires in three straight for the biggest strikeout of the night.
LET’S GO!!!
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) June 4, 2022
And the momentum carried over into the top of the sixth, with Faraimo set to lead off the frame. She needed one pitch, sending a ball deep into the left-field stands to power the Bruins to a 3-1 lead.
ARE YOU KIDDING @MeganFaraimo 🤯
📺 ESPN2#WCWS x @UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/T2WtVaiksq
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 4, 2022
The Bruins (49-9) raced away in the top of the seventh inning, adding three more runs on an RBI single by Alyssa Garcia, a squeeze by Anna Vines that scored Maya Brady, and a fielder’s choice RBI by Thessa Malau’ulu.
Northwestern got just five hits off UCLA on the evening. Faraimo went the distance for her 23rd win of the season.