SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. --- The San Francisco Dons broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning before adding two more to edge the Portland Pilots 4-0 in the opener of a three-game West Coast Conference series played on Thursday afternoon at Benedetti Diamond. The Pilots did get a runner to third base in the top of the eighth and left two stranded in the ninth as the Dons avoided a late rally.
 
Portland (7-26-1, 3-10 WCC) starter Tate Budnick cruised through the first four innings, allowing just two hits. The righty did run into a little trouble in the fifth, when the Dons (17-17, 4-9 WCC) got on the scoreboard with an RBI triple from Harrison Bruce and a run-scoring double by Nico Giarratano. Both runs scored with two outs.
 
The Dons then pushed the lead to 3-0 with a Dominic Miroglio solo homer in the seventh, and San Francisco collected an unearned run in the seventh off of Portland reliever Jake Hawken to cap the scoring.
 
Budnick (1-7) takes the loss after going 6.0 innings. He was charged with three runs on just six hits and walk, and he fanned four. Hawken worked the final 2.0 innings.
 
San Francisco starter Grant Goodman (3-2) was solid for scoreless 7.0 innings, scattering just four hits. He K'd four and issued one walk. Reliever Scott Parker pitched an inning-and-a-third, and Brendan Jenkins recorded the final two outs, but not before surrendering two hits as the Pilots tried to mount a late comeback.
 
Mike Hicks had two of Portland's six hits.
 
Game two of this league series is set for Friday at 3 p.m.