CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore Crystal Farley is greeted by freshman Autumn Champion and the rest of the Wildcat squad after her walk-off single gave UA its second win in as many days over defending champion Cal.

UA sweeps Bears with game-winning single in final at-bat to avenge NCAA title defeat

The Arizona softball team battled for seven scoreless innings before an unlikely hero sent No. 6 California home with its second loss of the weekend.

After playing a near two-hour stalemate, sophomore Crystal Farley chipped a single over Cal pitcher Keeley Anderson's head to drive in the game's sole run.

"Everyone was pretty fired up," Farley said. "I just tried to put the ball on the ground and beat it out."

Farley's game-winning hit capped the Wildcats' second win in their three-game home series, but it was junior pitcher Wendy Allen's solid seven-inning performance that put Arizona in the position to win.

"My hat goes off to Wendy," UA head coach Mike Candrea said. "If there ever was a time where we needed a great performance, it was today. The big key (in the game) was Wendy."

Arizona battled the adversity of its own bats offensively, but Allen (11-1) battled her own challenge, a cyst in the left carpal tunnel of her pitching arm.

Allen overcame the pain and threw a three-hit gem, drawing off a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh to set up Farley's game winner.

"It hurts and I felt it, but the adrenaline took over," Allen said of her pain. "It's gradually getting worse, going from my arm to my elbow."

Before the game, Candrea needed to inspire his team.

While UA battled against Cal in Saturday's 7-5 win, but lost its weekend opener to No. 11 Stanford, 4-3, Candrea needed to produce a spark out of his lineup.

"It's a mind game, and you need to get yourself mentally prepared," Candrea said. "I told them that you only represent this program in 2003 once."

On the chalkboard in the Arizona dugout, Candrea added some inspiration.

"The most important element to success is to sell yourself to yourself!" Candrea said before the weekend finale. "It just feels good to win. I don't care who I play, I just hate to lose. It feels good how this team hung in there and competed."

Last season, the Golden Bears defeated the Wildcats in a convincing 6-0 decision in the title game of the Women's College World Series.

Cal didn't get away so easy this year, and was sent back to Berkeley, Calif., with two losses.

The Wildcats barely squeezed past the Bears on Saturday.

After a six-run fourth inning, led by third baseman Jackie Coburn who blasted a grand slam, Arizona walked over Cal 7-5.

It wasn't all good news as the Wildcats were handed their first Pac-10 loss of the season in a 4-3 decision against Stanford.

Senior shortstop Lovie Jung hit her 21st homerun of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats fell to the Cardinal for the first time since April 9, 2000.

The Wildcats managed to pick up a pair of wins while playing only mediocre softball.

"This weekend, everyone in a white uniform was trying to be perfect and that can be fatal," Candrea said. "It was a struggle, and we weren't playing our best softball. You're at home and you get to the seventh inning; you've got to win."

With two days off from practice, the Wildcats resume on Wednesday as they prepare for their two-game home series against rival ASU, beginning on Friday at 7 p.m.