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It would be logical to assume that on Senior Day the senior stars, shortstop Natasha Watley, second baseman Monique Mejia, infielder Tairia Mims and third baseman Toria Auelua, would be the players to step up and carry the UCLA softball team to victory over Oregon State.

But in a program noted for rapidly turning high-schoolers into college stars, three freshmen stole the show in UCLA’s 9-1 victory over the Beavers on Sunday.

Catcher Emily Zaplatosch and right fielder Caitlin Benyi combined to hit three home runs and drive in five runs while pitcher Michelle Turner pitched five strong innings, only giving up two hits and one run.

The freshmen started hitting as soon as the senior ceremonies ended; Benyi, with Watley on base, hit a two-run home run, her sixth of the year. Four batters later, Zaplatosch hit a towering homer to left field, her eighth of the year, to give the Bruins a quick 4-0 lead.

“I think at the beginning of the game, we made a decision between ourselves to basically do it for the seniors; we played hard, and it all fell together,” Benyi said.

“It’s definitely cool, with these four girls – it’s going to be kind of weird playing without them. They are an awesome group, and it’s so fun to play with them. The way we won today was pretty cool for them,” Zaplatosch said.

Meanwhile, in the circle, Turner was mowing down hitters, not giving up a hit, until Kelly Peterson nailed a long single with two outs in the fourth inning. The only other hit the freshman pitcher gave up was a home run to Beaver right fielder Steph Adams in the top of the fifth inning, which ended her bid for a seventh shutout this season.

“It was awesome, being a part of senior day as a freshman, especially with the group of seniors this year,” Turner said. “It was great beating Oregon State twice today.”

Despite all the signs of the final game for the four super seniors at Easton Stadium being a passing of the torch, UCLA coach Sue Enquist disagreed with that notion.

“I don’t really get that deep and heavy,” Enquist said. “Everybody just feels like they can start a fire or maintain a fire, and you are starting to see our underclassmen play with an amazing amount of confidence.”