PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots (30-19) dropped their final non-conference game of the season to the Washington State Cougars (24-26), falling 3-0. It's just the third time the Pilots have been shut out this season.

Harrison Howell took the loss in the first start of his career. He went three innings with three runs (two earned) and five hits allowed and two strikeouts. Four Pilot pitchers saw the mound in total today, with Ryan Rembisz, Connor Knutson and Joey Gartrell each making appearances. Gartrell was the most effective with three strikeouts and no hits or runs allowed in 1.2 innings.

The Pilots were stymied on offense, accumulating only two hits on the day. Christian Cooney earned one of the hits while Jake Holcroft had the other. The two hits are the fewest for the Pilots in a game this season.

The Cougars scored all three of their runs across the first three innings. The first run came courtesy of a double from Bryce Matthews in the first inning, sneaking it down the right field line to take two bases and bring in a run. The Cougars had a 1-0 lead early.

They added to that with their two runs in the next two innings. The first run came off a groundout that gave Nate Swarts just enough time to get home and make it 2-0 after two. Washington State didn't need much time for their next score, with Matthews hitting a solo blast to make it 3-0 Cougars three innings in.

That proved to be enough for Washington State. The Pilots struggled at the plate, with WSU starter Dakota Hawkins fanning an impressive 10 batters in just five innings, allowing only two hits in the process. The Cougars cruised the rest of the way to a 3-0 win.

The Pilots will play their final series of the regular season this weekend, taking on the Pepperdine Waves down in Malibu, Calif. in a three-game series. The opener is set for Friday, May 20 at 3 p.m. Check PortlandPilots.com