PALAU – When seven days of the XII Pacific Mini Games reached their conclusion, one team and one Menlo Oak, Grace Tuiteleleapaga, proudly raised gold medals. The American Samoa National Team, ranked No. 64 in the world, was led by the soon-to-be Menlo junior infielder who recorded the highest batting average and delivered the most runs batted in of any player in the tournament across seven games of action en route to the island nation's historical achievement.

Walk-Off Winners
Tuiteleleapaga, who previously competed for her home country in the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Oceania qualifier in 2023, swung a hot bat early as she drove in five runs over the course of three victories to start the competition on July 1, hitting .600 while doubling three times in that span. Among the initial highlights was a dramatic walk-off run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth inning to power a 4-3 triumph over Papua New Guinea.

Going For Gold
After scoring 31 runs to their opponents' seven to that point, American Samoa bounced back from a narrow 8-7 loss to Palau by dominating Mariana Islands 23-2 with Tuiteleleapaga notching at least one of her four total runs batted in during rallies in each of the first three innings. Her squad would post double-digit run totals the rest of the way, pushing past Marshall Islands 10-1 before a fifth-inning rally that featured a two-run Tuiteleleapaga single guided American Samoa to its 13-5 victory over Guam in the Gold Medal Game.

Leading The Way
Factoring heavily in the country's first-ever title in international softball, Tuiteleleapaga finished with the highest batting average of the tournament at .571 (12-for-21) as well as the most runs batted in (13). She added nine runs scored and three doubles in 21 at-bats.

Previously known as the South Pacific Mini Games, the XII Pacific Mini Games have been held every four years since the inaugural games in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 1981.

Women's Softball XII Pacific Mini Games – Tuiteleleapaga's Player Profile