Last summer at the World Cup of Softball III in Oklahoma  City the buzz in the press box wasn’t the dominating (ho-hum) performance of  Team USA—it was a phantom injury that kept Japan’s best pitcher, Yukiko Ueno,  out of the tournament.

The word was Ueno wasn’t truly hurt; she had played just a  week prior. Instead, it was speculated, Team Japan  didn’t want to give the Americans a chance to face Ueno—a talented hurler who  had handed Team USA their  first loss in Olympic competition since Sept. 21, 2000 at Sydney—before  Beijing.

13 months later it might have been the decisive factor in  helping Japan to an  improbable upset of Team USA.

  Last night Ueno snapped Team USA’s  22-game Olympic winning streak en route to a 3-1 victory and first gold medal. Ueno  pitched seven innings, one day after she pitched 21 to get the Japanese into  the gold-medal game.

  What makes the defeat especially bitter is that it is the sport's final  appearance in the Olympics for at least eight years.

  Having covered this team for the last three years it’s hard to put into  words the disappointment this team must have felt. One needs only to see the  sight of players such as Crystl  Bustos and Tairia  Flowers leave their cleats at home plate—a symbolic gesture demonstrating  their decision to retire from international competition.

  So where does Team USA  go from here? And will this help or hurt the game of softball?

BEIJING, China --- The first night  game of the 2008 Olympic Games proved to be a special one for the USA Softball  team as winning pitcher Monica Abbott ( Salinas,  Calif.) tossed  a perfect five inning 8-0 victory over the Netherlands and the U.S.  set the Olympic record for overall home runs in the Games with 12. A 6’3” south  paw, Abbott recorded the first-ever perfect game by a U.S.  pitcher in an Olympic Games, recording nine strikeouts in the 15 batters she  faced.

  “I am really excited,” smiled Abbott. “I kind of had a goal to come out and  throw one when I was named to the team. I was glad I was able to go out and  make some good pitches work and I had some great plays made today by the  defense with Lovie (Jung), Tairia (Flowers) and obviously Bergy’s (Laura Berg)  catch in right field. You can’t really ask for much more than that and I was  just trying to take it one pitch at a time and stay focused for each one.”

  The U.S.  saw three long balls clear the fences for another Olympic record of most runs  hit in an Olympic Games by a team. Currently, the U.S. has 12 total after  three came tonight from Jessica Mendoza ( Camarillo,  Calif.),  Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.),  and Tairia Flowers ( Tucson, Ariz.).  The previous record was held by Japan and Australia  with 11 total in the 1996 Olympic Games.

  With the win, the U.S.  is 6-0 with its final round robin match up against China  on Monday at Noon/Local. The U.S. also now knows it will  be the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs on Wednesday, August 20 and will match  up with No. 2 seed Japan  at 9:30 a.m. at Fengtai Field. The No. 3 seed is Australia  and the No. 4 seed is TBD on Monday, August 18. The playoffs follow the ISF  page system with the gold medal game on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m.

    Natasha Watley ( Irvine, Calif.)  led the game on a positive start with a slap base hit through the left side  continuing her hit streak to six consecutive games. Watley was later out at  second with a fielder’s choice from Caitlin Lowe ( Tustin, Calif.).  Mendoza then took  a pitch off the side of her body from Venezuela  starting pitcher Rebecca Soumer sending her 60 feet to first base forcing Lowe  to second. Hitting .500, Bustos connected on her fifth RBI of the Olympics with  a line drive through the left side sending Lowe across home plate for the 1-0 U.S.  advantage.

  In the bottom of the second inning, with one out, Flowers put her home run  mark on the Games with a towering shot to left center for a solo home run and  her first ever of the Olympic Games. With a 2-0 lead, right fielder Laura Berg  ( Santa Fe Springs,  Calif.) sent a  blooper to left field and earned a hit and advanced to second on a fielding  error from Venezuela’s  Marloes Fellinger. Berg later scored her second run of the Olympics when the  hot hitting Watley sent her second hit of the game over the third baseman’s  head for the RBI and 3-0 lead. Lowe then repeated the first inning with a  fielder’s choice resulting in Watley out at second base before Mendoza  roped what looked like a home run to centerfield but was caught and ended the  inning.

  Continuing to lead from the plate, Bustos drove in her fourth home run of  the Olympics with the second pitch of her at bat to lead the bottom of the  third inning. A line drive just over the 220 fences in centerfield, the home  run tied the Olympic record for most home runs recorded by a team with 11. Australia and Japan both had 11 during the  1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.  With a solid 4-0 advantage, Kelly Kretschman (Indian   Harbour Beach, Fla.) and Stacey  Nuveman ( La Verne,  Calif.) both  reached on base hits before the Netherlands  brought in Judith van Kampen from the bullpen. The new pitcher didn’t faze  Lovie Jung ( Fountain Valley, Calif.),  who extended her hit streak to all six games of the Olympics, with an RBI base  hit through the middle scoring Kretschman for the 5-0 lead. Another run was  added in when Berg singled to right field plating Nuveman who marked the 6-0  lead.

