STOCKTON, Calif. --- Portland starter Grady Miller struck out 10, but the Pilots fell behind early and couldn't recover as the Pacific Tigers evened the West Coast Conference series with a 3-1 win on Saturday night at Klein Family Field. Portland won the opener on Friday night to set up the rubber match on Sunday.
 
Miller (1-7), a freshman lefty, worked 7.0 innings, allowing only the three runs on six hits. But those three runs, two earned, proved to be enough. All of Pacific's (14-26, 3-17 WCC) runs came in the first three innings, and they would stand as the Pilots (9-33-1, 5-15 WCC) struggled to find some offense, a night after they scored 10.
 
Danny Mayer drove in Pacific's two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and Ryan Schalch gave the home team a 3-0 lead with an RBI single in the third.
 
Portland's run came in the top of the fifth inning when Beau Brundage sent a two-out single up the middle, scoring Michael Forgione from third to cut the deficit to two.
 
But that's as close as the Pilots would get, despite bringing the potential game-tying run to the plate in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
 
Portland reliever Marty Luckenbach pitched the bottom of the eighth, and Pacific starter Cooper Casad (2-2) earns the win, after tossing 5.0 innings. He K'd five, scattered four hits, and was followed by a pair of relievers, with Vince Arobio earning the two-inning save, his fifth stop of the year.
 
Sunday's finale is set for 12 p.m.