PROVO, Utah — Scott Parker, already thrust into a role he wasn't supposed to be in this season, has had a knack for stepping up for the University of San Francisco baseball team right when he's needed.
 
The senior southpaw did it again on Friday, limiting first place BYU to just one run on four hits after the Cougars had scored 20 runs just the day before, striking out a career-high 10 and leading the Dons to a West Coast Conference series-evening 9-1 victory in front of a record crowd at Miller Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Parker (7-3) has earned a victory for his personal win-loss record in six of his last eight starts – all in conference play. After spending his junior season of 2018 as a reliever with an 0-2 record and 6.48 ERA, he was asked to join the starting rotation this season after injuries decimated the Dons' pitching staff. It took him a few starts to get rolling, but after beginning the year with a 1-2 record and only one start of at least six innings, he's gone 6-1 since with all but one of his starts lasting at least five frames. Friday was no different.
   
• Parker and the Dons (28-23, 15-11 WCC) actually fell behind early again on Friday, like they did in Thursday's game one. BYU loaded the bases in the first inning against Parker with back-to-back singles and a walk, then got a sacrifice fly from Ryan Sepede to take a 1-0 lead. But Parker got the next batter to ground out to first base to minimize the damage. In fact, it was the only damage he would allow all night.
   
• The second inning boosted Parker for the rest of the game when he struck out the side. He would retire 10 in a row before finally giving up another single in the fifth and another in the sixth, but neither runner batter advanced past first base as he struck out each batter that followed both of those base hits.
   
• Meanwhile, the Dons staked Parker to a multi-run lead with crooked numbers in the fourth and fifth innings. A four-run fourth put the Dons ahead for good at 4-1. Jacob Westerman hit his first career triple and Jack Winkler doubled home a run. The Dons saw both walks they drew in the inning score, capitalizing on their opportunities after leaving nine runners on base on Thursday.
   
• But an explosive BYU (32-14, 16-7 WCC) offense was still within striking distance at just a 4-1 deficit. That's what made Kyle Knell's two-out, two-run single in the fifth even bigger. Knell drove in his second and third runs of the game on the first pitch he saw in the top of the fifth, sending the ball right back up the middle to score Jonathan Allen and Robert Emery. USF almost squandered the opportunity after getting the two leadoff batters into scoring position, as the next two batters both struck out. But Knell swung at the first pitch to cash in and increase the Dons' lead.
   
• Alex Pham earned his sixth save of the year with a three-inning shutout, no-hit, near-perfect outing. Pham faced just one batter over the minimum after walking the first batter he faced in the seventh. He then retired nine in a row, including five strikeouts, to close out USF's victory. The Dons added three more insurance runs in the ninth thanks to an RBI single from Emery and a two-run double from Jacob Munoz.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 6: Pham's six saves this season are tied for seventh-most all-time in a single season at San Francisco. His closer counterpart Joey Steele leads the WCC with 11 – tied for the single season record on The Hilltop.
• 7: Emery's hitting streak is now at seven games, which includes four consecutive multi-hit performances after going 2 for 4 on Friday. He's batting .458 during his current streak with three doubles, a home run, seven runs scored (three on Friday) and five RBIs.
• 8: USF's eight-run margin of victory was the most BYU had lost by in more than a month. The Cougars lost 15-5 at San Diego on April 4. It was the most runs they had lost by at home in more than three years, since also losing by eight (10-2) versus nationally ranked Creighton on April 23, 2016.

COMING UP

• The rubber match of the series is scheduled for noon PDT on Saturday. BYU righty Justin Sterner will throw against a USF starter still to be announced. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.