Parnaby, Wahine outduel Utah

With an early-morning exam awaiting her today, Kaia Parnaby was hoping the University of Hawaii softball team Wednesday’s extra-inning duel with Utah wouldn’t stretch too long into the night.

The end came in the bottom of the eighth with a bit of controversy and the Rainbow Wahine pulled out a 1-0 victory over the Utes on the opening day of the Chevron Spring Fling.

With Sharla Kliebenstein on third, UH freshman Alyssa Villalpando bounced a grounder up the third-base line. The ball went foul, but the home plate umpire ruled that it had touched Utah third baseman Kristen Stewart’s glove in fair territory and Kliebenstein crossed the plate with the winning run.

“When I turned around and saw his hand (pointing fair), I didn’t hear a foul call, it was ‘let’s get moving,’ ” UH head coach Bob Coolen said.

Utah coach Amy Hogue and her staff argued the call to no avail and No. 20/23 UH picked up its eighth straight win and improved to 19-5.

Parnaby, who has a 7:30 exam this morning, went the distance for UH and threw her third one-hitter in her last four appearances. She struck out eight and walked one in a duel with Utah freshman Kayce Nieto.

“(Parnaby’s) throwing a variety of speeds which is keeping the batters off balance and she finds the weakness of the batter and her and (catcher) Kayla (Wartner) are exploiting that,” Coolen said. “She is right now on top of her game.”

Nieto struck out five and walked none in just her second start of the season.

“That was her best performance of the year by far,” Hogue said. “She’s in some pain, she’s working through it and that’s why it’s so disheartening the way it ended because she fought so hard.”

Parnaby (17-2) was aided by two sparkling defensive plays in the late innings to preserve the one-hitter. Kelly Majam made a diving catch of a sinking liner in right-center to end the sixth inning and second baseman Jazmine Zamora’s diving stop and throw to first finished off the seventh.

The teams went into the eighth with the international tiebreaker rule in effect.

With a runner on second to begin each half inning, Parnaby struck out the side in the eighth on 10 pitches.

“Having a runner on (second) gives me a little more of an edge, you have something to protect,” Parnaby said after winning her 14th straight decision.

Kliebenstein, who made the last out in the seventh, began the eighth on second and advanced on Jazmine Zamora’s sacrifice bunt. Villalpando’s single gave UH the win in its first extra-inning game of the season.

“Any Pac-12 opponent you can beat is a feather in your cap,” Coolen said.

UH will face another Pac-12 team today in No. 4/5 California. The Wahine defeated Cal, an annual participant in the Spring Fling, on Jessica Iwata’s home run in the bottom of the 10th inning last year.

“You know they can hit, you know they can run, you know they’ve got a good defense. You just expect a tough game against them,” Parnaby said.

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium

Utah (13-8-1)    000    000    00    —    0    1    2

Hawaii (19-5)    000    000    01    —    1    3    0

Kayce Nieto and Shelby Pacheco. Kaia Parnaby and Kayla Wartner. W–Parnaby. L—Nieto.

Leading hitters—Hawaii: Leisha Li‘ili‘i 2-3, Alyssa Villalpando, RBI.

Wednesday’s early games

No. 4/5 California 3, No. 15/19 Baylor 0

Syracuse 3, Utah 2

Today’s games

Utah vs. Baylor, 2 p.m.

Syracuse vs. Baylor, 4 p.m.

California vs. Hawaii, 6 p.m.