By admin 
There has been rich debate over the years at the Tuua dinner table when it comes to the power at the plate between mother and daughter, as in home run clout.
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The daughter is Ayla Tuua, a three-time Sacramento Bee Player of the Year for the Destiny Christian Academy Lions softball juggernaut, closing in fast on being a four-time winner of that honor after spearheading another spirited effort on Saturday in leading her club to another CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship.
Her mother, Shannon Tuua, is the Lions head coach who also has pedigree from her prep playing days. She was The Bee Player of the Year at Sheldon High in South Sacramento in 2002 for a dominant program. She went by Shannon Brooks then.
So, who’s the better slugger, the one with the most pop with the bat? Ayla Tuua said with an assuring grin and laugh, “That’s a topic of discussion!”
Said the proud coach and mom in being reminded that she might have had the heavier high school bat: “I appreciate that!”
On Saturday, daughter and mom agreed on one thing: This team is uniquely special, roaring along at 28-0 after beating the Vanden Vikings of Solano County, 4-1, to win the section Division III banner at Sacramento State, the program’s fourth such crown and third in four seasons with Tuua the driving force.
Wearing ripped game pants from slides as a base stealer, Tuua pitched a complete-game two-hitter with 12 strikeouts, and the LSU-bound star stole a base and scored a run for a 1-0 lead.
And she showed that she was human.
Despite a sparkling ERA of 0.25 coming in, she gave up a monstrous home run to Niayli Calvo in the top of the third inning. Tuua never broke stride, didn’t stress it, and buckled down in solving a lineup that had just bashed three consecutive home runs in the final inning to derail previously unbeaten Ponderosa of Shingle Springs in a semifinal.
“Giving up homers is part of the game,” Tuua said. “We knew Vanden had a very strong team. They had one big hit, and that was it. I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else who hit it. I love Niayli. She’s an amazing player.”
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Such is the class and sportsmanship of Tuua, an all-time regional great who understands that this journey is more than pitching strikes and driving in runs. She signs autographs after games. She is a campus and community leader. She inspires youth, teenagers and adults.
“She’s a generational person and talent,” DCA principal Chris Orr said.
DCA fans packed into Shea Stadium, and for the final outs, they changed, “DCA! DCA!” Leading the charge was Scott Hagan, the president of the school that used to go by Capital Christian.
Tuua takes her craft seriously, but not so much that she cannot enjoy the moment while in the moment. She cheers, she celebrates and she embraces each of her teammates as family.
“Absolutely, they’re my sisters,” Tuua said. “We’ve been through so much together. Our team realizes that we have such a big stage, and that we’re human and we can be a role model for the up and coming.”
Tuua is the star power for DCA, The Bee’s top-ranked team all season and ranked second in the state by CalHi Sports, but she’s not a solo act, never mind her .694 batting average, her 17 home runs, her 52 hits, 71 RBIs and 57 runs scored.
Takiyah Haygood, headed to Delaware State, had an RBI and scored a run; KK Fulmer, off to Vanguard, had two hits, an RBI and a run despite a tender shoulder that sidelined her for part of the season; and Roxy Sardo, the Purdue-bound first baseman, had a hit and an RBI.
“We have a great team,” Shannon Tuua said.
With a great leader in Tuua.
DCA and Vanden will both advance to CIF Northern California tournaments that start at home sites on June 2. In this competitive-equity format, DCA very likely will be the top seed in the large-school Division I bracket.
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