SAN DIEGO — The University of San Francisco baseball team bounced back in a big way Saturday, evening its West Coast Conference series at San Diego by scoring 10 runs on 11 hits and putting base runners on all day in a 10-4 game two victory at Fowler Park.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• San Francisco (13-9, 3-2 WCC) responded to San Diego's (16-7, 2-3 WCC) 10-run day on Friday with one of its own Saturday. The Dons scored runs in five different innings and never trailed. The Dons put pressure on the Toreros all game long with base runners in every single inning. Even with scoring 10 runs, the Dons still stranded 16 runners in the game – 10 in scoring position.
   
• The Dons grabbed the lead in the third and never relinquished it when Robert Emery tallied his first of three RBIs on the night with an RBI groundout. USF starter Scott Parker (2-2) held on to that 1-0 lead by holding USD scoreless for the first four innings. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning with an inning-ending double play, then got a ground ball to end the third with two in scoring position after battling to a full count with Jeff Houghtby. He would finish with 5 1/3 innings pitched, allowing two runs with three strikeouts and no walks, scattering six hits.
   
• San Francisco added three insurance runs with a two-out rally in the top of the fifth to build its lead to 4-0. Five consecutive batters reached base, with the big hit coming off of Riki Urata's bat. He fell behind in the count, 0-2, then slapped a single to left-center field with the bases loaded, scoring two. Tyler Villaroman followed with an RBI single on the very first pitch he saw. Those runs came in hand in the bottom half of the fifth when San Diego scored its first two runs of the game thanks in part to two doubles in the inning.
   
• Every time San Diego tried to close the gap, San Francisco answered. The Dons got a run back in the top of the sixth on an Emery RBI single up the middle. Then after Adam Kerner homered for the Toreros in the bottom half of the sixth, USF again got the run back the next half-inning with an RBI double from Riley Helland, scoring Jacob Munoz all the way from first. Both teams combined to score runs in five consecutive half-innings, and heading into the seventh-inning stretch, the Dons had preserved their three-run advantage at 6-3.
   
• San Diego tried one more time to pull closer, tacking on a run in the bottom of the eighth and having runners on first and second with only one out. But USF closer Joey Steele entered and got a strikeout on three pitches, then got Cody Ricketts to groundout to first base to end the inning. He would throw a perfect 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to earn his sixth save of the season.
   
• Steele's save was made much easier entering the ninth after the Dons had turned a two-run game into a six-run advantage with four insurance runs in the top half of the inning. Seven of the first eight batters reached base safely, with USD being charged for three errors in the inning. Jonathan Allen tallied an RBI groundout, Emery got his third RBI of the game on a USD error, and Nick Yovetich also drove in a run on a fielder's choice groundball.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Dons pitchers only issued one walk on Saturday, tying a season low, and hit only one batter for two total free passes – the lowest amount all season. USF also only walked one batter versus Kansas State on March 2.
• 11: The Dons benefited from 11 walks in the game. It was a season-high for the Dons and the most by the team since drawing 11 versus Northern Colorado on Feb. 19, 2017. RJ Cordeiro drew a career-high four walks – the most by a Don since Allen Smoot also drew four against Pepperdine on May 6, 2017.
• 16: San Francisco stranded 16 runners Saturday, including at least one every inning. It was a season high for runners left on by the Dons, topping the 15 they stranded in a 13-inning victory over UC Riverside on March 10.

COACH GIARRATANO QUOTES

• "We had a great start by Scott Parker today. 5 1/3 is a solid outing and the reason we had success today."
• "Had some great at bats today by the team. Urata, Villaroman, Cordeiro all did great things today to help us score 10. Riley Helland had some big hits and we found a way to stop them defensively."
• "Tomorrow will be a battle. We will expect (San Diego) to come storming back."

COMING UP

• The series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. game. Lefty Josh Hendrickson will battle a starter yet to be named for USF. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.