Arizona's Emilio Corona (26) sits alone on the bench as the Oregon Ducks celebrate on the field after the Wildcats fell 5-4 in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.

 Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

SCOTTSDALE – Arizona came oh-so-close to winning the Pac-12 Tournament, which would have given the Wildcats an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Now they wait to see if they’ve done enough to make it anyway.

Oregon defeated Arizona 5-4 in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 4,051 at Scottsdale Stadium. The Ducks went 4-0 against the Wildcats this season and earned the conference’s auto bid. Oregon was expected to make it anyway.

Arizona’s case is far more muddled. The Wildcats (33-24) went 12-18 in Pac-12 play during the regular season. But they had won seven of eight entering Saturday, including a pair of victories over projected top-eight national seed Stanford. Arizona’s RPI, per WarrenNolan.com, stood at 45 after Saturday’s result.

“I believe so,” senior third baseman Tony Bullard said when asked if the Wildcats had done enough to make the NCAA Tournament.

“I think we're a really good team. And if someone gives us a chance, they're gonna see.”

Three Oregon pitchers succeeded in doing what no one else could in this tournament: stifle the UA offense. Arizona, which ranks atop the Pac-12 in multiple offensive categories, lost for only the seventh this season when allowing five or fewer runs.

“They were just mixing speeds and throwing strikes,” Bullard said. “I think we got big at times, and it caused us not to drive the ball like we’re used to.”

Bullard defined “getting big” as “just trying to do too much in the situation. I know I did it a few times. And the last at-bat I made an adjustment and hit the ball well.”

After Oregon scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to expand its lead to 5-3, Bullard made it a one-run game again with a solo homer in the top of the eighth. He was named to the all-tournament team along with shortstop Nik McClaughry, outfielder Chase Davis and pitcher Bradon Zastrow. Davis was named tournament MVP – but couldn’t come through in his final at-bat.

Arizona's Chase Davis (5) gets hit on the foot by a pitch against Oregon in the first inning of their game in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.

Down to their last strike, the Wildcats kept hope alive when McClaughry reached on an infield single. Davis, the Pac-12 leader in home runs, flew out to left to end the game.

“They pitched very well,” UA coach Chip Hale said. “They did a really good job. ... They had a good plan, and they executed it.

“We still scored four runs. We had some good at-bats. We had how many hits? Ten hits? That’s how it works. It’s a baseball game.”

Arizona’s Aiden May, starting for the second time in five days, pitched well but didn’t have much luck. Oregon scored two runs on four singles in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead. Two of the hits were bloopers; one of the others was a chopper that never left the infield.

May threw 67 pitches. The coaching staff figured he could throw 50-60.

“He gave it everything he had,” Hale said.

The prolific Arizona lineup – which scored 39 runs in the first three games of the tournament – was slow to get going against Oregon starter Turner Spoljaric, who entered Saturday with a 6.80 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. Spoljaric pounded the strike zone, and the Wildcats didn’t make him work deep into counts; he threw only 46 pitches through the first four innings.

A more patient approach allowed Arizona to cut into the lead in the fifth. Mac Bingham’s sharp single to right on a 2-2 pitch scored Tommy Splaine to make it 3-2. Bingham then stole second but was stranded there.

Kiko Romero, the hero of Wednesday’s walk-off win over Oregon State, tied it in the sixth in dramatic fashion. Romero clubbed a drive to deep left-center. Colby Shade leaped for it at the wall. It sailed over his glove and bounded off the yellow padding into medium center. Romero raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. It was also Romero’s 86th RBI of the season, tying Ron Hassey’s UA record.

“That was sweet,” Bullard said. “He's one of our better players and one of the better players in the country.”

Oregon's Rikuu Nishida (56), left, and Drew Smith (17) come out to meet Jacob Walsh (25) after he mashed a solo homer into the right field power alley in the sixth inning and getting the Ducks back on top of Arizona 4-3 in the final of the Pac 12 Baseball Tournament, Scottsdale, Ariz., May 27, 2023.

The tie didn’t last long. Jacob Walsh hit a conventional solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to give Oregon a 4-3 lead. It was Walsh’s fourth homer in as many games against Arizona this season.

Romero got another chance in the top of the seventh, coming to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. But Oregon’s Austin Anderson – who entered Saturday with a 0.40 ERA – fanned Romero with a breaking ball in the dirt.

Arizona went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and 3 for 17 with runners on base.

Hale told his players after the game to keep their heads up. They’ll find out during Monday morning’s selection show whether they’ll have more baseball to play.

“Our season is not over yet,” Bullard said. “Hopefully one of the guys on the committee will let us continue playing.”

Inside pitch

• Others named to the all-tournament team: Oregon catcher Bennett Thompson, Stanford first baseman Carter Graham, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Oregon third baseman Sabin Ceballos, Stanford outfielder Alberto Rios, Oregon’s Shade and Oregon pitcher Grayson Grinsell.

• The Wildcats are 20-7 in games in which their opponent scores five or fewer runs.

• McClaughry, Romero and Mason White each had two hits.

• Chris Barraza stranded two runners in the seventh. He did not allow a hit in 1⅔ innings.

Coach Chip Hale said during his postgame address that Arizona deserves to make the NCAA Tournament. Will the selection committee see it the same way? (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)

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Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter: @michaeljlev