After two weeks on the road, battling teams in the desert heat
of Arizona and the torrential rains of Washington, the UCLA
softball team is glad to be back home.
The top-ranked Bruins (34-3, 6-1 Pac-10) swept the last two
weekend series, continuing their Pac-10 dominance on the road. Now
they return home, where they are 13-2, to keep the momentum
rolling.
“We’re excited to get back
home, especially because we’ve been away for two
weeks,†senior second baseman Caitlyn Benyi said.
“(This) should be a good
weekend.â€
Benyi has a large role in the Bruins’ current
success, going 3-for-4 and knocking in two runs against
Washington.
Outscoring their opponents 23-8, if the Bruins continue to play
like they have been the last two weekends, it is likely they will
have similar results this Friday against No. 9 Oregon State (30-7,
2-4).
But the Bruins know they must remain focused.
“Oregon State (has played) well through
adversity,†UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
“They’ve been very consistent.
If we stick to our game plan, (we) should be good.â€
The Beavers’ long winning streak ended April
1 in an eight-inning contest against Arizona State.
Even though the Beavers’ wins have slowed as
of late, they have still shown an ability to keep the game close.
Of their seven losses, all but one have been by two runs or
fewer.
Oregon, meanwhile, doesn’t bring an alluring
record to Easton Field, but it is a record that could be much worse
had nature not interrupted its season.
Of their nine games in the Pac-10, the Ducks (19-13, 1-3) have
only been able to complete four.
“We’ve got a lot of respect
(for) Oregon, even though they’ve struggled this
year,†Enquist said.
She has studied both schools’ pitching
staffs, as both matchups appear to favor the
Bruins’ Anjelica Selden and Lisa Dodd. Oregon
State’s Brianne McGowan (18-4) is to be pitted
against Selden (20-2), while Oregon’s Amy Harris
(8-4) plans to face off against Dodd (14-1).
Both pitchers are going to have be at the top of their game if
the Bruins are to continue winning against their Pac-10
opponents.