DENVER ? Hawai?i’s Tyleen Tausaga and Justine Smethurst have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. This is the third honor this season for both Tausaga and Smethurst.
Tausaga, a senior from Honolulu, Oahu (Kaimuki), had a great week with a seven-game hitting streak during the Rainbow Wahine’s current seven-game winning streak. Against Santa Clara, she went 2-for-3 with a RBI double. In the conference series against a tough New Mexico State team, she went 6-for-8 (.750). Tausaga was 2-for-3 with two RBI in game one. In game two, she opened the game with another. Two innings later, she battled hard at the plate and powered an opposite-field, three-run home run into the wind over the leftfield fence. It was the third time this season she’s had four RBI in a game. In the final game at NMSU, Hawai?i found itself down 4-0 through the first four innings. Tausaga led the sixth inning hitting a home run to right field, cutting the lead to 4-2. Then in the final frame, she battled hard again at the plate to keep her team alive and got the team’s third consecutive hit to load the bases, eventually winning the game, 6-5.
Smethurst, a sophomore from Victoria, Australia (Shelford Girls Grammar), was 2-0 last week a 0.50 ERA. In her first game against Santa Clara, she fired a three-hit shut-out over the Broncos and had a career-high 13 strike outs. It was her seventh shut-out of the season. At one point, she struck out 11 of 12 batters between the second and fifth innings in her most dominating performance this season. She allowed only two balls to reach the outfield. In her second start of the week, she threw her second complete game to defeat New Mexico State, 7-3. She allowed only one earned run off a walk and three consecutive infield singles. Even after the Aggies scored the run, she was able to work out of the bases-loaded, no-out jam. She held opponents to a .204 average, while striking out 18, allowing only one earned run.
Other hitter of the week nominees included: Jenna Cervantez of Fresno State hit .500 as the Bulldogs went 3-1 in two non-conference doubleheaders ... Emma Barnes of Louisiana Tech led the Lady Techsters to a 2-2 record with eight hits last week ... Kelsey Starr of Nevada hit .533 as the Wolf Pack went 4-1 against the Utah Valley State and Utah State and Jamie Fife of Utah State hit .538 as the Aggies went 2-3 against Utah Valley State and Nevada.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Robin Mackin of Fresno State went 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 22 batters ...Krissi Oliver of Louisiana Tech went 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA and Jordan McPherson of Nevada went 3-0 allowing only five earned runs in 20.0 innings.