Long Beach State won a crucial series against first-place Hawai’i behind the stellar play of Shayna Kimbrough and Erin Jones-Wesley, who were selected the Big West Softball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Kimbrough Leads Charge In Series Victory Over First Place Hawai’i
Long Beach State sophomore Shayna Kimbrough (Oxnard, Calif./Frontier HS) turned in an exceptional performance from the leadoff spot to help the 49ers win a series against first place Hawai’i, garnering Big West Softball Field Player of the Week accolades.
The shortstop scored seven runs and drove in three more to account for one-third of Long Beach State's offense in the key road series against the nation's No. 14-ranked squad.
Kimbrough hit .667 (8-for-12) as the 49ers rebounded from an opening game loss Friday to outscore the Rainbow Wahine 25-10 in a doubleheader on Saturday.
She went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and two RBI in a 14-7 victory. Kimbrough followed that up with a 2-for-4 effort in a five-inning 11-3 win in the rubber game of the series. She scored twice, drove in a run and added a stolen base in that win.
Kimbrough posted the first of three straight multi-hit games when she batted 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the series opener.
For the week, she recorded a .615 on-base percentage and .750 slugging percentage.
Others nominated: Gabby Aragon (Cal State Fullerton); Chandler Wagner (UC Davis); Kayla White (UC Riverside); Lauren Boser (UC Santa Barbara); Kelly Majam (Hawai’i)
Jones-Wesley Holds Down Powerful UH Offense
Erin Jones-Wesley (Alta Loma, Calif./Los Osos HS) earned two wins in a crucial series against first-place Hawai’i, giving the Long Beach State junior Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week honors.
The right-hander pitched 10 innings over two games and limited the potent Rainbow Wahine offense to just four runs. In game one of Saturday's doubleheader, a 14-7 victory, Jones-Wesley came on in relief of starter Christian Carbajal who had allowed four runs through 1.1 innings. Jones-Wesley yielded just two hits and two runs in her stint while striking out right.
The 49ers won 11-3 in five innings in the doubleheader nightcap as Jones-Wesley got the start. She held UH scoreless until the fifth inning when the Rainbow Wahine tallied a pair of runs. Jones-Wesley escaped a jam in the second inning when UH loaded the bases.
For the week, Jones-Wesley went 2-0 with a 2.80 earned run average.
Others nominated: Jasmine Antunez (Cal State Fullerton); Justine Vela (UC Davis); Alyssa Razo (UC Riverside); Shelby Wisdom (UC Santa Barbara)