PORTLAND, Ore. --- Kevin Farley hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Pilots brought the potential game-tying run to the plate with no outs, but the No. 24 BYU Cougars escaped the jam to win 5-3 in a West Coast Conference baseball game played on Saturday afternoon.
 
The long fly is Farley's first of the year and it came after Eric Sapp had drawn a lead-off walk with the Pilots trailing 5-1. Farley then drilled the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence, pulling the Pilots within two runs.
 
Geoffrey Lee followed with a walk to bring up Michael Forgione, who already had two hits on the day. Forgione grounded out to second, which allowed Lee to move up a base. Now with one out, BYU reliever Mason Marshall settled down on the hill to record a strike out and a fly out to end the game.
 
Marshall was the fourth Cougar (23-3, 7-2 WCC) hurler on the day, and he replaced Riley Gates after that lead-off walk to begin the ninth. Starter Connor Williams was forced to leave after 2.0 innings due to an injury, and reliever Hayden Rodgers (3-0) earns the win. Rogers went 6.0 scoreless innings, allowed only a pair of hits, walked three and struck out five.
 
Portland (13-15, 1-5 WCC) countered with five pitchers, with the loss going to starter Jordan Horak (1-2). He allowed three runs on three hits in 4.0 innings, and reliever Marty Luckenbach surrendered the other two runs in 2.0 innings of work.
 
Alex Fisher, Jackson Lockwood and Cameron Richman combined to hold BYU scoreless the rest of the way, and the Cougars only produced one hit during the final 3.1 innings.
 
The Pilots scored the game's first run, which came in the bottom of the first inning. Forgione led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a single by Cooper Hummel.
 
BYU answered with two runs in the top of the third inning and three more in the fifth. Colton Shaver accounted for both runs in the second with a two-run single. The three runs in the fifth came on two bunt singles, a bloop single down the right field line and a sacrifice fly.
 
Next up for the Pilots is a trip to Eugene, Ore., for a non-conference game with the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday. First pitch at PK Park is slated for 6 p.m.