PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland's Eric Sapp and Turner Gill each hit a home run, Kevin Wade drove in three runs and Billy Sahlinger and Ryan Barr were solid on the mound as the Pilots blanked the Seattle Redhawks 9-0 on a warm and sunny Tuesday afternoon. The game was the first played on the brand new AstroTurf surface at Joe Etzel Field.
 
Sahlinger (1-0) and Barr combined to hold the Redhawks (1-4) to just four hits. Sahlinger started and went 5.0 innings, striking out five while yielding three hits. Barr took over to begin the sixth and was nearly un-hittable, allowing only one hit. He also fanned four and didn't issue a walk in 4.0 innings to secure his first career save.
 
Meanwhile at the plate Portland (1-4) pounded out 15 hits for the second straight game. Sapp led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run to right field, and Gill did likewise to begin the bottom of the fourth. It's Sapp's first career long fly for the Pilots, while Gill has homered in two straight games.
 
The Pilots began the onslaught with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Both runs came with two outs after Kevin Farley brought home Michael Lucarelli with a single to right before Wade followed with an RBI single that scored Farley.
 
Portland then scored one run in the third, another in the fourth, three more in the fifth and two in the sixth inning en route to the win. Wade had the big hit of the fifth inning when his double down the left field line scored both Cody Lenahan and Farley. After a fly-out to center moved Wade over to third base, Brady Kerr gave the Pilots a 7-0 lead with a base hit through the right side.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lenahan provided both Portland runs with a two-run single up the middle.
 
Lenahan went 3-for-5 on the day, while Sapp, Wade, Gill, Kerr and Davis Tominaga each had two hits.
 
Seattle starter Grant Gunning (0-1) allowed four runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings and is saddled with the loss. He was followed by five relievers out of the SU bullpen.
 
It was a clean game as Seattle committed the only error.
 
The Pilots next head back to California for a four-game series against the Sacramento State Hornets. Friday's series opener is set for 2 p.m. and the two teams will play a double header on Saturday, which will begin at 11 a.m. First pitch for Sunday's finale is set for 12 p.m.