PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — The Portland Pilots, riding a five-game winning streak, will look to continue their strong start to the season when they host the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the second game of a weekend series Saturday at Joe Etzel Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. under cloudy skies with temperatures near 65 degrees.

Portland (15-7) took the series opener Friday, shutting out Saint Mary’s. The Pilots have been formidable at home this season and will send right-hander Carter Gaston to the mound. Gaston has been excellent in recent starts, including a 7-inning, 4-hit, 1-run performance with five strikeouts in a win over Northwestern on March 23. Over his last three outings, he has allowed just two earned runs in 17 innings pitched.

The Gaels (12-11) aim to bounce back behind the hot bat of catcher Ian Armstrong. Armstrong is coming off a powerful performance Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs in a 10-4 win over UC Santa Barbara. Over his last 10 games, Armstrong is batting .500 (16-for-32) with three homers and 11 RBIs, providing the core of the Saint Mary’s offense.

Saint Mary’s has shown resilience, winning three of its last five games, but consistency has been an issue. The Gaels’ pitching staff will need to contain a Portland lineup that produced eight runs in its last outing. For the Pilots in that game, Jonas Salk drove in three runs and Trey Swygart added two RBIs.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projection favors Portland with a 7-4 victory.

The series concludes Sunday at Joe Etzel Field before both teams embark on non-conference road tests next week. Saint Mary’s travels to California on Tuesday, while Portland visits Oregon.