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

HONOLULU-- Saturday was Military Appreciation Day at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, and the No. 16/21 University of Hawai`i softball team (31-7, 9-0 Big West) showed off its artillery by powering its way past UC Riverside launching nine home runs en route to 12-2 and 8-1 victories over the Highlanders (15-24, 0-9 BWC). Hawai`'s Kaia Parnaby earned both wins of Saturday's doubleheader and got more than enough offensive support from her teammates. On the day, Jessica Iwata, Sharla Kliebenstein, and Kelly Majam all had two home runs apiece to pace the 'Bows. Head coach Bob Coolen captured his 900th and 901st career wins with the doubleheader sweep and now has an overall record of 901-555-1. Earlier this season on opening day, Coolen won his 800th game at Hawai`i with a doubleheader sweep over Ole Miss and UAB on Feb. 7. He now has a 829-461-1 record at the helm of the Rainbow Wahine program.

In the UC Riverside series, the 'Bows were particularly potent in the first inning, outscoring the Highlanders 23-0 in the first frame alone. Overall in the series, the 'Bows scored 36 runs on 39 hits with 11 home runs and 34 RBI. Hawai`i hit .500 with a slugging percentage of .949. All nine starters hit .300 or above in the three games with Brynne Buchanan leading UH at the plate with an .833 average (5-for-6) with two runs scored. Iwata hit .700 (7-for-10) with six runs, two home runs and five RBI while Wartner hit .571 (4-for-7) with three runs and two homers. Five UH players knocked two home runs apiece in the series--Iwata, Wartner, Leisha Li`ili`i, Kliebenstein, and Majam.


Game 37: Hawai`i 12, UC Riverside 2
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Hawai`i started the game on fire, with four home runs in the first inning--an unofficial school record--batting around the order and bringing 16 players to the plate. The first 10 batters in a row all scored before UCR could record an out. Majam led things off with a bang, smacking her fourth lead-off home run for Hawai`i this season. The shot to right flew into the gap right between the roof and the fencing of UH's batting house beyond the rightfield fence. It was the 16th time in her career that she's led UH with a home run. It also was her 13th homer of the season and 67th of her career. The Highlanders' starter, Sophie Slagle was then lifted in favor of Alyssa Razo. Kayla Wartner drew a walk and then Keiki Carlos doubled to leftfield to push Wartner to third. Iwata then drilled her first home run of the day over the leftfield fence for her 50th career round-tripper. Leisha Li`ili`i kept things rolling with another walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jazmine Zamora then was walked and Kaile Nakao was hit by the pitch to load the bases for Sharla Kliebenstein who came through with her fourth grand slam of her career. It was Kliebenstein's sixth home run of the season and 27th of her career. Brynne Buchanan then worked her way on base via a base on balls and Majam drove her in with a double to the left-centerfield gap. UCR got its first out on UH's 11th batter of the inning on a strike out. Carlos then drove in Majam from second with an opposite-field RBI-single to right. Li`ili`i then capped UH's first inning barrage with a two-run blast to centerfield. It was Li`ili`i's 10th bomb of the year and her 20th of her career. UH led 12-0 after one inning of action. UCR then brought in Taylor Alvarez to pitch. After giving up an infield single to Zamora, she got the final out of the first inning with a pop out to short.

The Highlanders got two runs back in the top of the third on a pair of RBI singles by Ariel Shore and Kayla White to cut UH's lead to 12-2. 

Parnaby improved her record to 27-3 and 8-0 in Big West games. She fired her 28th complete game of the season. She gave up two runs on four hits with a walk and four strike outs in five innings of work. Parnaby moved past former UH All-American and fellow Aussie southpaw Brooke Wilkins for the No. 2 spot in UH single-season history with 264 strike outs. Wilkins former No. 2 mark was 261 set in 1995. Wilkins' program record of 324 was set in 1994.

UC Riverside's Slagle suffered the loss, dropping her record to 0-2 on the season. She gave up four runs on three hits with a walk and did not record an out. Razo was able to get two outs in the first, but gave up eight runs on four hits with three walks and a strike out while Alvarez tossed the final 3.1 innings of scoreless ball spacing three hits with a walk.

Game 38: Hawai`i 8, UC Riverside 1
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No. 16/21 Hawai`i completed the three-game series sweep over UC Riverside with a 8-1 win over the Highlanders. UH improved to 31-7 overall and 9-0 in the Big West while UC Riverside fell to 15-24 overall and 0-9 in conference. 
 
Senior southpaw pitcher Parnaby improved her record to 28-3 and 8-0 in Big West action. She threw 6.0 innings, giving up one run on four hits with no walks and two strike outs. Freshman lefty Loie Kesterson tossed the final inning, giving up two hits with one K.
 
After launching four home runs in the first inning of the first game of the day, the 'Bows got three solo home runs to start the series finale in the first inning. Majam and  Wartner hit back-to-back home runs to start the home half of the first. It was the second time this season that UH had hit back-to-back homers since the combo of Majam and Wartner did so the first time against East Carolina earlier this season on March 9. It was the second straight game that Majam led off UH with a home run and fifth time she's done so this season. It marked Majam's 68th home run of her career and 14th of the season. For Wartner, it was her seventh round-tripper of the season and 13th of her career. Later in the inning, Jessica Iwata drilled the third solo shot over the right-centerfield fence for the early 3-0 lead. It was her second home run of the day; fourth of the season and 51st of her career
 
In the third, UH tacked on four more runs. Zamora hit an RBI-single to right to score Iwata and Nakao had an RBI-ground out to short to plate pinch runner Kiani Wong. Kliebenstein then lifted her second home run of the day; seventh HR of the season and 28th of her career to score the third and fourth run of the inning, giving UH a 7-0 lead going into the fourth inning.
 
UCR got one run back in the top of the fourth on a solo home run by Kayla White.
 
Hawai`i capped its scoring in the fifth when Kaile Nakao drilled her first career home run to leftfield to give UH an 8-1 lead.
 
UCR's Taylor Alvarez suffered the loss, dropping her record to 2-5. She started the game and gave up the two home runs and was quickly lifted for Ashley Ercolano who threw six innings in relief. She allowed six runs on 12 hits with two walks and a strike out.

The 'Bows will now hit the road for its longest roadtrip of the season. They first play Cal State Fullerton with a doubleheader on April 13 starting at 4:00 pm and then a 12pm single game on April 14. Hawai`i will play a single game at Cal State Bakersfield on April 16 before ending their trip with a three game series at Cal Poly.