SALEM, Va. -- Fairmont State softball completed an incredible weekend on Sunday afternoon as the Fighting Falcons knocked off the number-one seeded West Virginia Wesleyan 7-4 inside the Moyer Sports Complex and claimed their first-ever Mountain East Conference softball title in program history. 

Fairmont State also collects the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with the selection show scheduled for 10 a.m. on ncaa.com

The Falcons and the Bobcats faced off for the second time in less than 24 hours as Fairmont State notched the 5-1 victory on Saturday night to advance to the championship finals today. The Maroon and White knocked off MEC Pitcher of the Year Hannah Hudson for the second consecutive game as well as the senior pitcher from Nottoway, Virginia went four and two-thirds pitched and suffered her sixth loss on the season on Sunday.

Fairmont State was able to get on the board first in the third inning as Peyton Wetherholt singled with two outs to bring home Katy Darnell as the Falcons led 1-0.

Caitlyn Kassay worked around a two-out single by the Bobcats to claim a shutdown inning for the Maroon and White. WVWC managed to tie the score up at one apiece after Bobcat Alyssa Souders homered on a 3-2 count to left field. Shelby Reed came in relief of Kassay in the fifth inning and was able to keep the score tied.

The bats came alive in the home half of the fifth as Molly Schweitzer led off the inning with a single to second base. Brooke Schmitt advanced to first via a hit by a pitch and pinch-runner Jordan Novak moved to second base. Darnell placed a timely sacrifice bunt to Wesleyan's pitcher as the Falcons had two runners in scoring position. Wetherholt came up clutch once again with a two-out single to the left-center gap as Schmitt and Novak scored on the play.

Emily Riggs continued her dominance at the plate in Salem as she sent a ball over the left-field fence on the first pitch to give Fairmont State the 5-1 advantage.

Reed, in the top of the sixth inning, allowed a lead-off double by Bobcat Morgan Norris but got out of the inning with three straight outs.

In the bottom of the sixth, Fairmont State rallied again for two runs as Alexa Andrews doubled down the right-field line with one out. Schweitzer advanced Andrews 60 feet with a single to center field and Schmitt collected two RBIs on her at-bat as she singled up Andrews and Schweitzer.  After the sixth inning, the Falcons led 7-1 while only needing three outs to secure the MEC Title.

WVWC made it interesting in the final inning of play as the Bobcats rallied for four runs. Wesleyan also had the game-tying run at the plate in the form of Kiley Turner, but Fairmont State's Ashley Strauss was able to get her to ground out to Courtney Moyer to collect the monumental win.

Reed earned the win out of the bullpen for the Falcons after going two full innings and striking out one. Strauss was able to get the final two outs of the game for Fairmont State.

Wetherholt, Schweitzer, and Schmitt all had two hits apiece in the contest with Wetherholt stepping up with three RBIs as well. Schmitt and Riggs added two RBIs to their season totals in the 7-4 victory. 

For their outstanding play of the last few days, Caitlyn Kassay, Peyton Wetherholt and Emily Riggs were all named to the MEC All-Tournament Team with Riggs being named the tournament MVP. Riggs also broke the tournament records for home runs (3) and RBIs (9).

Fairmont State will now look to continue its phenomenal postseason run with a berth into the NCAA Regionals slated to start on Thursday, May 12.