Jake Brooks’ first month on the mound proved tumultuous.

Pegged as the Bruins’ ace by coach John Savage, the junior right-hander struggled to discover efficiency as the Friday-night starter and was roughed up in two of the team’s three losses – conceding five runs to No. 4 Vanderbilt and six to Oregon two weeks later.

But on Friday at Jackie Robinson Stadium, Brooks showcased why Savage placed his faith in the veteran pitcher.

“He (Savage) expects me to take that role and run with it,” Brooks said. “Be a leader on the team. And I think I proved that tonight (Friday).”

Brooks tossed a season-high 6.2 scoreless innings, allowed just five hits and one walk and struck out a season-high nine batters en route to his fourth victory of the campaign. No. 7 UCLA baseball (16-3, 6-1 Pac-12) rode Brooks’ performance until the bullpen picked up the final 2.1 innings to defeat Washington (14-6, 2-2) by a score of 5-1.

“I just thought it was the Brooks that we know,” Savage said. “He has that fastball command that can really go to a different level, and I think he did that tonight. We needed everything. We needed those zeros because they were putting up zeros as well.”

The blue and gold’s team ERA dropped to 2.30 following the one-run, three-pitcher performance as UCLA kept its hold on first place in the conference.

After Brooks earned his ninth punchout of the affair to make it two outs in the top of the seventh, two Huskies reached and forced Savage’s hand to the bullpen. Freshman right-hander Cody Delvecchio entered and shut down Washington outfielder Cole Miller on a high fastball that blew by for strike three to confirm his teammate’s scoreless start.

The first-year set-up man continued through the eighth before handing the ball to Charles Harrison with two outs when the senior right-hander struck out a batter with the bases loaded for the third out.

Savage tasked Harrison with the ninth inning as well, where after allowing a leadoff solo home run, the righty settled down to close the contest.

Despite pitching taking the focus for UCLA, Washington right-hander Kiefer Lord had success of his own Friday night. With two dozen scouts in attendance, the Huskies’ ace flexed his high-velocity fastball against the Bruins’ bats.

“You were going to see a lot of fastballs,” said sophomore second baseman Duce Gourson. “You were definitely going to get one during the at-bat that you could hit well, and you didn’t want to miss it.”

Lord struck out eight Bruins and allowed two earned runs but had one mistake pitch, a center-cut fastball that led to a fourth-inning two-run home run from sophomore first baseman Jack Holman. The dinger was the power-hitting lefty’s third of the season.

When Washington moved to the bullpen in the bottom of the seventh, however, the wheels began to fall off the Huskies’ bus, with RBI doubles from Gourson and sophomore shortstop Cody Schrier bumping UCLA’s lead to five.

The middle infield duo tallied two hits each sitting back-to-back in the lineup and combined for a 4-6-3 double play in the top of the eighth.

Gourson said he has appreciated the brotherhood that Schrier has brought during his time in Westwood.

“We have a good bond for sure,” Gourson said. “I’m always rooting for the best for him, and he’s rooting for the best for me, so it’s a good connection.”

The latest Bruin to catch the injury bug, junior third baseman Kyle Karros did not appear against the Huskies, with graduate catcher Knox Loposer filling in at third base and recording an error.

Karros suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain during a practice drill Thursday and will be out the rest of the series, Savage said after the game.

UCLA will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium for the second of the three-game set against Washington on Saturday at 6 p.m.