The 17th-ranked Arizona softball team honored seniors Kristen Arriola, Nicole Bryan, Karissa Buchanan, Lini Koria and Jessica Spigner with a Senior Day to remember on Saturday, as Del Ponte hit a walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Wildcats a 3-1 win over Oregon State in the finale game of the regular season.
Arizona (35-17, 12-12 Pac-12) trailed by a run with just five outs remaining when Spigner, hitless in her last 15 at-bats and homerless in her last 77, tied the score with a home run to left-center. The home run ended 12 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings hurled by Oregon State's Marina Demore, who threw a complete-game shutout Friday.
An inning later, Del Ponte ended it with her 14th home run of the season. It was the second consecutive home series finale the Wildcats won in walk-off fashion, as Hallie Wilson hit a walk-off single to beat Oregon in eight innings the previous week.
In addition to Spigner’s heroics, fellow senior Buchanan saved perhaps her best career game for last. Buchanan had four of UA’s seven hits -- her first career four-hit game in her 200th career start -- and scored the winning run on Del Ponte’s homer.
While the offense came alive for three runs in the final two frames, Shelby Babcock (19-9) dealt a gem to keep the Wildcats in it. Babcock threw a complete-game five-hitter and allowed only one run while striking out a career-high-tying nine batters and walking just one.
All the game's runs were scored via the long ball. Oregon State (34-21, 9-12 Pac-12) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Lea Cavestany’s solo shot, and Spigner and Del Ponte recorded Arizona’s only RBIs with their respective home runs.
UA ended the regular season with a 35-17 record and a 12-12 mark in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats' 35 regular-season victories were their fewest since the 1986 team won 27, although this year's total was affected by having six games rained out.
The Wildcats will learn their postseason fate Sunday at 7 p.m. when the NCAA tournament bracket is announced. The selection show will be broadcast by ESPNU.
