In a must-win game, the Arizona baseball team routed Oregon 11-4 on Saturday to complete the series victory in Eugene.
Arizona will now wait and see if it has done enough to make the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats finish the regular season 34-22 overall and 14-16 in the Pac-12 with an RPI of 46.
D1Baseball’s latest projections — released on May 21 — pegged them as one of the “first five teams out” of the tournament, which was why a sweep in Eugene would have been so crucial.
But taking two of three might be sufficient for a postseason berth, too. The selection show is Monday at 9 a.m. PT on ESPNU. The Wildcats are the only team in the Pac-12 to make the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.
Arizona trailed 2-1 through four innings on Saturday, but scored 10 runs from the fifth through eighth innings to take a commanding lead.
Arizona tallied 13 hits and seven different Wildcats drove in at least one run. Cameron Cannon went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, two walks, and three runs scored.
Nick Quintana was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two walks. Ryan Haug was 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Donta Williams, Jacob Blas, Cesar Salazar, and Alfonso Rivas each had at least one hit and one RBI.
UA starter Avery Weems gave up three runs in four innings, but Arizona’s bullpen was stellar from there, other than when it allowed a two-out RBI single in the ninth with the game already out of hand.
Randy Labaut pitched a perfect seventh and eighth inning with two strikeouts.
It was a nice outing and moment for the sophomore left-hander, who had been out since March 17 after undergoing two surgeries for compartment syndrome in his left leg.
Lebaut was originally declared out for the season.
If the Wildcats don’t make the postseason, you can point to two reasons why: They were just 11-16 away from Hi Corbett Field and lost 13 games by one run.