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HONOLULU—The No. 20/22 University of Hawai`i softball team (10-4, 0-0 Big West) defeated Western Kentucky (5-4, 0-0 Sun Belt), 5-1 in their opening game of the 2013 Bank of Hawaii Invitational. Kelly Majam led UH at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run and two runs scored while Keiki Carlos added a two-run home run to lead the 'Bows to the win. Kaia Parnaby earned her eighth complete game win of the season and raised her record to 8-2.
 
Parnaby threw 7.0 innings, allowing just one run while spacing six hits with two walks and nine strike outs. She now has a career-record of 55-17 and has thrown 58 career complete games.
 
The Rainbow Wahine jumped on the scoreboard early, posting two runs in the bottom of the first. Majam led the inning off with a triple ripped down the rightfield line. She scored with the next batter, Kayla Wartner, looping a single to left to drive in Majam from third. The WKU second baseman dove and snagged a line drive to get Keiki Carlos out, but Jessica Iwata followed by drilling a hard hit single to right-centerfield that the centerfielder had to dive to make the stop that prevented Wartner from scoring from first. With runners at the corners, UH executed a double steal to score the second run for the early, 2-0 lead.
 
In the top of the third, the Lady Toppers got their first two runners on base on a walk and an infield single to second and no outs. But Parnaby was able to fan the next two batters and then got the third out on fly ball to right to end the threat.
 
Hawai`i then added two runs in the bottom of the third. Majam led off with a walk but was forced out at second on a fielder's choice to short. On the play, Wartner hustled into second after WKU's throw to first trying to turn two bounced to the first base fencing. Carlos followed with a high fly ball that drifted over the leftfield fence for a two-run home run. It was Carlos's second home run of the year.
 
Majam capped UH's scoring and gave UH a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning when she launched her fifth home run of the season. Her 59th career home run went over the centerfield fence and sent her cheering section (that was over 300-strong) from her elementary school that she student teaches at into a frenzy.
 
WKU loaded the bases with threatened to do a lot of damage in the top of the sixth, but came away with one run. The first two Lady Toppers reached on infield singles and they loaded the bases on a walk. Amanda Thomas then got an RBI single to score Olivia Watkins from third. But the next WKU batter then hit a line drive to Leisha Li`ili`i who snagged it tagged the runner out for a double-play. Parnaby then struck out the last batter to thwart the rally with UH leading 5-1.
 
Majam's triple was the third of her career—and first since her freshman year. She currently leads UH with 14 runs, 13 walks and five home runs and has reached base safely in each of the last eight games. 
  
Western Kentucky's Emily Rousseau suffered the loss, dropping her record to 3-2 on the year. She started and threw the first 4.1 innings, allowing all five runs on five hits with a walk and seven strike outs. Mallorie Sulaski closed final 1.2 innigns, not allowing a run or a hit with a walk and three strike outs. 

Hawai`i continues play in the Bank of Hawaii Invitaitonal on Saturday with a pair of games against Campbell at 3:00 p.m. and Memphis at 5:00 pm.