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With a win over No. 20 Washington on Friday, Utah's softball team would have been assured its first above-.500 Pac-12 record and a sixth straight series win against a conference opponent.

That'll have to wait at least one more day — and if it doesn't happen Saturday, one more year.

Following a 12-1 run-rule victory over the Huskies (40-15, 11-11 Pac-12) on Thursday, the Utes (34-17, 12-12 Pac-12) fell 7-5 in nine innings Friday on a two-run ninth-inning homer from Washington's Julia DePonte.

Still, said Utah coach Amy Hogue, other goals aside, the key in the postseason is to never lose to anybody twice.

For five weeks, they haven't.

"A regional is a double-elimination tournament, and if you're not losing to anybody twice, you're in the World Series," Hogue said. "That's all we keep driving home."

Utah opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, when Heather Bowen's sacrifice bunt pushed across Hannah Flippen.

But Washington scrapped back to load the bases in the top of the second, scoring on Kylee Lahners' RBI dribbler back to Miranda Viramontes.

Utah's freshman hurler was at least able to limit the damage by striking out Taylor Van Zee to end the frame, and the sophomore double-play machine of Anissa Urtez, Hannah Flippen and Bridget Castro bailed out Viramontes in the top of the fourth.

Utah third baseman Kristen Stewart knotted it at 2-apiece with a solo home run to left-center in the bottom half of the fourth, and after a brief rain delay, Urtez delivered a bloop single to plate Maddy Woodard and re-take the lead, 3-2.

Outfielder Kate Dickman drilled a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth that seemed, for a while, like it would prove decisive. The senior captain finished 4-for-5, hitting safely in her 10th straight game and bumping her average to .448 — which would have been second in the conference at the start of Friday's action.

But Lahners kept the crowd in its seats with a two-run blast to right in the top of the seventh, and Julia DePonte drove in the tying run with a single to center field.

Katie Donovan (16-8) pitched one perfect inning of relief, but DePonte struck again in the top of the ninth, plating Kimberlee Souza.

Kirstyn Thomas picked up the win after five scoreless innings of relief.

It was an emotional day for the Utes, Hogue said. Some walked at graduation, and the team watched Snow Canyon student Britton Shipp deliver the first pitch. Shipp, brother of former Ute Autumn, spent three months in a coma following a severe ATV accident last November.

The series and regular season finale starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting.

Just 2-22 in conference three years ago, Utah could finish tied for third place with a win and an Arizona loss to No. 1 Oregon.

Twitter: @matthew_piper