The University of Hawaii softball team opened a doubleheader with a 2-0 win over Syracuse tonight in the Chevron Spring Fling Tournament.

UH senior Kaia Parnaby struck out 11 in her ninth shutout of the season and the No. 20/23 Rainbow Wahine improved to 20-6 overall and 2-1 in the tournament.

UH took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on Jazmine Zamora’s single off of Syracuse shortstop Morgan Nandin. Zamora’s sharp grounder eluded Nandin long enough to allow Jessica Iwata to score from second, sliding around the attempted tag at the plate.

Parnaby retired the first 13 hitters she faced — eight on strikeouts — before hitting back-to-back batters with one out in the fifth. She got out of the inning with a fly out to right and a grounder to second.

Iwata added to the lead with a single in the fifth that scored Brynne Buchanan from second.

Syracuse broke up Parnaby’s no-hit bid with a single to lead off the sixth and put two runners on with one out in the seventh. Parnaby then got a pop out to third and finished the game with her 11th strikeout.

The Rainbow Wahine lost to No. 15/19 Baylor 5-3 in tonight’s second game and will be the third seed in Saturday’s bracket portion of the tournament. UH and Baylor meet again at 2 p.m.

Baylor junior Whitney Canion struck out 11 and held UH to three hits as the Bears wrapped up the second seed.

UH freshman Loie Kesterson made her second start of the season and gave up five runs on 10 hits over five innings. Keiki Carlos finished the game with two innings of scoreless relief.

After Baylor took a 2-0 lead, Sharla Kliebenstein tied the game with a towering two-run homer to center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. Baylor answered with three runs in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Sarah Smith and a two-run single by Robin Landrith, who went 3-for-3.

UH sophomore Leisha Li’ili’i homered to center in the sixth to cut Baylor’s lead to 5-3. But Canion struck out the side in the seventh.

————

Chevron Spring Fling Tournament

Saturday’s games

Syracuse vs. Utah, 10 a.m.; Game 1 winner vs. California, noon; Baylor vs. Hawaii, 2 p.m.; Championship, 4 p.m.