PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Pilots limited the Lions to just three hits and Brett Gillis and Henry Cheney hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the sixth inning as Portland topped Loyola Marymount 5-3 in the West Coast Conference series finale played on Sunday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field. Portland starter Chris Clements struck out six in 8.0 innings to earn the win.
 
Gillis' home run, which is the first in the freshman's career, came with the Pilots (17-11, 2-7 WCC) trailing 3-2. On a 2-1 count and two outs, Gillis hammered a line drive that left the field in a hurry and leveled the score.
 
Cheney then stepped to the plate and ran the count full before launching a towering shot to left to give the Pilots the lead. It's the first homer this season for Cheney, and it's the third of his career.
 
Now with the Pilots ahead 4-3, Clements (6-0) continued his quality performance on the mound. The senior right-hander retired 12 straight batters at one point, which stretched from the fifth through the eighth innings. He yielded just two hits overall, struck out six, and didn't walk a batter before junior closer Connor Knutson took over in the ninth.
 
The Lions (17-10, 7-2 WCC) did get a couple of runners on base in the final frame, but Knutson induced a ground out and a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to secure his seventh save of the year.
 
Portland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Cheney singled and eventually scored from second base on an LMU throwing error. In the top of the fourth inning, LMU's Trevin Esquerra left the building with a two-run homer to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Lions' extended their edge to 3-1 in the top of the fifth with an unearned run before the Pilots got one back in the home half of the inning. Gillis and Cheney began the frame with consecutive singles, and Chad Stevens doubled down the right field line to score Gillis and make it a one-run game.
 
LMU reliever Mark Finkelnberg (0-2) takes the loss after surrendering both home runs in the sixth inning. The Lions used four pitchers on the day.
 
Cheney finished 3-for-3 to lead the Pilots.
 
The Pilots next travel north to finish a game against the Seattle U Redhawks. The game, which started on Wednesday at Joe Etzel Field, was halted by rain in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Pilots and Redhawks will conclude that contest before playing their regularly scheduled game at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue, Wash.