PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland jumped ahead early with a five-run first inning, Ryan Hoogerwerf left the yard with a solo homer in the eighth, and the Pilots won the series finale 7-4 over the Pacific Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. Camden Muller claimed the win on the hill for the Pilots, while Connor Knutson collected a three-inning save.
 
The Pilots (17-26, 9-12 West Coast Conference) didn't waste any time on Sunday, getting to Pacific starter Cooper Casad with that five-run first. Portland sent all nine batters to the plate, and the first run scored when Cody Hawken was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 
Ryan Kim followed with a two-run single up the middle, and Hawken eventually scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 4-0. Collin Runge provided the final RBI of the frame when a ground out off his bat allowed Kim to easily trot home.
 
The Tigers (17-25, 8-13 WCC) tried to climb back into the game with a run in the top of the second inning and two more in the third. Carter Hayes was responsible for the run in the second when he belted a solo home run, and James Free's double to the gap in the third inning scored Matthew Tarantino from first base. Nate Verlin then made it a 5-3 game with a run-scoring single up the middle.
 
Dutton Elske provided a little breathing room for the Pilots in the home half of the third when his base hit to left scored Hoogerwerf, who had previously singled and moved to second on a ground out.
 
The scored then remained 6-3 until the eighth inning when Pacific plated an unearned run, but the Pilots got it back in the bottom of the frame when Hoogerwerf hammered a ball over the fence in straight away center field. It's the third home run this season for Hoogerwerf, and it provided the Pilots a three-run cushion.
 
The Tigers tried to make things interesting in the top of the ninth when they got a pair of runners on base with one out. But Knutson remained calm to strike out Verlin before inducing a game-ending pop out from Bradley Jeckich.
 
Muller (2-3) went 5.0 innings to earn the win, allowing three runs on four hits. He fanned six and walked three. Reliever Christian Peters pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Knutson registered three K's in his 3.0 innings of work to secure his fifth save.
 
Casad (3-5) took the loss after lasting 5.0 innings, and Henrik Reinertsen and Ryan Shreve both saw action out of the bullpen.
 
The Pilots next take a week off for final exams and graduation before returning to the diamond on Tuesday, May 8 when they face the Seattle Redhawks for a non-league game in Bellevue, Wash.