ALABASTER, Ala. - St. Johns River State College's softball team made history on Sunday.
After a second-round loss on Friday, the Vikings won five straight elimination games, capped by a doubleheader sweep against FCSAA foe South Florida State College on Sunday, to win the NJCAA Division II South District Championship and their first-ever trip to the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series.
St. Johns River State won a high-scoring affair in Sunday's first game, 10-8, then took a 6-2 victory in game two to earn the trip to Spartanburg, S.C.
After winning the FCSAA Division II Championship by virtue of its first-place finish in the Sun-Lakes Conference standings, St. Johns River State entered the eight-team tournament as the No. 1 seed from Region 8.
The Vikings won their first round game, 9-3 over Wallace (Ala.) Community College-Dothan, but fell into the loser's bracket following a 12-2 upset loss to Marion (Ala.) Military Institute.
Meanwhile, South Florida State, the FCSAA Runners-up, won its first three games, including a 3-2 win over ACCC Champion Central Alabama Community College, to move into the driver's seat, just one win away from a district championship.
St. Johns River State won its first elimination game on Friday, then survived two more games on Saturday, including a 3-2 payback victory against Marion, to set up Sunday's All-FCSAA final in the District Championship.
The Panthers led 6-3 after two innings in game then found itself trailing 8-6 before scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings to tie the game. The Vikings scored the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth and added an insurance run in the seventh.
In game two, St. Johns River State scored single runs in each of the first three innings and never trailed.
Caylee Elder was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player after earning three complete-game victories and one save in the circle and hitting five home runs at the plate.
She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by teammates Olivia Hansen, Princess Arredondo and Carley Jagiello, as well as South Florida State's Brielle Rosa, Trinity Rohrer and Makayla Oster.