PORTLAND, Ore. --- Portland's Brian Pozos and Brady Kerr each had four hits, Davis Tominaga was solid on the mound, and the Dons left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth as the Pilots prevailed 5-2 over San Francisco to even the West Coast Conference series on Saturday night at Joe Etzel Field. The win sets up the rubber match tomorrow.
 
With the Pilots (16-28, 3-17 WCC) holding onto a three-run lead, the Dons (18-30, 12-11 WCC) loaded the bases in the top of the final frame with two outs. But Portland reliever Kevin Baker kept his composure on the mound and induced and game-ending grounder to short stop.
 
Baker earns his first career save, and it capped a strong performance by Tominaga (4-8), who was steady for 8.0 innings. Tominaga only allowed the two runs, one earned, on five hits, while fanning five. One of the strikeouts came with runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth, helping to preserve the lead.
 
The Pilots didn't waste any time getting their starting pitcher a lead as Pozos led off the game with a double, and Kerr followed with a single. Caleb Whalen then stepped to the plate and lifted a fly ball to center field that was caught, and Pozos easily trotted home to hand the Pilots an early 1-0 lead.
 
The lead would stand until the Dons plated a run in the third to tie it, and another in the fourth to surge ahead. The tying run came when Ross Puskarich sent a single to left and Aaron Ping scored from second base. Portland left fielder Cooper Hummel made a perfect throw to the plate, but Ping scored anyway to even the score.
 
The go-ahead run was unearned after Harrison Bruce stole second and moved over to third on a throwing error. He then scored on a sac fly to center off the bat of Ryan Matranga, making it a 2-1 game.
 
The fifth inning then brought three Portland runs on four hits as the Pilots re-claimed the lead. The first run came when Pozos scored all the way from first base on a single to left field by Kerr. Pozos' speed on the base paths tied the game 2-2.
 
The Pilots then kept the hits coming and the bases were soon loaded, and on a fly-out to right field, Kerr scored from third to give the Pilots the 3-2 lead. Kevin Farley then pushed the lead to 4-2 with an RBI single to left field, and Portland added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, which was helped by a USF error.
 
The Pilots out-hit the Dons 13-7, and Farley finished with three hits.
 
San Francisco starter Thomas Ponticelli (3-5) takes the loss after allowing four runs on nine hits in 4.2 innings. Mack Meyer pitched the final 3.1 innings for the Dons.
 
The two teams next conclude the three-game league series tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Joe Etzel Field.