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VIDEO: Highlights & Post-Game Interview (Courtesy of Ka Leo)

HONOLULU—The No. 20/22 University of Hawai`i softball team (9-4, 0-0 Big West) defeated Memphis, 5-1 on Wednesday night at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. Leisha Li`ili`i and Kayla Wartner both hit opposite-field solo home runs to power the 'Bows past the Tigers. Senior southpaw Kaia Parnaby improved her record to 7-2 on the season with her eighth complete game of the season.
 
Li`ili`i led off the bottom of the second inning by launching an opposite field bomb that hit nine-tenths up the metal column that holds the netting beyond the outfield fence. It was Li`ili`i's first home run of the season and 11th of her career. Sharla Kliebenstein then drew a walk and Jazmine Zamora laid down a sacrifice bunt, but on the play, the second baseman covering first dropped the throw allowing both runners to be safe. A fielder's choice erased Klibenstein at third and then a foul fly out to left gave Memphis two outs. But Kelly Majam earned a full-count walk to load the bases and Kayla Wartner followed with another full-count walk to force Zamora across the plate to give UH a 2-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, the Tigers cut their deficit in half. Leilani Bernardino hit a single to left that Kliebenstein couldn't come up with allowing Bernardino to hustle into second. After a lineout to left, Morgan Moseby then hit a single off a lunging Alyssa Villalpando at third to put runners at the corner. After a pop out, Amber Lindahl struck out swinging on a high inside wild pitch that hit the backstop allowing Bernardino to score from third. UH still led, 2-1 after two-and-a-half innings played.
 
Wartner led off the fifth with her third home run of the season and ninth of her career. Keiki Carlos hit a line shot to second, but Moseby made a leaping grab to snag it from going into right-centerfield for the first out. Jessica Iwata then roped a liner that nicked off a leaping leftfielder for a double that bounced to the fence. The next two batters walked to load the bases, but Ellen Roberts fanned the next two batters to thwart the UH rally. UH led 3-1 after five complete innings.
 
UH “rallied on two” in the bottom of the sixth. Wartner drew a walk to start things off and was pinch run for by Tara Anguiano at first. Anguiano moved to second on an illegal pitch and then was promptly driven home by Carlos, who drilled a double into the left-centerfield gap. Iwata followed with a hard, opposite-field hit to right that drove in Carlos from second. Li`ili`i  then reached on a fielding error by the second baseman to put runners at first and second. But Roberts again struck out the last batter to stymie the 'Bows. UH went to the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead.
 
Parnaby fired her 58th complete game of her career. She gave up one unearned run while scattering five hits for the win. She had seven strike outs on the night with just two walks.
 
Roberts also fired a complete game, tossing six innings. She gave up five runs on seven hits with seven walks and nine strike outs.
 
Hawai`i has the day off on Thursday before beginning the Bank of Hawaii Invitational with Memphis, Western Kentucky and Campbell, Mar. 1-3. UH opens with the Lady Toppers at 6:00 pm on Friday night.