SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara Broncos lost the first of a three-game set 9-1 to the Portland Pilots Friday night at Schott Stadium. The Pilots scored single runs in three of the first five innings and went for six runs in the seventh for their first conference win of the season.

Santa Clara starting pitcher D.J. Zapata (L, 2-5) threw 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Portland starting pitcher Davis Tominaga (W, 1-3) threw a complete game outing, allowing one earned run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. 

With runners on the corners and two outs in the top of the second, redshirt senior center fielder Chet Thompson scored on a wild pitch to put the Pilots (7-23, 1-9 WCC) ahead 1-0. Sophomore center fielder Kert Woods' RBI single in the third brought home sophomore shortstop Jose Vizcaino, Jr. to tie the game at 1-1. The Atwater, Calif. native has reached base safely in a team-high seven consecutive games for the Broncos (11-18, 2-5 WCC).

Portland sophomore first baseman Kevin Farley led off the fourth with a home run — his second of the season — to put Portland back ahead 2-1. Tominaga, who also started at designated hitter, helped out his own cause with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1 one inning later.

In the seventh, Farley went for his second extra-base hit of the game with a two-RBI double to left center. Three batters later, junior third baseman Cody Lenahan hit a two-RBI single to right to make the score 7-1. Portland added its eighth and ninth runs of the game when junior shortstop Michael Lucarelli reached on a fielder's choice and scored from third when redshirt junior left fielder Turner Gill was picked off of first base.

Junior reliever Evan Brisentine threw 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing only a walk to the Pilots alongside three strikeouts between the eighth and ninth. He faced just one batter above the minimum in his third relief outing of the season.

The Broncos and Pilots play the second of a three-game set tomorrow afternoon with a 3 p.m. first pitch from Schott Stadium. Peter Hendron (2-3, 4.22 ERA) is slated to take the hill for Santa Clara against Kurt Yinger (0-3, 6.35 ERA). 

Game Notes: First pitch was at 6:04 p.m. … time of game was 2:38 … attendance was 307 … nine runs is a season high for Portland.