Mindy McElroy turned in her 17th complete game of the season and her sixth shutout.
SALEM, Va. -- Facing elimination on Saturday afternoon, Southeastern Oklahoma responded behind the pitching performance of Mindy McElroy to earn its first national finals win by topping Wayne State (Mich.) 2-0.
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 44-18 on the year.
McElroy turned in her 17th complete game of the season and her sixth shutout by scattering five hits in seven innings with one strikeout.Offensively, Jessica Simmons led the way with a 2-for-3 outing that included scoring both of SE's runs and stealing two bases
Lacie Cook, Sydney Kramer, Haley Strawn, Courtney Riddle and Lauren Renneker each collected hits in the effort, with Cook recording the only RBI.
After McElroy worked through a scoreless top of the first inning, Simmons set the tone with a leadoff triple and scored one batter later when Cook laid down her 31st sac bunt of the year to squeeze home Simmons for a 1-0 lead.
SE would turn a double play in the second inning and erase a leadoff single in the third on a strikeout-throw out double play.
The Storm would get a runner on in each of the second and third innings, but were unable to bring them around to score.
McElroy worked her first 1-2-3 inning in the top of fourth, but was again unable to score in the bottom half after Riddle collected a one-out single.
WSU would get a leadoff single and moved a runner to third before McElroy coaxed a groundout to Cook at third to end the top of the fifth.
Simmons picked up a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth and followed by stealing second and third, and scoring when the throw from the Warrior catcher Emily Bryce went wide of the bag to take a 2-0 lead.
Both teams would go in order in the sixth inning, and WSU would open the seventh with its only extra base hit of the game, a double off the bat of Lyndsay Butler.
Butler moved to third on a groundout to the second baseman Simmons by Bryce for the first out.
She would be stranded at third thanks to consecutive groundouts to Strawn at shortstop and Simmons at second to end the game.
The win was Ron Faubion's 750th collegiate victory, lifting his record to 750-298 in nearly 18 years coaching in college, all at Division II programs.
