FOREST GROVE, Ore. — Late in the day during a regular season-finale softball doubleheader against Willamette, the Boxers had 23 hits on the day, surely enough to win two games.

But they needed the 24th to secure the sweep, and they got it on Emily Tesdale's two-out walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday afternoon at Sherman/Larkins Stadium. That gave the Boxers a 4-3 win in the nightcap, after winning the first game, 13-5.

Pacific finishes the regular season at 25-14-1 overall and 17-11 in the Northwest Conference. They finished in fourth place in the conference and will play No. 1 seed and host Whitworth in the Northwest Conference tournament next Friday in Spokane at 9 a.m. The four-team, Friday-Saturday double-elimination format has the loser's of the morning games playing at 2 p.m. and the winners going at 4:30. Winners of the two games advance to Saturday play.

In the marathon second game, Pacific jumped out to a 3-0 lead through four innings. They picked up a run in the third when Quirena Natividad doubled home Ashley Mitchell, who had reached base on a bunt single. In the fourth, Megan Winans led off the inning with a solo home run, and Mitchell later singled home pinch-runner Rhyn Lendio to make it 3-0. Lendio was running for Tesdale, who had singled.

That 3-0 lead looked pretty safe as Boxer ace Marissa Reichard was dealing blanks through five innings, allowing only two hits and no runs.

But the Bearcats broke through in the sixth, scoring three times to tie the contest, slashing out four hits against Reichard. The biggest blow was Darian Gibson's two-run single.

After that, both teams had a number of opportunities to break the deadlock, but couldn't. In the bottom of the sixth, Pacific had runners on second and third, but they remained stranded. In the top of the seventh, Pacific centerfielder Kaitlynn Donaca threw out the potential winning run at third base. In the top of the eighth, the Bearcats loaded the bases with no outs, but Reichard clamped down and retired three batters in a row.

Pacific lost another opportunity in the bottom half of the eighth when Rachel Roberts tripled, but was left at third.

But it all finally came together in the ninth on a warm afternoon. Kylee Yamamoto led off with a single, and Reichard followed with a base hit. With two outs and another extra inning looming, Tesdale delivered the game-winner and was promptly mobbed by her teammates.

Roberts had two hits in the second game, as did Mitchell, Tesdale and Natividad. Mitchell was 5-for-7 on the day. Reichard battled through adversity to get the win, improving to 17-6 on the season, pitching nine innings, allowing eight hits, three runs and she fanned six.

In the first game, Willamette stunned the Boxers on Senior Day by putting up four runs before Pacific could even come to bat. But the hosts battled right back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs of its own, thanks in part to Mitchell's RBI-single and three Bearcat errors.

Pacific then broke open the contest in the third inning, scoring seven runs on six hits. Natividad got the parade started with an RBI-double, followed by three Boxers who each had two-run singles--Tesdale, Roberts and Mitchell.

The Boxers would score two more runs in the fourth inning on Nalani Antonio's double, driving in a pair. The mercy rule ended things before the Boxers could come to bat in the bottom of the fifth.

Mitchell finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs scored, three RBI and a double. Natividad had two hits, two runs, an RBI and a double. Designated player Reichard added two hits and Roberts was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, 2 RBI, two walks and two stolen bases. The Boxers had 12 hits overall in four innings of work.

Madison Hedlund was brilliant in relief, picking up the win to improve to 2-0 on the season. She pitched 4.2 innings, gave up only two hits, no earned runs, two walks and she struck out three.

Willamette finished 2016 with a 14-19 overall record and a 10-18 mark in NWC action.