LAS VEGAS - No. 2 Portland eliminated No. 1 LMU with a 15-3 blowout in the 2023 West Coast Conference Baseball Tournament from Las Vegas Ballpark. 

Portland broke the game open in the top of the third with a seven-run rally. Nich Klemp belted a two-run single to left, putting the Pilots up, 2-0. Briley Knight, Jake Tsukada, Christian Cooney and Jake Holcroft added RBI singles later in the inning. 

Ben Patacsil padded the big lead with a two-out, two-run double in the fifth inning, part of a six-run fifth inning that put the game out of reach. 

Four Pilots strung together three-hit games, while Klemp finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. 

Sam Biller got the Lions on the board in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single, ending the shoutout attempt by Portland starting pitcher Nick Brink. The WCC's ERA leader in 2023, Brink went six complete, allowing two earned runs while striking out six. 

With the win, Portland will face the loser of the next game between No. 3 Santa Clara and No. 5 Saint Mary's at approximately 8:30 p.m. tonight.