PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Gonzaga Bulldogs scored all five of their runs in the second inning and overcame a stellar performance out of the Portland bullpen by Brandon Snyder to defeat the Pilots 5-3 in the opening game of a West Coast Conference series on Friday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. After the Bulldogs scored five runs on four hits in the second, Snyder came in to throw 7.0 scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
 
But the damage had been done as the Pilots (7-33, 2-14 WCC) couldn't recover from the early deficit. Portland did score the game's first run in the bottom of the first inning to jump ahead. Michael Lucarelli led off with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored when Turner Gill drilled a hard-hit single up the middle.
 
The Bulldogs (19-17, 9-7 WCC) had an immediate response with five runs on four hits in the top of the second. Portland starter Billy Sahlinger plunked the first two batters to begin the inning, and the Bulldogs followed with four consecutive hits, three of which were doubles. Snyder then came in to register three straight outs to end the inning and the threat.
 
Snyder, a senior lefty, cruised from there and didn't allow a hit until the eighth inning. He allowed only two base runners, retired 15 straight hitters at one point and struck out four.
 
Meanwhile the Pilots tried to climb back into the game. Portland scored a run in the bottom of the sixth when Grant Taylor and Lucarelli hit back-to-back doubles to begin the frame, making it a 5-2 game. Another Portland run came in the seventh inning when Gill again went up the middle with a well-hit single, this time scoring pinch runner Brian Pozos to trim the deficit to two runs.
 
But that's as close as Portland would get as Gonzaga starter Andrew Sopko (6-3) and reliever David Bigelow did well to avoid a big inning. Sopko went 6.2 innings, surrendering three runs on eight hits and two walks, while fanning eight. Sopko finished the game to earn his eighth save of the year.
 
GU's stopper took the mound with two outs and two on in the bottom of the seventh and induced an inning-ending pop-out.
 
Sahlinger (2-4) takes the loss and relievers Kody Kuhlman and Carl Snaring combined to throw a scoreless ninth.
 
The Pilots out-hit the Bulldogs 9-7 and neither team committed an error.
 
Game two of the three-game series is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.