As Abbott continued her perfection from the circle,  the U.S.  closed in on the run-ahead rule scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth  inning. Mendoza  roped her fourth home run of the Games to centerfield to kick start the inning  while Bustos followed up with an infield single to the shortstop. A wild pitch  from van Kampen moved Bustos to second before rookie Vicky Galindo ( Union    City, Calif.)  inked her first ever Olympic RBI with a single to left field pushing Bustos  across home plate for the eventual 8-0 win.

BEIJING, China -- The USA Softball team opened the 2008 Olympic Games making a statement breaking an Olympic record for most runs scored in a game by a single team and tying an Olympic record with three homeruns. The three-time defending Gold Medal winning team captured an 11-0 victory in five innings against Olympic rookie team Venezuela. Breaking its own previous record which was 10 runs from the 2004 Olympic Games, the U.S. used 11 hits including three home runs and a base clearing double to improve to a 15-game win Olympic win streak dating back to 2000.

"Today we were really excited to get on the field," said head coach Mike Candrea. "I was pleased with our outing and at bats and where we are right now. Jennie gave a really strong pitching performance from the circle and things were good. But in the Olympics there is no time to celebrate.... On to the next game."

With a combined no-hit performance from Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) and Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.), rookie Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) led the U.S. effort with a 3-for-4 debut with one RBI coming on a solo inside the park home run.

"Well I was happy that I got a good pitch," said Lowe when asked her thoughts on the home run. "Then once I rounded first base I saw coaching doing his wave thing and knew I was going to go all the way."

Along with Lowe, designated player Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) was 2-for-3 with one RBI while third base rookie Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) was also 2-for-3 with a team leading three RBI.

Winning pitcher Finch tallied four hitless innings recording five strikeouts and allowed two walks.

The U.S. put its first runner of the Olympic Games into scoring position early. Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) led the visiting team with a lead off walk before Lowe recorded her first hit of her Olympic career with a chopping shot to left field. With the speed of Watley now at second base, the U.S. threatened to score with its RBI leaders on deck. Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) recorded a flyout advancing Watley to third base but then back-to-back flyouts left the runners stranded.

Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) was quickly on base in the top of the second inning after the ball brushed her right thigh placing her on first with a hit by pitch. Two-time Olympian Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) then made her first at bat of the 2008 Games a memorable one with a base hit to right field pushing Duran to third base. Lovie Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice flyout to right field plating Duran for the 1-0 lead.

The U.S. then padded their lead with power from the leadoff hitters. Watley connected on her first-ever Olympic home run with a two-run shot to left center before Lowe drove the ball just over the Venezuelan left fielder's head and legged out an inside-the-park home run for the 4-0 advantage.

The long ball struck once again in the top of the third inning when Olympic record holder for home runs with five, Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) belted the ball out to left field within three seconds with a straight shot over the 220 fences. Two-time Olympian Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Springs, Fla.) was then hit by a pitch before Duran recorded her first ever Olympic base hit with a drive to left field. Nuveman then looked to knock in some RBI, but grounded into a double play with Duran out on the play. The U.S. then scored its sixth run on an error from the Venezuelan left fielder who dropped a routine pop up from Jung that plated Kretschman.

A pitching change from Venezuela bringing in Marianella Castellanos didn't phase the U.S. bats as they put five more runs on the board in the top of the fourth inning for an 11-0 eventual win. Lowe started the inning with a single to right field before a Mendoza hit-by-pitch put two runners on with no outs. Bustos then drove in her second hit of the game to load the bases for the Red, White and Blue. Castellanos continued to struggle issuing a walk to Kretschman that allowed Lowe to score. Four-time Olympian Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) then entered her fourth and final Olympic Games as a pinch runner for Kretschman. Duran then belted a base clearing double, the first of the game, scoring three runs before Jung roped in an RBI single for the fifth run of the game.

Yaicey Sojo was the only Venezuela player to reach base earning two walks off of Finch.

Up next the U.S. will battle a familiar foe in 2004 Olympic silver medal winning team Australia. The U.S. is 20-7 overall against Australia in major international competition (Olympics, World Championships, and World Cups). Game time is Noon on Wednesday, August 13.

BEIJING (Aug. 11, 2008) – The United States Olympic  Committee is extremely pleased to announce that the condition of Mrs. Barbara  Bachman has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable.

