Long Beach State senior Darian Tautalafua and Hawai’i senior Kaia Parnaby dominated during tournament play in garnering Big West Softball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week recognition.

Tautalafua Guides 49ers To 5-0 Record At San Diego State Classic

Senior Darian Tautalafua (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS) led Long Beach State to a 5-0 record at the San Diego State Classic thanks to an impressive display at the plate, earning her Big West Softball Field Player of the Week accolades.

Tautalafua drove in 12 runs in the five games and batted .545 (6-for-11).  Five of her six hits during the tournament went for extra bases, including a trio of home runs.

Her top performance came against BYU in a 12-3 win in six innings.  Tautalafua hit 3-for-3 and had six RBI to go along with a double and a pair of home runs.  She also posted her first career triple in a 8-0 rout of Fresno State.  The infielder accounted for the game-winning RBI in a 6-2 victory against New Mexico, breaking a tie game in the fifth inning.

In addition to hitting .545 for the week, Tautalafua recorded a .647 on base percentage and 1.636 slugging percentage.

Others nominated:  Eliza Crawford (Cal State Fullerton); Mikayla Thielges (Cal State Northridge); Kayla Tyler (UC Davis); Arianna Palomares (UC Santa Barbara); Keiki Carlos (Hawai’i); Sara Anderson (Pacific)

Parnaby Most Valuable Pitcher At Bank Of Hawaii Invitational

Senior Kaia Parnaby (Bilgola Plateau, NSW, Australia/Freshwater Senior Campus) dominated in the circle to the tune of a 5-0 record, as he captured Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week honors.

The hurler threw five consecutive complete games and did not allow an earned run on three occasions as she was named the Bank of Hawaii Invitational Most Valuable Pitcher.  She posted a 0.80 earned run average, walking just seven and striking out 40 in 35.0 innings of work.

In the tournament championship game against Western Kentucky, Parnaby tossed a three-hit shutout with a walk and seven strikeouts to lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 3-0 win.  Against the Hilltoppers in an earlier tournament game, she took a shutout into the sixth inning and settled on surrendering one earned run in a 5-1 victory.

Parnaby has been the winning pitcher in her last eight straight games for UH.  She has made 15 appearances this season, with an 11-2 record and 1.28 ERA.

Others nominated:  Mia Pagano (Cal State Northridge); Erin Jones-Wesley (Long Beach State); Justine Vela (UC Davis); Alyssa Razo (UC Riverside); Shelby Wisdom (UC Santa Barbara)