Why was this the last Pac-12 championship? Taking a closer look at UCLA vs Utah Pac-12 softball title game

The UCLA-Utah Pac-12 softball championship game on Saturday was the sport's last tournament final. That came months before 10 of the 12 teams will wave goodbye in the so-called "Conference of Champions."

The softball final was the last Pac-12 Tournament in the sport, as UCLA, Washington, USC and Oregon will leave Pac-12 for the Big 10 Conference on August 2.

Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will head to the Big 12, while the Atlantic Coast Conference will welcome California and Stanford to their group, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State in the division.

The Pac-12 will continue to operate as a two-team conference at least for the 2024-25 season.

The Pac-12 championship match didn't disappoint, as top-seed UCLA beat No. 6-ranked Utah 2-1 in the final to become the Pac-12 Conference's last softball champions.

The ending was fitting for the final clash as Sharlize Palacios drove the go-ahead home run on a 3-2 pitch that towered into the left field and hit the scoreboard in the sixth inning.

"These are the moments that you dream of as a kid. Little Sharlize would be so happy to be experiencing this and be here with her parents and with her best friends," said Palacios, who was adjudged as the tournament’s most outstanding player.

Palacios' homer — and Taylor Tinsley's championship-winning strikeout — will forever be remembered in NCAA softball history, as these were UCLA's winning moments in the sport's last Pac-12 championship.

The Lady Bruins (37-10, 17-4 in Pac-12) avenged last season's upset to the Utes (34-20, 10-13) to secure their first conference tournament title and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

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UCLA-Utah final softball Pac-12 championship game highlights/details

UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez celebrates after the Lady Bruins edged the Utah Utes, 2-1, in the Pac-12 Championship.

The UCLA-Utah Pac-12 softball final had the makings of a classic, as both teams were locked on and focused on every ball pitched, hit and thrown at the home plate.

The Lady Bruins drew first blood as Jordan Woolery knocked down a home run in the second inning to give the Kelly Inouye-Perez-coached squad a 1-0 edge. Freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry held onto the lead in 4 2/3 innings until Utes pinch-hitter Karlie Davison responded with a homer to tie the game at 1-1.

Terry kept pitching and forced a groundout to end the inning. She played on until the sixth inning before Inouye-Perez replaced her with Tinsley, who forced a groundout on the first Utah batter and closed out with two consecutive swinging punchouts.

After the game, the UCLA coach was emotional as she reminisced on her stints as a Pac-12 player and a coach.

"I’ve been proud to be a part of the Pac-12 for decades and to be able to play in the Pac-12. To be able to close it out like this – it’s just the cherry on top," she said.

Mariah Lopez starred in the loss for Utah as she allowed four hits and two runs.