Perez, Mullen Shine in 6-1 Win Over Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. – Junior second baseman Mikey Perez hit a three-run homer in the top of the first and junior right-hander Sean Mullen delivered 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball as No. 17 UCLA recorded a 6-1 win over No. 23 Stanford on Sunday afternoon at Sunken Diamond.

The Bruins (17-11, 6-6 Pac-12) allowed just four hits in the win. Mullen allowed just two hits while pitching into the seventh inning to lead the way, then senior righty Michael Townsend followed by going five-up, five-down before freshman righty Max Rajcic closed the door in the ninth.

Perez (3-4, two runs) was one of several Bruins to have big days with the bat on Sunday, joining junior catcher Noah Cardenas (3-5), freshman third baseman Kyle Karros (3-4), and junior shortstop Matt McLain (solo home run in the ninth).

The Bruins took an early lead after Perez's roundtripper in the first – a bomb to left field that punished Stanford starter Alex Williams for a walk and a HBP earlier in the frame – and then cruised as Mullen flummoxed the Cardinal offense.

The Bakersfield, Calif. native, making his second consecutive Sunday start, posted 1-2-3 innings in three separate frames, didn't allow an extra base hit, and didn't allow a runner into scoring position after a pair of one-out walks in the bottom of the first inning.

Mullen retired eight consecutive batters from the fourth through seventh innings, including three-up, three-down frames in the fifth and sixth.

While Perez's first-inning home run turned out to be decisive, UCLA would go on to plate three insurance runs over the course of the game.

Junior center fielder Kevin Kendall drove in a run with a sac fly in the second, plating Cardenas who led off the frame with a base hit. Karros knocked in Perez with a single through the left side in the eighth, and McLain capped the Bruins' scoring with a solo home run to left in the top of the ninth.

UCLA returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium for a midweek contest against Loyola Marymount on Tuesday, Apr. 13 at 6:00 p.m. PT. That game will be live streamed on UCLABruins.com.