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

HONOLULU—The No. 16/21 University of Hawai`i softball team (29-7, 7-0 Big West) overpowered UC Riverside, 16-0 in five innings in the series opener on Friday night. Hawai`i scored eight runs in the first; five in the third and three in the fourth en route to its second-highest run output of the season. UH improved its record to 29-7 and 7-0 in the Big West, winning its ninth straight game, while UCR fell to 15-22 overall and 0-7 in conference. Kaia Parnaby fired the complete game shut out to earn her 26th win of the season and got lots of offensive support from her teammates. Kayla Wartner and Brynne Buchanan both went 3-for-3 with Wartner also adding a solo home run while Leisha Li`ili`i went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.
 
Parnaby improved her record to 26-3 overall and 6-0 in BWC action. She fired her 27th complete game and 10th shutout of the season. She scattered five hits with a walk and nine strike outs. Her nine K's brought her single-season total to 259, which puts her in third place in the UH record book for most strike outs in a season. She now chases fellow Aussie southpaw, Brooke Wilkins for the top two spots--No.2 - 261 set in 1995 and No.1 - 324 set in 1994. It was Parnaby's 29th shutout in her career, which puts her in fourth place alone in the career-shut outs in UH history past Kym Weil who had 28 in her four year career in the early 1990's.
 
The Rainbow Wahine batted around in the first inning bringing 13 batters up and plating eight runs to start the game. Wartner came up to the plate with one out and launched her sixth home run of the season and 12th of her career over the left-centerfield fence. Keiki Carlos and Jessica Iwata kept things going with a back-to-back basehits. Li`ili`i was then walked to load the bases. Jazmine Zamora then hit a single to the right-centerfield gap to drive in both Carlos and Iwata—who had a nice inside slide just in front of the tag—with Li`ili`i hustling into third on the throw home. A groundout back to the pitcher pushed both runners into scoring position for Sharla Kliebenstein, who came through with a single hit through the leftside of the infield that drove in both Li`ili`i and Zamora. Brynne Buchanan then pushed a single to deep short for an infield single to put runners at first and third. Buchanan then stole second to put both runners in scoring position and Kelly Majam drew a walk to load the bases again. Wartner was hit by a pitch to force in Kliebenstein and Carlos followed with her second hit in the inning to drive in Buchanan. Carlos' single chased UCR starter, Ashley Ercolano from the game and Sophie Slagle came into the game in relief. Slagle walked Iwata to score Majam to end UH's score at eight runs but the inning ended on a swinging strike out.
 
Hawai`i added five runs in the bottom of the third to extend their lead to 13-0. Wartner led the inning off with a single chopped up the middle. After a pop-out to short, Iwata kept things rolling with a line drive single back through the middle. Li`ili`i then drilled a single through the right-side of the infield to score pinch runner Dori Ann Sugai from third. On the play, Iwata was sprinting on contact and ended at third base safely. Zamora then drove in her third run of the game with a single through leftside of the infield to score Iwata. A walk to pinch-hitter Alyssa Villalpando was the end of Slagle's appearance in the circle. UCR's Taylor Alvarez then entered the game, and gave up a sacrifice fly to center by Kliebenstein to score pinch-runner Kiani Wong from third for UH's fifth run.

In the bottom of the fourth, Carlos and Iwata both reached on fielder's choices before Li`ili`i's blast over the right-centerfield fence. It was Li`ili`i's ninth home run of the season and 19th of her young career. The homer gave UH a 16-0 lead with half an inning to play.
 
UC Riverside's Ercolano took the loss, dropping her record to 6-8. She gave up eight runs on seven hits with two walks. Slagle threw 1.2 innings of relief, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strike outs while Alvarez closed the game, throwing the final 1.2 innings. She gave up three runs on three hits with a walk and a strike out.
 
The two teams square off in the series ending doubleheader on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m.