CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College softball team needed two victories on Wednesday to come from the loser's bracket and win the National Christian College Athletic Association MidEast Regional, and they did just that with a couple wins over Belhaven at the MC Softball Complex.

The Lady Choctaws (34-19) have now earned the NCCAA MidEast Region's automatic bid to next week's World Series, held in Roanoke, Va. (May 18-20). It will be MC's third straight trip to the national tournament and first time to win the region championship.

The Blazers (33-8) won twice on Tuesday, including a 4-0 win over MC, putting themselves in the driver's seat for the region crown, needing just one win on Wednesday to clinch in Clinton.

In the opener, junior Tylan Buckley gave MC their first run of the week against Belhaven, smacking her 12th home run of the season, a new school record, over the left-center field fence to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Freshman Penny Nichols (14-7) took over in the circle from there, tossing a complete game and allowing just one unearned run and six hits.

The Blazers tied the game in the sixth inning when Taylor O'Dell singled home Savannah Johnston, who pinch-ran for Savannah Lyon after she reach on an error to open the inning.

Belahven looked to take the lead when Dani Craft singled to left field and Mary Austin Barber tried to score from second base, but junior Megan Everett made a perfect throw to the plate and freshman Kristen Qualls applied the tag to end the inning.

Senior Madison Oliver delivered the big blow in the seventh inning, sending the first pitch she saw over the left-center field fence for a three-run home run with two outs in the inning. For Oliver, it was her fifth home run of the season.

Nichols closed out the game with a perfect seventh inning, sending the regional to a winner-take-all game on Wednesday night.

The Lady Choctaws were able to pick up the win against Belhaven's ace, Julienne Broussard (14-3), who had not lost a game since February 27th.

In the second game, the Lady Choctaws jumped out to a quick lead in the second inning as freshman Cheyenne Mathews drew a leadoff walk and junior Haley Thompson came on as a pinch-runner. Thompson stole second and moved to third on a throwing error.

Oliver drove in the opening run with a sacrifice fly to score Thompson and take the 1-0 lead.

The lead remained one until the fourth inning when MC put up six runs, scoring five unearned on two Belhaven errors.

Oliver had her second sacrifice fly of the game to score Buckley and Thompson came home to score on a single by pinch-hitter Makenzie Nieto, pushing the lead out to 3-0.

Freshman Shelby Miller pinch-hit and struck out for the second out of the inning, but the Blazers' catcher tossed the ball back to the center of the field, thinking it was the third out and Nieto moved up to second.

Sophomore Katherine Lee singled to the pitcher and after a couple of run-downs, Nieto came home to score from second. Everett singled home Lee and Buckley drew a bases loaded walk to give MC a 7-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, the Lady Choctaws closed out the run-rule win as Oliver led off with a single and moved up to third on a double by senior Kimmie Conley. Lee sent a ball up the middle that was mishandled and Oliver came home with the walk-off run.

Senior Carlie Sargent (18-11) was back to her old self on Wednesday, tossing a complete game shutout and allowing just two hits. She also broke the school record for most strikeouts in a single season, punching out six in the game, giving her 180 in 2016.

The Lady Choctaws will now turn their attention to the NCCAA World Series in Roanoke, Va., where they are likely to enter as the #1 seed in the tournament. The opening game of the tournament is Wednesday, May 18.