Wahine set record by winning 2 in Vegas

The University of Hawaii softball team surpassed the program’s record for its best start to a season with a sweep of Portland State and UC Riverside on Friday in Henderson, Nev.

The Rainbow Wahine scored six runs in their first at-bat in both games and defeated Portland State 11-3 and UC Riverside 8-0 on the second day of the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic.

The sweep moved UH to 9-0 overall, breaking the previous mark for its longest winning streak to open a season. The Wahine went 8-0 to start the 1998 campaign.

In Friday’s opener at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park, Sharla Kliebenstein’s grand slam highlighted UH’s first-inning outburst and the Wahine led 6-0 before Portland State recorded its first out of the game. Kelly Majam added a solo homer in the fourth inning and Kliebenstein had an RBI double in UH’s four-run seventh inning.

Kaia Parnaby (3-0) gave up three runs, all coming in the bottom of the seventh, on 10 hits. She struck out six.

The Wahine again jumped ahead early against UC Riverside, scoring six runs in the first inning and two in the third, and ended the game in five innings due to the eight-run rule. Stephanie Ricketts went the distance in her sixth win of the season and her third shutout.

UH, 3-0 in the tournament, plays another doubleheader today, facing Cal State Northridge and Idaho State. The Wahine close their first road trip of the season Sunday with a single game against UNLV.