• Box Score

TUCSON (May 6) -- Lauren Bauer's sixth hit of the night, a three-run blast for a home run to left field in with one out in bottom of the ninth, capped a huge Arizona comeback in a 12-9 victory over UCLA in Pac-10 softball on May 6.

It was Bauer's second home run of the night. She had a double, three singles, scored three runs and drove in seven.

UA pitcher Becky Lemke, roughed up early, closed stronger, spreading three hits over the last five innings to improve her record to 26-5. UCLA reliever Amanda Freed (19-7) took the loss in five and two-thirds innings of relief.

Arizona was on the verge of a mercy-rule loss, trailing 9-1 in the fourth, but came back with two big innings to make things interesting for the partisan UA crowd of 2,280.

Lyndsey Klein's first-inning grand slam and a solo homer by Tairia Mims spotted UCLA to a quick 5-0 lead.

Amanda Freed led off the game with a fly ball to left which Lauren Bauer dropped for a two-base error, Natasha Watley sacrificed her to third, Julie Adams walked, Julie Marshall reached on a fielder's choice when UA shortstop Allison Andrade hesitated on the throw to first, then Klein lined her home run over the left field fence. Mims blasted a pitch into the top row of the left-field bleachers an out later.

Jennie Finch led off the second with a home run, her 16th of the season, to account for UA's first run, as she did against Washington Friday night. In the fourth Arizona closed to 9-5 with Bauer's first home run, a grand slam.

The Cats scored four more to tie it in the sixth on a leadoff home run by Allison Andrade, a two-run single by Toni Mascarenas and a sacrifice fly by Lindsey Collins.

UCLA pitcher Courtney Dale pitched two and two-thirds innings, her longest outing since a Feb. 24 shoulder injury.

The Wildcats improved to 49-7 and broke a tie with UCLA for second place in the Pac-10 at 12-4. UCLA dropped to 36-9-1 and 11-5.

Arizona concludes its home schedule with a second game against the Bruins at 1 p.m. Sunday on Senior Day. The Pac-10 regular season closes next weekend, when Arizona travels to the Bay Area for a game Friday Cats at Stanford and a doubleheader Saturday at California.