STANFORD, Calif. - Senior Quinn Mathews struck out 10, his fifth consecutive 10-plus strikeout game, over 7 1/3 innings of work to help lead No. 8 Stanford (27-12, 14-5 Pac-12) past UCLA (23-14-1, 9-8-1 Pac-12) 6-5 on Friday night to open a three-game Pac-12 series.
Mathews (5-3) had surrendered just one earned run through seven innings, but allowed two hitters to reach in the eighth before both came around to score. Mathews finished the game having allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk with the 10 strikeouts.
Juniors Drew Dowd and Ryan Bruno combined to toss the final 1 2/3 innings, with Dowd striking out a pair while allowing one run in an inning of work. Ryan Bruno inherited one runner with one out in the ninth, allowing a hit before retiring the next two hitters to secure his fourth save of the year.
Junior Eddie Park led the way offensively for the Cardinal, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Braden Montgomery also put together a 2-for-4 night with a double and an RBI, while junior Tommy Troy finished 1-for-4 with a double and one driven in.
The Cardinal got on the scoreboard first in the second as freshman Malcolm Moore lofted a sacrifice fly to right field to chase home Montgomery. Stanford extended the lead to 3-0 after five, scoring once in the fourth and fifth innings. Troy pushed the run across in the fifth, lacing a two-out RBI double inside the bag at third to score Park. The double came on the heels of the second of three balks called on UCLA pitching Friday night.
The Bruins fought back, closing the gap to 3-2, until Stanford added three insurance runs in the seventh - highlighted by doubles from Park and Montgomery.
Trailing 6-2 headed to the eighth, UCLA managed to score two in the eighth and one in the ninth to cut the lead to one, but Bruno eventually shut the door on the rally and sealed the victory.
UP NEXT
Stanford will look to secure the series victory on Saturday when the two teams collide at 2:05 p.m.
GAME NOTES
» Stanford has won three straight games and five of its last seven overall.
» The Stanford pitching staff combined to strike out 12 UCLA hitters.
» The quality start was Mathews' 13th in his last 19 turns, including his fifth in the last six.
» Carter Graham (1-for-4) extended his hitting streak to six games.
» The Cardinal never trailed in the victory.
» Stanford went 4-for-9 (.444) with runners in scoring position.
» Stanford pitchers faced 40 UCLA hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 11 fly balls while striking out 12.
» UCLA was led offensively by junior Daylen Reyes, who went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI.