The Arizona Wildcats capped their regular season with one of their most satisfying victories in months.
Will it be enough to guarantee them more games next week? Stay tuned.
Cameron Cannon had three hits and drove in two runs, Nick Quintana reached base four times and Randy Labaut returned to the mound for the first time in two-plus months, as the Wildcats defeated Oregon 11-3 at PK Park on Saturday in their final regular season game of the season.
Arizona leaves Eugene having won two of three games and four of its last six. The team will travel home on Sunday, then wait for Monday morning’s NCAA Tournament selection show with hopes of qualifying as an at-large team. The Wildcats are 34-22 overall and 14-16 in Pac-12 play, putting them squarely on the bubble. WarrenNolan.com lists Arizona as the nation’s 50th-best team based on RPI; the tournament field is 64, but many are automatic qualifiers from smaller conferences.
If Arizona qualifies, it will almost certainly be sent to a faraway regional as a No. 3 seed.
"We're hoping for the best," Labaut said by phone Saturday night.
Pitching for the first time since he was hospitalzied two months ago for compartment syndrome, Labaut sizzled. The onetime ace pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two. Then the Wildcats’ bats caught fire: Arizona scored three times in the fifth inning, twice in the sixth, once in the seventh and four times in the eighth to break the tension in a once-close game.
Quintana broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run ground-rule double in the fifth inning. An inning later, Cannon plated two more runs with a double. Ryan Haug drove in Quintana on a squeeze play in the seventh inning, making it 7-3.
The rest of the game played like a senior day ceremony. Senior relievers Robby Medel, Ryan Gowens and Zach Stone combined to pitch the final º innings, allowing one run.
The Ducks finish their season 26-29 overall and 12-18 in league play.
