FRESNO, Calif.- The Portland Pilots exploded at the plate Monday afternoon, recording a season-high 21 hits to snap a 10-game losing streak and earn their first win of the season by a 14-8 margin over Monmouth University at the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic. Portland (1-10) trailed 8-7 to the Hawks before scoring seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out the come-from-behind win. The game was called after eight innings because of a predetermined time limit for tournament purposes. Monmouth falls to 1-6 on the season with the loss.

All nine Pilot position players scored at least one run and six recorded two or more hits in the rout. Sophomore second baseman Gustaf Little was a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish with a walk, improving his batting average to .385 on the season, tops among all Pilots. Third baseman Travis Vetters continued his hot hitting with a 4-for-5 afternoon and two runs driven in. Junior Mike McRae’s power surge was extended as he hit his third home run in the last four games, while senior Jeffrey Crinklaw followed McRae’s homer with one of his own.

Down 7-3 and entering the bottom of the fifth inning, Portland started the comeback with two runs as Little and Josh Goff hit back-to-back RBI singles. The Pilots got one more in the sixth on Nik Kosach’s sacrifice fly scoring Crinklaw. Portland tied the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh as Goff singled home Little who reached with a one-out double to left field.

Monmouth scored an important run in the top half of the eighth with the time limit wearing down, but Portland responded with seven runs on just four hits to secure the comeback victory.

Kosach led off with his second walk of the game and Trevor Hahn was called in to pinch run. Adam Kerr was hit by a pitch and the runners both advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jesse Rodgers. Little was intentionally walked to load the bases and Goff was also hit, scoring Hahn for the game-tying run. Vetters then hit the game-winning single to score two more runs, making it 10-8 Pilots. McRae blasted a three-run homer to deep left field and Crinklaw followed with a homer of his own for the first back-to-back Pilot home runs of the year, giving Portland the 14-8 win.

Portland scored 14 runs on 21 hits, committed two errors and left 14 runners on base. Monmouth tallied eight runs on 16 hits, had one error and left nine runners stranded. Freshman right-hander Sean Sargent (1-2) spelled fellow frosh Given Kutz in the fourth and went the rest of the way to earn the win. Sargent tossed 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs (one earned) and striking out three. Kutz went 3.1 innings and allowed six runs in his first collegiate start.

The Hawks Cipriano Apicelli took the loss after being credited with six of the seven runs allowed in the eight. Apicelli, the team’s leading hitter, falls to 0-1 on the season.

Goff finished 3-for-5 with three RBI for the Pilots, while Rhett Parker was the sixth Pilot with at least two hits, finishing 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored.

The Pilots look to make it two in a row as they take on tournament host Fresno State (7-12) on Tues., March 9 at 6:35 p.m.