SALT LAKE CITY – Washington State used a seven-run sixth inning and a five no-hit innings from freshman starter Isaac Mullins to post a 10-1 win at Utah Friday afternoon.
 
The Cougars (19-21, 5-12 Pac-12) evened the series with the defending conference champion Utes (19-18, 9-11 Pac-12) after tallying 13 hits while holding Utah to just two hits. Junior first baseman James Rudkin tallied three hits and drove in two runs including an RBI-triple while junior right fielder JJ Hancock tallied two hits and drove in three runs. Junior third basemen Shane Matheny and freshman catcher Cal Waterman each tallied two hits while Mullins improved to 2-2 after firing five no-hit innings, striking out four in just his third career start. Junior reliever Scotty Sunitsch notched his eighth save after posting three scoreless innings to end it.
 
The Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a run in the first inning. Sophomore shortstop Andres Alvarez led off the game with a line drive single to right field and later stole second before Rudkin battled and lined an 0-2 pitch to left field after fouling off a couple pitches, scoring Alvarez from second.
 
Mullins made the most of the one-run, stranding a runner in the second in the first inning before retiring the next seven batters he faced and later used a double play to end the fourth inning. Mullins capped his career-best outing with a perfect fifth inning, striking out two in the frame.
 
Washington State erupted for seven runs in the sixth inning, using seven hits in the inning to build an 8-0 advantage. Waterman recorded two hits in the inning, leading off with a single back up the middle and Alvarez was hit by a pitch before Dillon Plew bounced a single back up the middle to score Waterman. Matheny followed with an RBI-single to left field and Rudkin laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line that followed the foul line all the way to the bag for a base hit, loading the bases. Hancock then pulled a two-run single through the right side and Blake Clanton later added a two-run double the opposite way down the left field line. Waterman capped the inning's scoring with an RBI single up the middle to score Clanton.
 
Utah countered with a run in the sixth, getting their first hit of the game in the inning and used a sacrifice fly to make it an 8-1 game.
 
The Cougars answered with two more runs in the seventh inning as Matheny singled and Rudkin brought him home with a triple to right center for his third hit of the day. Hancock followed with a single back up the middle to score Rudkin for a 10-1 advantage.
 
Junior reliever Colby Nealy worked the sixth and Sunitsch closed things out with three scoreless innings to end it, striking out three along the way. Utah starter Riley Ottesen took the loss after allowing eight earned runs in 5.1 innings.
 
The series wraps up Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (PT).