PALO ALTO – Thirty years ago, Arizona defeated UCLA in the Women’s College World Series semifinals en route to its third national championship.

The 1994 season marked another milestone – now-coach Kelly Inouye-Perez’s first year assistant coaching in Westwood.

Inouye-Perez was no stranger to the bitter rivalry between the two programs. She played in its ‘90s heyday, starring in three NCAA championship series against Arizona – winning it all once in 1992, in one of a combined 21 national championships and 29 conference championships over 50 years for the programs.

Therefore, it’s only right that after 37 years of Pac-12 softball, in the 149th contest and the last Pac-12 contest between the programs, redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios furthered the rivalry, bringing the hurt against her former team.

“It’s always a respectful dogfight between the two of us,” Inouye-Perez said. “I always say when you watch Arizona and UCLA, you got to watch down to the last pitch – always.”

Led by Palacios’ go-ahead two-run home run in the fifth inning, No. 1 seed UCLA softball (36-10, Pac-12 17-4) upended No. 5 seed Arizona (34-16-1, 13-11) by a score of 6-5 to advance to the Pac-12 championship final. The Bruins will now face No. 6 seed Utah (34-19, 10-13) on Saturday in the conference championship in a rematch of last year’s title game.

After the Wildcats tacked on four unanswered runs on freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry – who has allowed 19 in four games against Arizona – Inouye-Perez called on sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley for the first time since April 26.

Tinsley showed no signs of rust, subsequently hurling two innings of shutdown softball, bringing up the Bruins’ offense, ready to muster up a comeback in the fifth inning.

“Tins is always going to be a competitor, and that’s what we have in our arsenal,” Palacios said. “We have two really good pitchers that are going to pitch their hearts out for us.”

A double from junior utility Savannah Pola and a single from senior utility Thessa Malau’ulu put two on in scoring position for the Pac-12 Player of the Year – Maya Brady.

The redshirt senior shortstop singled through the right side of the infield, scoring both runners. The rally continued instantaneously as graduate student outfielder Jadelyn Allchin hit a single of her own, scoring Brady.

Sound familiar?

Now a 4-3 ballgame, Palacios stepped up to the plate with the tying run at first.

Shades of Senior Day.

Long gone into the trees beyond the right-center fence, with her former coach Mike Candrea in attendance, the former Wildcat brought the damage once again to her former program with a two-run home run for a newfound Bruin lead.

The hit marked her 17th RBI against Arizona in her last seven games against it.

UCLA would go on to score one more in the inning on a bases-loaded walk from redshirt junior outfielder Madison Pacini.

Pola, who started the rally, said the Bruins focused on having each other’s backs as they entered the inning.

“We’re taking it each game, day by day, and not focusing too much on the future,” Pola said. “We’re focusing on ourselves and what we can do.”

In the sixth, the Wildcats got one back on an Olivia DiNardo home run, and the Bruins went scoreless, bringing Tinsley back out to the circle in the seventh for three more outs.

Ground out. Fly out. Foul out – caught by who else but Palacios.

UCLA won.

“I screamed, and I caught it kind of funky, but I was like, ‘I don’t care, I’m keeping it,’” Palacios said. “I literally held the ball in my glove the entire time.”