Starting games strongly is key in any series matchup.

And No. 8 UCLA softball (28-3, 9-0 Big Ten) did just that in its series victory against Rutgers (17-15, 3-6). The Bruins took down the Scarlet Knights 16-5 Saturday, 13-3 Sunday and 17-6 Monday, extending the squad’s undefeated Big Ten campaign.

Saturday’s performance was punctuated by eight home runs from the Westwood squad. After both teams went three-up and three-down in the first inning, the Bruins began firing on all cylinders.

The Bruins knocked out three-straight home runs to open the second, powered by sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg, freshman infielder Bri Alejandre and redshirt junior designated player/infielder Ramsey Suarez. Sophomore outfielder Rylee Slimp concluded the inning with a home run of her own, bringing in two more runs to put the Bruins up 6-0.

Bragg was awarded her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor after reaching base seven times out of eight at-bats across the first two Rutgers matchups. She has batted .455 and recorded 10 home runs this season.

“It was really exciting being able to produce for my team and be able to get it done when it mattered,” Bragg said.

The hot streak continued through the fourth and fifth innings, with Alejandre and Bragg both knocking out their second home runs. Utilities freshman Jolyna Lamar and senior Megan Grant also blasted one each.

Senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley, who is third nationally for victories with 15, allowed five runs on just three hits. She has a team-leading 2.82 ERA and has allowed just nine home runs across 21 appearances.

The Bruins kept the high-intensity start entering Sunday’s matchup, taking an 8-0 lead through just the first two innings, backed by home runs from senior infielder Jordan Woolery and Alejandre.

“Playing with this group of girls really has helped me step up in moments where I’m needed all around,” Alejandre said. “The coaches do a great job of preparing us and getting us ready for game day and allowing us to be freed up and be ourselves.”

Rutgers countered with two home runs off freshman pitcher Natalie Cable, who allowed just five hits throughout the five innings she pitched.

But it wasn’t enough to stop UCLA.

Grant, the Bruins’ leading hitter at a .557 clip, knocked out the Bruins’ third home run of the game, which helped secure the 13-3 run-rule victory.

Three home runs headlined the Bruins’ Monday victory, bringing the squad’s total across the weekend to 14 and the season total to 100 across just 31 games.

Redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia, redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez and Alejandre hammered all three of UCLA’s home runs in the second inning. With those blasts, the Westwood squad’s entire starting lineup hit a home run throughout the three-game series.

UCLA is batting at a .410 clip, placing it second in the country.

“I have a young staff on the pitching side, so they know we’ve got to outscore the opponent,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “They’re on a mission to score as many as they can, so they can not put the pitchers in a position that has to be perfect.”

The Bruins were in run-rule territory entering the bottom of the fourth, but four runs on just two hits from the Scarlet Knights extended the game.

Hits from Woolery, Bragg and Alejandre in the top of the sixth put the Bruins up 17-6, and Cable closed out the game, allowing just one hit in the bottom of the inning.

UCLA walked away with its third consecutive Big Ten sweep and its 22nd-straight win.

The squad will face No. 6 Nebraska from March 27 through March 29, its biggest challenge since the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, where the team went 2-3, including losses to two top-10 teams.

“We’re preparing to be our best at the end,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re learning a lot. There’s success, there’s failure, but this team doesn’t quit, and they don’t let up.”