OREM, Utah --- Brady Kerr was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, Cooper Hummel had a two-run home run and three RBI's, and the Portland bullpen was solid as the Pilots claimed an 8-6 comeback win over the Utah Valley Wolverines on Sunday afternoon at Brent Brown Ballpark. The victory gives the Pilots a split in the four-game series.
 
After Portland (10-6) had rallied from four runs down to tie the score at 5-5, it was Caleb Whalen who provided the go-ahead RBI in the eighth inning when his base hit to right field scored Kerr. Hummel then followed Whalen with his second home run of the weekend, which sailed high above the left field fence, providing some insurance and making it an 8-5 game.
 
The Pilots needed it as the Wolverines (9-9) tried to rally from three runs down in the bottom of the ninth inning for the second straight game. And when Utah Valley scored on a wild pitch and had the potential tying run on second base, it looked like it could be deja vu all over again. But Billy Sahlinger had other ideas as Portland's closer stayed collected and struck out Paul Estrada to end the game.
 
Sahlinger notches his sixth save of the year, and he capped a solid outing on the hill for the Pilots' bullpen. After starter Kevin Baker was touched for five early runs, Jake Hawken came in and worked an effective 2.1 innings. He didn't allow a hit or a run, while fanning two.
 
Marty Luckenbach (3-0) kept it going when he followed Hawken's lead with 2.0 scoreless innings. Luckenbach yielded just one hit, struck out three, and earns his third win this season.
 
The Pilots fell behind early, despite scoring a run in the top of the first inning. After Eric Sapp had given Portland a 1-0 lead with an RBI single, the Wolverines answered with two runs in the bottom of the first and three more in the third to surge ahead 5-1. Mark Krueger was responsible for all five runs with a two-run single in the first inning and a three-run homer in the third.
 
The Pilots, who spent the rest of the game chipping away at the Utah Valley lead, got a run back in the fourth and another in the fifth, courtesy RBI's from Kevin Farley and Hummel.
 
Then in the sixth, the Pilots completed the comeback by tying the score with a pair of runs. First Michael Forgione made it a one-run game with a single up the middle. And then with the bases loaded, Sapp drew a walk which forced in a run and leveled the score at 5-5.
 
Marco Briones (1-1) was one of five pitchers used by Utah Valley, and he takes the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits and a walk in 2.0 innings.
 
The Pilots out-hit the Wolverines 14-7, and Portland had another successful weekend on the base paths, swiping six bases out of eight attempts. The Pilots, who are just two wins shy of matching last year's win total, entered the weekend second in the country in stolen bases.
 
Whalen began the series second in the nation in doubles, and the senior outfielder collected three more this weekend to increase his season total to 11.
 
Portland next turns its attention to the West Coast Conference as the Pilots travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to open the conference slate at Loyola Marymount. The three-game series begins on Friday night at 6 p.m. at Page Stadium.