The college softball upsets continued Friday, with No. 23 Northwestern taking down No. 3 UCLA 6-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Maeve Nelson hit a three-run home run to walk it off against the Bruins and secure the upset.
MAEVE CALLED GAME 🚨Maeve Nelson hit a walk-off three-run home run to clinch No. 21 Northwestern’s 6-4 upset over No. 3 UCLA.#NCAASoftball x 🎥 @NUSBcats pic.twitter.com/hkZCXWWbSN— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) February 18, 2022
MAEVE CALLED GAME 🚨Maeve Nelson hit a walk-off three-run home run to clinch No. 21 Northwestern’s 6-4 upset over No. 3 UCLA.#NCAASoftball x 🎥 @NUSBcats pic.twitter.com/hkZCXWWbSN
The two teams were tied 2-2 after seven innings of play, sending the game to extra innings. The Bruins put up two runs in the top of the eighth, making it 4-2. The Wildcats responded, first putting up one run in the bottom of the inning.
With a runner on first and third, they were down to their final out and final strike with Nelson at the plate. She delivered, blasting one off of UCLA pitcher Megan Faraimo to pull off the upset.
The moment made SportsCenters’ Top 10 plays at No. 5.
It was a pitching duel the entire game between Faraimo and the Wildcat’s Danielle Williams. Faraimo pitched 7.2 innings, registering a season-high 14 strikeouts. Williams pitched eight innings and notched six strikeouts. The two pitchers each went scoreless in the second, third and fourth innings.
It’s the second loss in a row for UCLA after dropping a 4-1 matchup to No. 1 Oklahoma. They’ll next face off against Auburn.
For the Wildcats, it’s the type of non-conference resume-booster that was missing last season when the Big Ten played solely conference games due to COVID-19. Northwestern next plays No. 15 Clemson on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.