PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — The Portland Pilots rallied from an early deficit with a five-run fifth inning and rode a stellar relief outing from Kaden Segel to defeat the San Francisco Dons 5-3 on Friday night at Joe Etzel Field.

The Dons struck quickly against Portland starter William Labonte. After a walk and a groundout in the top of the first, Eddison Esquivel drove an RBI double to right-center field, giving San Francisco a 1-0 lead before many in the crowd of 1,847 had settled into their seats.

San Francisco starter Gabriel Barrett held that lead through four innings, scattering four hits and allowing just one run — a first-inning RBI double by Cole Katayama-Stall that scored Gage Bruce. Barrett’s outing unraveled dramatically in the fateful fifth. The Pilots sent 11 men to the plate, capitalizing on a leadoff single, a bunt single, and a walk to load the bases with no outs.

Bruce cleared them with a ringing two-run double up the middle, tying the game at 3-3. After a strikeout, Katayama-Stall delivered the decisive blow, lacing a two-run single to center to score Bruce and Caden Nitowitz. The five-run outburst, all charged to Barrett, turned a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 Portland lead and chased the Dons’ starter from the game.

The most important part of the game was the immediate response from the Pilots’ bullpen to stifle the Dons’ momentum. After Labonte allowed three runs, only one earned, over 3 1/3 innings, Segel entered with two on and one out in the fourth. He escaped that jam and proceeded to dominate, throwing 4 2/3 innings of scoreless, five-hit relief with three strikeouts to earn the win. This performance was a sharp rebound for Segel, who had allowed five earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings in his previous appearance on April 12.

San Francisco’s two unearned runs in the fourth, which had extended their lead to 3-1, came off Labonte but were set up by a Portland error. Jared Lewis was a bright spot for the Dons, collecting three of their seven hits, but the team went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base.

Following the fifth-inning outburst, the Pilots’ pitching sealed the victory. Chris Byhre provided 2 1/3 innings of perfect relief for San Francisco, and Paul Wheeler added a scoreless eighth, but the Dons’ offense could not mount a comeback against Segel and closer Alexander Via, who worked a perfect ninth for the save.

With the win, Portland improved to 21-14 overall, while San Francisco fell to .500 at 17-17. The victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 5-4 San Francisco win, though the Pilots’ higher probability to win according to the system’s ELO rating held true.

The teams continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon at Joe Etzel Field.