TUCSON, Ariz. -- In the final game of the regular season for both teams, the top-ranked Oregon softball team defeated ninth-ranked Arizona 14-3 in five innings.
It was also the final regular-season home game for five Arizona senior: Estela Pinon, Kelsey Rodriguez, Shelby Babcock, Alex Lavine and Kenzie Fowler.
The game was bookended by a pair of special moments for the senior class. Fowler, whose storied career came to an end earlier this week with a diagnoses of thoracic outlet syndrome, threw the first pitch of the game before exiting to a standing ovation. After the game, the five seniors were honored ceremoniously.
Fowler would be the first of five pitchers used by the Wildcats in an effort to combat the Ducks' offensive onslaught. Oregon scored 14 runs on 16 hits in the contest.
Pinon, who was touched up for four runs on three hits in one-third of an inning, took the loss for Arizona to drop to 17-7 on the year.
Lauren Young homered for the Wildcats, her 10th homer of the year and the 100th of the season for Arizona, which crossed the century mark for the fifth time in program history.
Young's homer was one of four hits for the Wildcats against Ducks ace Cheridan Hawkins, who improved to 30-4 with her eight-strikeout performance.
Oregon jumped all over Arizona, plating four runs in the top of the first and backing it up with three runs in the top of the second.
The Wildcats got two of the runs back on Young's second-inning two-run homer, but that was as close as they would get.
Oregon scored four more runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to finish off the run-rule win.
Arizona now turns its attention to the postseason. The Cats, likely to host a regional, find out their postseason fate Sunday night when the NCAA tournament field is announced.
