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The University of Hawaii softball team opened its Big West series with UC Riverside with a 16-0 rout tonight at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

UH sent 14 batters to the plate in an eight-run first inning that propelled the No. 16/21 Rainbow Wahine (29-7, 7-0 BWC) to their ninth consecutive win.

UH pitcher Kaia Parnaby struck out nine in her 10th shutout of the season and improved to 26-3.

Catcher Kayla Wartner went 3-for-3 at the plate and opened the onslaught with an opposite-field home run to left-center in the bottom of the first inning.

Keiki Carlos and Jessica Iwata singled and Leisha Li’ili’i walked to load the bases before Jazmine Zamora lined a two-run single into right center.

With two out in the inning, Sharla Kliebenstein pushed the lead to 5-0 with a two-run single into left. The Wahine loaded the bases and Wartner was hit by a pitch for her second RBI of the inning. Keiki Carlos beat out an infield single and Iwata drew a walk to close out the scoring in the first.

UCR starter Ashley Ercolano threw 55 pitches before being relieved by freshman Sophie Slagle.

UH batted around again in the third inning with Li’ili’i and Zamora pushing the lead to 10-0 with RBI singles. Kliebenstein drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to center with the bases loaded. Brynne Buchanan’s shot down the third-base line scored two more runs and gave UH a 13-0 lead.

Li’ili’i hit her ninth home run of the season in the fourth inning, a three-run blast to right-center.

UH closes the series and its two-week homestand with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 2 p.m.