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Arizona Falls to Oregon in Pac-12 Tournament Final, 5-4

by arizonawildcats.com
May 27, 2023

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats (33-24) fell just shy in an exciting, hard fought title battle with the Oregon Ducks (37-20) in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game on Saturday night at Scottsdale Stadium.

Arizona battled until the very final and put the tying run on the bases in the top of the ninth inning out but ultimately fell on a final score of 5-4.

First baseman Kiko Romero and third baseman Tony Bullard both smacked crucial home runs for the Wildcats, with the former being an inside-the-parker that tied the game in the top of the sixth and the latter brining Arizona within one run of Oregon in the top of th eighth inning.

Starting pitcher Aiden May, making his second start of the tournament, provided four strong innings for the Wildcats. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs while striking out five and did not factor into the decision.

Fellow right-hander Chris Barraza posted 1.2 brilliant innings of relief across the seventh and eighth innings to keep the Cats in the game.

Arizona now turns their eyes to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, May 29. The entire selection process will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 9:00 a.m. MST.
Arizona WildBATS

  • 1B Kiko Romero: 2-for-4, R, HR, RBI
  • SS Nik McClaughry: 2-for-5, RBI
  • CF Mac Bingham: 1-for-4, RBI, BB
  • 3B Tony Bullard: 1-for-4, R, HR, RBI
  • 2B Mason White: 2-for-4

Bullpen Bullies

  • RHP Casey Hintz: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 K
  • RHP Chris Barraza: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K

Numbers of the Night

  • Romero's sixth inning inside-the-park home run gave him 86 RBI on the year, tying the Arizona single-season program record.
  • Bullard eighth inning home run was his 12th of the season, giving him five more than his previous career-high of 7 in 2021.

Photo of the Night

Social Media Coverage

Next Up
The Wildcats await their postseason fate, which will be announced during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday, May 29 at 9:00 a.m. MST on ESPN2.

 

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