UCLA Hits Six Homers in 13-2 Win Over Washington
LOS ANGELES – The No. 9-ranked UCLA baseball team hit a season-high six home runs on Saturday afternoon to record a 13-2 victory over Washington at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The six homers were the most for UCLA since May 19, 2019 (also against Washington). The Bruins' first five dingers were of the two-run variety, and the first four all came between the third and fifth innings.
Junior shortstop Matt McLain had a pair of home runs to lead the Bruin barrage, his second career multi-HR game. Junior second baseman Mikey Perez, sophomore DH Josh Hahn, junior catcher Noah Cardenas, and sophomore first baseman JT Schwartz each added round trippers as well.
Though he didn't go yard, junior center fielder Kevin Kendall had a standout day with the bat in his own right, collecting a hit in his first four plate appearances as part of a two-RBI day.
The Bruins (16-9, 5-4 Pac-12) took a commanding 10-1 lead by the end of the fifth inning thanks to the outburst of home runs.
McLain got the Bruins on the board with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third, sending a liner off the batter's eye in center field. Later in the inning, Perez skied a 3-1 offering way over the left field fence to cap off the four spot.
The next inning, McLain went yard again with an opposite field shot that landed in front of the scoreboard in right-center field. It was the first time McLain recorded two home runs in a game since May 12, 2019 at Washington State.
UCLA put the game out of reach with another four-spot in the sixth. Hahn provided the first two runs of that frame with a two-run bomb to right field, then Kendall brought in two more later on with an RBI single to left.
Cardenas and Schwartz went back-to-back in the bottom of the eighth for good measure.
The double-digit run output provided plenty of cushion for UCLA starter Sean Mullen, who was solid while pitching into the sixth inning.
Mullen, making his first weekend start of the year, allowed just two earned on four hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking none and striking out five.
The Bakersfield, Calif. native went three-up, three-down in four of the six frames he appeared, retiring six in a row on two different occasions.
Senior righty Kyle Mora followed with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just a single while striking out three. Freshman right-hander Max Rajcic finished off the game with a scoreless ninth.
The Bruins – who don't have a midweek game on the schedule this Tuesday – return to action with a three-game Pac-12 road series at Stanford starting on Friday, Apr. 9.