Trailing by five in the top of the sixth, it looked like the Dirty Terps might finally seize some momentum.

Paul Jones II and David Mendez reached on back-to-back infield singles, setting up an RBI single for Ty Kaunas right after them. But with two outs, Bud Coombs grounded into a fielder’s choice to snuff out more potential offense.

The momentum swung fully into the Bruins’ favor from there, as No. 1 UCLA (19-2, 7-0 B1G) plated six runs in the seventh inning to trigger a 12-2 run-rule win over Maryland (11-10, 1-3 B1G) at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday.

Early on, the run-rule win felt like it might be inevitable for the Bruins.

After the Terps went down in order in the top of the first inning, UCLA’s bats provided some early run support for starting pitcher Logan Reddemann. Maryland starter Lance Williams hit Roch Cholowsky with a pitch, then a Mulivai Levu single placed runners on the corners for Roman Martin. He delivered, doubling down the left field line to score the first run of the evening.

Williams proceeded to hit his second batter of the inning, Payton Brennan, to load the bases for the Big Ten’s leader in home runs, Will Gasparino. Williams got the better of Gasparino, getting the slugger to go down swinging, but Cashel Dugger stepped into the batter’s box right after that strikeout and mashed a grand slam over the right field wall to make it 5-0 Bruins in the first.

UCLA loaded the bases again in the first after the Bruins picked up a single and Williams hit two more batters, but he escaped further damage when he struck out Cholowsky on a funky ruling where the umpires said Cholowsky leaned into a pitch.

After that first inning, both starting pitchers were in a groove and kept the middle of the game relatively uneventful.

Maryland scored its opening tally in the top of the third when Aden Hill and Brayden Martin clubbed back-to-back doubles, cutting UCLA’s lead down to four. But aside from that, the Terps stranded six runners on base over the middle innings, failing to bring runners home after walks and singles to set up offensive chances.

UCLA tacked on another run with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth, but it remained a fairly low-event game.

Reddemann finished with two runs on seven hits over six innings with seven strikeouts for the Bruins. UCLA’s ace showed up against Maryland, either refusing to let batters reach or immediately navigating his way out of jams whenever somebody got on base.

Williams, despite his first inning woes, put together a respectable effort for Maryland. He ultimately surrendered six runs, five of them in the first inning, on seven hits with one walk and four K’s over five innings. The most concerning aspect of Williams’ outing was his command, as the Terps’ starter plunked six Bruin hitters with a pitch.

When head coach Matt Swope decided Williams’ day was done, he called for Brayden Ryan from the bullpen. Ryan delivered a 1-2-3 sixth inning for Maryland, but his luck would change harshly in the seventh.

The Terps entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 6-2, not the most ideal score to claw back from, but far from insurmountable. Ryan started the inning hot, striking out Gasparino, but that’s where the good times ended for Maryland.

UCLA hit three straight singles to load the bases for Dean West. He walked, scoring a run for the Bruins. That left the bases loaded for Cholowsky, who hit a two-run single to make it 9-2 in favor of UCLA. Levu stepped up to the plate next and when Ryan hit him with a pitch to load up the bases again, Swope pulled the plug on his reliever and went back to the bullpen.

The Terps turned to Andrew Koshy to try and escape the jam. It seemed like the right choice at first when he struck out Martin, but after Cholowsky scored on a wild pitch, the Bruins were two runs away from hitting the run-rule threshold with two runners in scoring position.

Brennan made no mistake at the plate, poking a two-run single through the right side to cap off UCLA’s major inning and end Maryland’s night.

The Terps look to bounce back against the Bruins in Game 2. First pitch is currently scheduled for 5 p.m. with Daniel Stein on the call for MBN.