OREM, Utah --- The Utah Valley Wolverines scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally for a 9-8 win over the Portland Pilots in a non-conference baseball game played at Brent Brown Ballpark on Saturday night. Portland's Grant Taylor went yard in the loss, and Caleb Whalen had a pair of RBI doubles.

The Pilots (9-6) looked like they were well on their way to the win when they entered the bottom of the final frame leading their hosts 8-5. But the Wolverines (9-8) refused to falter, and soon the bases were loaded with nobody out. Utah Valley then chased Portland closer Billy Sahlinger with an RBI single that cut the deficit to two runs.

Cameron Richman then took over for Sahlinger, and the Wolverines promptly tied the score on a wild pitch and an infield RBI single by Justin Erlandson. A few batters later, Zac Willis won it with a walk-off, RBI single through the left side.

Sahlinger (0-1) takes the loss, his first of the year.

The Pilots led for most of the night after the Wolverines jumped ahead early when they plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of RBI doubles. Trevor Howell provided the first double, while Greyson Bogden followed suit a couple batters later to provide a 2-0 lead for Utah Valley.

The lead was short-lived as the Pilots immediately responded with four runs in the following inning. Ryan Barr trimmed the deficit with a run-scoring single to center field, but it was Taylor who provided the big hit when he left the yard with a blast to left-center field. The three-run homer, Taylor's second long fly of the year, gave the Pilots a 4-2 lead.

That lead would grow when Whalen drove in a pair with a double to the gap in the fourth inning, making it a 6-2 ballgame. Whalen wasn't finished, as he tallied his second double of the game in the top of the eighth, which also scored a run. He entered the weekend second in the nation in doubles, and he ended the night with 11 on the year.

Kevin Farley had an RBI double of his own in the seventh inning, and he and Whalen gave the Pilots some breathing room after the Wolverines had pulled within one with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth.

The Pilots used five pitchers on the night, while Utah Valley countered with four. Marco Briones (1-0) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to earn the win.

The Pilots will look for a split in the four-game series with the finale tomorrow at 11 a.m.