LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — UCLA hosts Oregon on Friday night at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, opening a pivotal Big Ten series between two of the conference’s top contenders.

The Bruins (44-4) enter with the best record in the league, while the Ducks (35-12) look to bounce back after dropping a series finale Sunday at Washington. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. The forecast calls for clear skies and 71 degrees.

UCLA sends right-hander Angel Cervantes to the mound. Cervantes has been stellar in relief recently, tossing 2 scoreless innings Tuesday in an 8-4 win at Loyola Marymount. Across his last three appearances spanning 8 innings, he has allowed 1 earned run with 5 strikeouts. Cervantes is part of a deep Bruins bullpen that held opponents to 3 runs or fewer in five of the past seven games.

Oregon counters with right-hander Miles Gosztola, who took the loss Sunday against Washington, allowing 2 earned runs over 4 2/3 innings despite not yielding a hit, as control issues led to an early exit. Gosztola has been effective overall, posting a 3.00 ERA over his past three starts with 17 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.

The series carries significant postseason implications. UCLA leads the Big Ten standings, while Oregon sits in the top half of the conference. The Ducks dropped two of three at Washington last weekend but had won five of six prior.

Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-7 Oregon victory, though the ELO system gives UCLA a 58.5 percent probability to win. The Bruins have won 10 of their last 12 and are 24-1 at home this season.

Game two of the three-game set is scheduled for Saturday, with the series finale Sunday. Oregon will host Southern California next week, while UCLA travels to Washington.