VISALIA --- Third baseman Chris Ortega went a perfect 5 for 5 with a pair of home runs and 4 RBI to lead Porterville College at the plate in an 8-4 loss at College of the Sequoias in both teams' Central Valley Conference opener on Thursday.

Ortega provided all the Pirates' offense on the day, smacking a two-run shot in the top of the third inning and another two-run homer in the fifth to give PC a 4-0 lead.

But Sequoias (8-6, 1-0 CVC) tied it up with two runs in the bottom of the fifth before scoring three runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to hand the Pirates the loss.

Jason Kramlich turned in a solid effort in the start for Porterville. He allowed two runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

The Pirates fell to 2-12 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

The three-game CVC series resumes on Friday (Feb. 25) in Porterville with the finale on Saturday also at PC. Both games are set for a 1 p.m. start.