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Caitlin Benyi homers Thursday for Bruins in their 8-2 win over Stanford.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Sooner or later, someone will let the Bruins know that this is supposed to be the hardest part of their title defense.

Second-seeded UCLA throttled No. 7 seed Stanford 8-2 in their Women’s College World Series opener, notching their 10th consecutive victory.

After trailing 2-1, the Bruins blew the game open in the fourth inning for their third straight victory over Stanford.

The Bruins advance to face LSU in a winner’s bracket game today at noon after finally getting off to a good start in the WCWS.

“In recent history, we really haven’t played good Bruin softball on day one,” coach Sue Enquist said.

In the key inning, the Bruins scored six runs and sent 11 batters to the plate, with only a few solid hits.

It started when first baseman Claire Sua drew a seemingly innocent walk. Center-fielder Stephanie Ramos followed with a single in left, and shortstop Jodie Legaspi came up with a game-tying bloop single to right.

With one out, designated player Ashley Herrera chopped the ball through the circle over second base and past the infielders, scoring Ramos and Legaspi to give UCLA a 4-2 lead.

Two batters later, second baseman Caitlin Benyi put the game out of reach with a three-run homer, giving the Bruins a 7-2 lead.

“Luckily for me, she left it up there,” Benyi said about the pitch she hammered over the centerfield fence for her 23rd homer of the season.

UCLA’s big inning came against Laura Severson, Stanford’s No. 2 starter.

Cardinal coach John Rittman took out All-American Dana Sorensen after the second inning. She allowed only one run on three hits at that time.

“She was not 100 percent” Rittman said. “UCLA has seen her three times this season, and I felt like Laura Severson could give us some strong innings. I don’t think I would change my decision there.”

Sorensen’s history in those three meetings was mixed. She shut out the Bruins in Stanford’s only win of the season series but got hammered when the teams faced off late in the season.

Although Severson got the nod Thursday, she hadn’t fared much better against UCLA, and it only got worse.

At one point in the fourth inning, Sorensen was warming up to re-enter the game but did not return.

Meanwhile, the Bruins knew they could turn to senior pitcher Keira Goerl for stability in the circle.

Last year’s WCWS Most Outstanding Player was not dominant, but she did enough to give her team a chance to win.

“It may not have been her A-plus game, but she was getting it done when she had to,” Enquist said.

While the final score made it look like an easy victory, the picture wasn’t always so upbeat for UCLA.

Stanford took the lead at the top of the first inning on a two-out double by Jessica Allister, but the Bruins tied it in the bottom of the inning on Lisa Dodd’s single.

But the key was the fourth inning, when nearly every Bruin chipped in. UCLA has been able to bat around multiple times in the last few weeks generating blow-out wins.

“I think they do a good job of feeding off each other, and hitting is momentum,” Enquist said.

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