The Portland Pilots baseball team ended their four-game losing streak with a 5-3 win against the San Francisco Dons on Apr. 17. The victory improved the Pilots’ overall record to 21-14 and brought their West Coast Conference tally to 6-6.
The game was notable for strong performances from several players. Cole Katayama-Stall led the offense, going two-for-five with a double and three runs batted in, becoming the first Pilot this season to surpass thirty RBIs. Cody Nitowitz and Jonas Salk each contributed two hits, while Gage Bruce drove in two runs and scored twice himself.
On the pitching side, Kaden Segel earned his third win of the year by throwing four-and-two-thirds innings in relief and allowing only one unearned run. Will Labonte started for Portland, pitching three-and-one-third innings with two runs allowed and three strikeouts. Alex Via closed out the game, securing his eighth save of the season—setting a new record for saves by a true freshman at Portland and tying him for ninth most in program history.
Both teams scored early on RBI doubles in the first inning before San Francisco took a brief lead in the fourth after an error and sacrifice bunt made it 3-1. However, Portland responded with four runs in the fifth inning thanks to key hits from Bruce and Katayama-Stall that ultimately secured their lead.
The Pilots now hold a home record of fourteen wins out of seventeen games this season, having won eight of their last nine home matchups. The series between Portland and San Francisco continues tomorrow at Joe Etzel Field.
