The Butler BlueSox don’t have many pitching arms available to themselves right now.

But the starters they’ve trotted out there have been pretty special so far.

After Seneca Valley graduate Connor Coward tossed seven scoreless innings in Thursday’s season opener, Pavin Parks did not allow an earned run in 7.2 innings Friday night. That helped produce a 4-2 Prospect League victory over the Terre Haute Rex at Kelly Automotive Park.

Parks, a Uniontown resident who was a freshman at Seminole State College of Florida this spring, didn’t pitch many innings there.

“I was primarily a back of the bullpen guy, a closer type,” Parks said.

He is listed as an infielder on the BlueSox roster. He was enlisted as a starting pitcher Friday as most of the team’s hurlers are still playing in collegiate tournaments.

“We’re probably down about 10 regular pitchers right now,” BlueSox manager Jason Radwan said. “We don’t have a lot of options there at the moment.

“That’s one of the reasons I went with Pavin tonight. He’s got a bulldog mentality. I had to take the ball from him. He didn’t want to give it up.”

Parks wound up throwing 108 pitches, 70 for strikes. He took a 4-0 lead into the eighth before allowing a pair of unearned runs. He struck out Niko Decolati to begin the frame, but the third strike eluded catcher Scott Thompson. The throw to first hit Decolati in the back.

One out later, James Hill III tripled to the wall in right-center. Hill crossed the plate on a grounder to shortstop.

When Damon Bass singled to center, Radwan removed Parks from the game.

“Under normal circumstances, later in the season, I never would have let him throw that many pitches,” Radwan admitted. “But he is the type of kid whose arm never gets tired.”

“It didn’t bother me,” Parks said of the pitch count. “I was a starting pitcher in high school and threw plenty of innings there.”

Carter Krick replaced Parks on the mound and promptly hit and walked a batter to load the bases. He fell behind leadoff hitter Danny Beaver 3-0 before eventually getting him to pop out to shortstop to end the inning.

It was the third time Terre Haute stranded the bases loaded. The Rex have scored just three runs in their first two games.

“We’re struggling to put an offense together right now,” Terre Haute manager Tyler Wampler said. “Like everybody else, we’re missing a lot of players. We signed seven temps and a lot of those guys are playing.

“Still, in the eighth, we kept scrapping and put together an inning. It’s a work in progress.”

The BlueSox (1-1) scored three runs in the first inning. Jake Kennedy hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded and Dillion Sunnafrank — signed to a temprary contract — singled to right for his second RBI in as many nights. The third run scored on a throwing error.

Nick Stotler doubled in a run in the sixth for Butler.

“A win is a win ... and we’ll take that first one any way we can get it,” Radwan said.

Slippery Rock University third baseman-pitcher Preston Falascino worked the ninth inning for the save.

“I’m looking at him to fill that role,” Radwan said.

Another SRU hurler, Shawn Holman, will start for the BlueSox Saturday night. The Fireworks Night game against Terre Haute is slated for 7:05 p.m.

Terre Haute 000 000 020 — 2 7 3

BlueSox 300 001 00x — 4 5 2

W: Pavin Parks 7.2IP (5K, 2BB). L: Braxton Yeryar 5IP (2K, 0BB).

Terre Haute (0-2): Danny Beaver 1B, Niko Decolati 1B, Julio Rosales 1B, James Hill III 3B RBI, Justin Kirkpatrick RBI, Damon Bass 2-1B, David Martinez 1B

Butler (1-1): Garrett Vrbanic 1B, Dalton Hoiles 2B 1B 2-R, Nick Stotler 2B RBI, Jake Kennedy RBI, Dillion Sunnafrank 1B RBI

Saturday: Terre Haute at BlueSox, 7:05 p.m.