University of Hawaii freshman Keiki Carlos delivered a tiebreaking home run to help the Rainbow Wahine softball team knock off No. 16 Washington tonight in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic.

Carlos got the start in the pitcher’s circle and held the Huskies to two runs over four-plus innings and her homer in the bottom of the fourth inning gave UH the lead for good in a 5-2 win at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Senior Kaia Parnaby protected the lead over the final three innings to earn her second save of the season.

No. 23/25 Hawaii improved to 4-0 and will be the top seed in Saturday’s bracket portion of the tournament. The Wahine will face Ole Miss or St. Mary’s at 1 p.m. The winners of the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. games meet for the championship at 5.

Carlos got considerable help from the UH defense in her second career start, and escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the first. Kylee Lahners hit a grounder to UH third baseman Alyssa Villalpando, who fired to catcher Kayla Wartner at the plate. Wartner then threw Lahners out at first to complete the double play.

UH put runners on second and third in the bottom of the first when Kelly Majam walked and Leisha Li’ili’i doubled with one out. But Bryana Walker struck out the next two hitters to end the threat.

The Huskies took the lead in the third when Kaitlin Inglesby, an All-Pac 12 selection last season, hammered a two-run homer to left center.

The Wahine responded in the bottom of the inning on Jessica Iwata’s two-out single to right field to score Brynne Buchanan and Wartner with the tying runs.

Carlos gave herself a lead to work with by leading off the bottom of the fourth with UH’s first home run of the season.

Washington opened the fifth with a walk and a single and Coolen summoned Parnaby from the bullpen. Parnaby got Missy Taukeiaho to hit a soft liner to second baseman Kaile Nakao who flipped the ball to Iwata covering second for a double play. Parnaby struck out the next batter to end the inning.

The Wahine added to the lead when Sharla Kliebenstein grounded a single into left with the bases loaded. Kelly Majam scored from third and pinch-runner Jazmine Zamora came in when the relay throw to the plate sailed to the backstop to give UH a 5-2 lead.

Parnaby allowed just one baserunner over the final three innings and picked up the save.

In UH’s first game today, Parnaby struck out nine, walked one and gave up five hits and the Rainbow Wahine won a 1-0 duel with St. Mary’s.

The Wahine put runners on second and third with no outs in the bottom of the first but came up empty. They broke through in the third when Wartner reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to third on Leisha Li’ili’i’s looping single to right and scored on a wild pitch to Iwata.

UH protected the lead in the fifth when Parnaby worked out of a bases-loaded jam with an assist from right fielder Brynne Buchanan. With two out, Sarah Lira drilled a sharp grounder into right field. But Buchanan charged the ball and threw Lira out at first to end the inning.

UH left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth and took the slim lead into the seventh.

St. Mary’s Alexis Konstantinopoulos led off the inning with a single into left. Parnaby struck out the next two hitters and got Erica Musgrave to pop out to third to end the game.

At Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium
St. Mary’s (0-4)    000    000    0    —    0    5    0
Hawaii (3-0)        001    000    x    —    1    5    0
Sarah Lira, Jessica Lemmon (6) and Andrea Hazel. Kaia Parnaby and Kayla Wartner. W—Parnaby. L—Lira.
Leading hitters—St. Mary’s: Alexis Konstantinopoulos, 2-2. Hawaii: Wartner, 2B.

Washington (2-1)    002    000    0    —    2    6    1
Hawaii (3-0)    002    120    x    —    5    6    2
Bryanna Walker, Jocleyn Cater (5), Walker (5) and Shawna Wright. Keiki Carlos, Kaia Parnaby (5) and Kayla Wartner. W—Carlos.  L—Walker. Sv—Parnaby.

Leading hitters—Washington: Kaitlin Inglesby, HR, 2 RBIs; Missy Taukeiaho, 2B. Hawaii: Leisha Li’ili’i, 2B; Jessica Iwata, 2 RBIs; Sharla Kliebenstein, RBI; Carlos, HR.

Friday’s games
UAB 5, Ole Miss 3
UAB 5, St. Mary’s 0
Washington 10, Ole Miss 2 (5 innings)
Hawaii 1, St. Mary’s 0
Hawaii 5, Washington 2

Saturday’s games
Game 1: Ole Miss vs. St. Mary’s ,11 a.m.
Game: 2: Game 1 winner vs. Hawaii, 1 p.m.
Game 3: UAB vs. Washington, 3 p.m.
Championship: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 5 p.m.