PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Pacific Tigers scored the game's only three runs in the top of the second inning to claim a 3-0 win over the Portland Pilots in the opener of a three-game West Coast Conference series at Joe Etzel Field on Friday night. The Tigers held a slight 9-6 edge in hits, with only four of Pacific's hits leaving the infield.
 
The Tigers (13-18, 5-8 WCC) pieced together those three runs in the second with four hits, two of which were infield singles. Lucas Halstead knocked in the first run with a grounder that barely made it through the left side, and Blake Barry made it a 2-0 game with an RBI on a single to short. Pacific's third run came on a groundout to put Portland in a 3-0 hole.
 
Pacific starter Will Lydon (1-7) took over from there, limiting Portland's (13-20, 1-9 WCC) chances in 9.0 innings of work. The righty struck out six and walked just one to pick up the complete-game victory.
 
Eric Sapp had two of Portland's hits, and Kevin Wade nearly left the yard with a towering shot to deep center field in the bottom of the fourth inning. But Pacific's Blake Barry made a tough, back-handed catch on the run, as he made contact with the center field fence.
 
Down to their final six outs of the game, the Pilots had a promising beginning to the bottom of the eighth inning after Kevin Farley and Grant Sutton led off with singles. But Pacific then recorded a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play, before ending the inning and the threat with another K.
 
The Pilots did get a runner on base in the bottom of the ninth, but Lydon left him stranded to end the game.
 
Portland used three pitchers on the night, with starter Jordan Horak (1-4) and reliever Marty Luckenbach each working 4.1 innings. All three Pacific runs went to Horak, while Luckenbach held the Tigers scoreless, allowing only two hits. Cameron Richman recorded the final out in the top of the ninth inning.
 
Tomorrow brings the second game of the league series, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. at Joe Etzel Field.