PORTLAND, Ore. – In an extra-inning thriller at Joe Etzel Field, the Portland Pilots came up just short in their comeback bid, falling to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 5-3. The win gave the Zags the sweep. The Pilots now fall to 22-24 overall and 13-11 in WCC play.

Eli Morse took the loss for the Pilots after allowing two runs in the 10^th inning. Otherwise, the Pilots had a solid day on the mound. Christian Peters went 6.2 innings as the starter and struck out eight with only two runs allowed, while Caleb Franzen pitched 1.2 innings with one run allowed and three hits.

Portland struggled to get the bats going for most of the day until the final four innings. Jake Holcroft had a solid day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a triple. Jake Tsukada was also 1-for-4 with a crucial RBI in the bottom of the ninth to send it into extra innings.

Before the game, the University of Portland honored nine seniors – Peters, Chad Stevens, Gabe Skoro, Eli Morse, Henry Cheney, Wyatt Stanley, Nate Packard, Hunter Montgomery and Travis Turney – for their accomplishments over their time with the Pilots.

The scoring was slow to get things started. Peters only allowed one hit through the first four innings while Alec Gomez allowed none. Gonzaga broke the seal with a run in the fifth inning. With a runner on second, Ryan Sullivan hit a double down the right field line to bring Grayson Sterling home, making it 1-0 Zags.

Gonzaga added to their lead in the sixth inning. After Andrew Orzel got himself in scoring position with a double, Tyler Rando had a double himself, bringing Orzel home for a 2-0 lead.

The Pilots finally got on the board in the seventh inning. After Holcroft hit his triple to put himself in scoring position, Briley Knight hit a soft grounder to second base that gave Holcroft just enough time to get home. The run cut Gonzaga's lead to one.

The Zags created a little more separation for themselves in the top of the eighth, with Rando bringing another runner home, this time with an RBI single. But the Pilots quickly took that security away after Stevens hit an RBI double, making it only 3-2 Zags.

Tsukada came up clutch for the Pilots in the final inning. With runners on first and second, the second baseman hit a hard liner right up the middle that brought Holcroft home. That big hit made it 3-3 and sent it into extra innings.

The Pilots had the momentum, but the Zags took it right back. Rando drove in his third run of the day with an RBI single in the 10^th. Then, Morse had an error off the failed pickoff attempt that brought another runner home. Portland got two runners in scoring position in the final inning, but Sam Brown's flyout to center field with two outs sealed their fate. Gonzaga won 5-3, securing the sweep.

The Pilots now prepare for their final week of baseball this regular season. They'll play the Oregon State Beavers on Tuesday before heading south to San Diego, Calif. for their last WCC series against the San Diego Toreros. The game against Oregon State is a home game at Joe Etzel Field, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stat and video options.