No. 2 Sandra Day O'Connor's recipe for its 2-0 Division I softball title victory over Mountain Ridge Monday night was simple enough. Pitch, play defense and scratch out a couple runs. Easier said then done against top-seed Mountain Ridge, but that was the reality of the two-hour, nail-biter at ASU's Farrington Stadium.

Both teams were seeking their first-ever softball title. Mountain Ridge (30-5) was giving it a go for the second year in a row. O'Connor (34-7) was playing in its first championship game. O'Connor did it the hard way, which many teams have done in recent years, by coming back through the loser's bracket to win five games in a row.

Sophomore Emma Vesely pitched in and out of trouble, but managed to go the distance getting clutch outs with two outs and runners in scoring position in four of the seven innings. Shortstop Grace Lyons, a freshman, and sophomore second baseman Savanna Avila were flawless in combining to handle 10 chances. Vesely allowed four hits, walked six and hit a batter, but those 11 baserunners showed up in the LOB (left on base) ledger on the stat sheet, not the runs column. It was only the second time all season Mountain Ridge was blanked. The other time was a 10-0 loss to O'Connor in early March..

Four of Vesely's walks were issued to Mountain Ridge's No. 3 hitter Alyssa DiCarlo and were by design. DiCarlo never saw a strike in her at-bats -- 16 balls. DiCarlo, hitting over .600 this season with clutch hits in postseason as a reminder, was not  going to beat O'Connor. Coach Melissa Hobson and staff determined that before the game.

"We'd seen her do damage in other games, and weren't going to let it happen tonight," Hobson said.

Vesely was opposed by arguably the best pitcher in D-I the last two months in Mountain Ridge junior lefty Giselle Juarez. Juarez was solid again in this one. She allowed three hits, walked three and fanned seven. Only one of the runs was earned. Over the last two months shutouts, no-hitter, two-hitters and double-digit strikeout games were the rule for Juarez. Juarez beat O'Connor, 2-0, three weeks ago, tossing a two-hitter with 11 Ks.

Juarez's downfall Monday -- two of the walks issued ended up scoring. Both times the walker was Stevie McLemore. McLemore scored in the second on a two-out double by Jasmilia Cosay and tallied again in the top of the seventh on a two-out infield hit by Justyce McClain.

Offensively, Mountain Ridge had more than enough chances to put runs on the board. The Lady Mountain Lions best chance to score and perhaps alter the course of the game came in the bottom of the third. Vesely walked two and hit a batter in the inning sandwiched around two outs. Catcher Payton Alsobrooks laced Vesely's first pitch following the second walk on a low line up the middle. Lyons made a diving stab a couple inches above ground to steal at least a two-run single. Avila ranged to her left in the fifth inning with the bases jammed and two outs and threw out the unlucky Alsobrooks again.

Hobson has often started Vesely this season and then gone to McLemore to finish out games with three or four innings to give opponents an abrupt, different look. Hobson shied away this time.

"Stevie has finished some games," Hobson said. "But tonight we decided don't fix it if it's not broken. (Vesely) had stellar composure out there. Our defense is usually good, but doesn't get any better than it was tonight."