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PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland freshman starter Billy Sahlinger picked up the win, Jeff Melby had three hits and Ben Grubb hit a two-run homer as the Pilots opened a three-game West Coast Conference series with an 8-3 win over the Loyola Marymount Lions on a warm Friday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. Kody Watts tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to notch his first career save.
 
The Pilots (14-28, 6-10 WCC) jumped out to an early lead with a four-run second inning. With Grubb on second base, Brian Frattali knocked in the game’s first run with a hard hit single to right field. The Pilots were then able to load the bases with no outs before LMU starter Colin Welmon registered two big strike outs.
 
But the next hitter was Nick Armenta, who roped a two-out, two-run single to center field to make it a 3-0 ballgame. Kramer Scott followed with an RBI single to hand the Pilots a four-run lead.
 
Frattali scored an un-earned run in the third inning and Melby drove in a run with an infield bunt single in the bottom of the fourth as the Pilots claimed a 6-0 lead.
 
Sahlinger (3-2) would enjoy the six-run cushion until he ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the sixth inning. The Lions were able to rattle off six straight hits off of Sahlinger , reliever Brandon Snyder and Watts en route to a three-run inning. Watts would finally retire the final two batters to avoid further damage.
 
He would then hold the Lions (21-10, 9-7 WCC) scoreless during the final three innings to earn the save.
 
Grubb’s two-run blast, his team-best third home run of the season, came after a Melby double with two outs in the eighth.
 
Sahlinger’s final line included five strike outs and just one walk in 5.1 innings. The right-hander scattered seven hits. Watts K’d three.
 
Welmon (5-3) takes the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked two. Brandon Horth worked a scoreless inning of relief and Carlos Fuentes yielded Grubb’s homer.
 
LMU held a slight 12-11 advantage in hits and the Lions committed the only two errors of the game.
 
It’s the third three-hit game of the season for Melby, who raised his team-leading batting average to .351. He has reached base safely in 21 straight games and he has at least one hit during 20 of his last 21 games.
 
Frattali finished with two hits against the Lions, as did Cody Lenahan.
 
Game two of this conference series is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.