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Senior second baseman Caitlyn Benyi went 3-4 with two RBIs in UCLA’s victory over Washingto

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.