    OPEN LETTER FROM HUGH & ELISABETH McCUTCHEON

  During this tremendously difficult time, we have been blessed to be  surrounded by a tremendous support system of caring individuals and  organizations. We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of assistance and  generosity that we have received and hope to convey our appreciation to  everyone who has supported us and kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

  The long list of people who have offered their assistance, kind words and  prayers to us has been incredible. This letter cannot do justice in  acknowledging the love and support we’ve felt. However, to begin with, we’d  like to express our deep gratitude to the following:

  First, we’d like to thank our family and friends, who have been ceaseless in  sending their prayers and love to our families. 

We’d like to thank the talented and caring staff and physicians at the local  hospital that is working around the clock to attend to the recovery of our Mom. 

We’d also like to express our gratitude to the officials from the Chinese  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor of Beijing, and their staff members who  have been with us here at the hospital.

  We’d like to thank President Bush and Ambassador Randt for their kind words  and strength. We also thank the U.S. Embassy and its staff for everything  they’ve done.

  We’d like to thank the USA Volleyball family for their never-ending support.  It is a close-knit family that is close to our hearts and close to the hearts  of our parents, Todd and Barbara.

We’d like to thank the United States Olympic Committee for their immediate  assistance and willingness to attend to all of our needs, and for being with us  here at the hospital throughout.  

We’d like to thank the generous sponsors who have made their resources  available to us without question, specifically Johnson & Johnson.  

We’d like to thank the FIVB for its flexibility and support of our coaches  and athletes.  

We’d like to thank the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing  Organizing Committee for their support throughout this tragedy.  

And finally, we’d like to thank everyone who has kept our families in their  thoughts and prayers throughout our difficult time.

We send a special thank you  to the people of Beijing, the people of New Zealand, and of course, the people of America. We  have been lifted up by the outpouring of support and love we’ve received from  around the world.  

Hugh and Elisabeth McCutcheon

IRVINE, Calif. - The KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour came to an end tonight  in Irvine, Calif., in front of 2,447 fans chanting USA as the USA  Softball Women’s National team beat Team Intensity. It was a perfect  way to close out the Tour after spending the past months in unfamiliar  territory as the majority of the team returned to their home state and  played in a stadium full of friends and family.

Throughout the 60 games, beginning in Tucson, Ariz., and wrapping up  in Irvine, the team has played in front of over 200,00 people in 45  cities . In front of amazing crowds and supportive fans, the team  kicked off competition Feb. 19 and experienced a diverse amount of USA  hospitality. Now with travel to China about a week out, the team looks  back on the past six months with fond memories but are now ready to go  over to China and defend their three-gold Medals.

“Tonight is bittersweet for us. These past few months have been  exhausting but also so amazing to see so much passion for the sport.  Although it’s sad to see it end, we are so ready to go over and bring  home our fourth gold medal,” said Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.).  “The best way I can describe it is we are going to bottle up all the  places we’ve been, the fans we’ve seen and take them over to China. We  are going to represent them and know they are at home supporting us.”

The team jumped on the board with two runs in the bottom of the  second with Irvine native Natasha Watley making her hometown proud  leading off with a single to left field. Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.)  reached on an error by the third baseman to put two runners on. A  strikeout by Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) and a sac hit by  Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) looked to end the inning but a  two-RBI single by Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) gave  the team a 2-0 lead.

After allowing a single in the first starter Jennie Finch(La  Mirada, Calif.) issued a walk to catcher Jen Schroeder in the second.  Katie Gollhardt would reach when she was hit by a pitch which brought  Head Coach Mike Candrea (Tucson, Ariz.) out of the dugout on grounds  that Gollhardt leaned in. The ruling stayed leaving two runners on.  Amanda Kamekona cleared the bases with a single down the middle. Lovie  Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.) made the throw to Flowers but it was not  enough, pulling Flowers a little off base and allowing two runs to  score and tie up the game.

Kretschman, who during the Tour has been nicknamed “Clutchman”,  proved it was a warranted title with a shot to right field to take the  lead back to a USA advantage 3-2.

The United States put the game away in the fourth going on a two-out  rally to put three more runs on the board. Lowe got it started with a  double to centerfield, scoring off a Mendoza triple. Mendoza closes the  Tour with a team-high 107 RBI and was second on the team with five  triples. The tour leader in homeruns closed out her last at bat of the  tour in typical fashion as[ Crystl Bustos|http://www.active.com/video/play.htm?assetid=9853ee11-f53e-4a92-86d1-b2203a599e97] (Canyon Country, Calif.)  rocked her 28th homerun of the season for two RBI.

Finch closed out the Tour with a win and nine strikeouts, giving up two earned runs. She finished with a team high 19-1 record.

Mendoza was the team leader with 107 RBI hitting .495  (102-for-206).She lead the team in doubles and hits while starting in  59 of 60 games. Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) had a team-high 247  strikeouts while allowing 37 hits. Finch worked a team-high 118.2  innings with 11 complete games.

“The dress rehearsal is done and now we’re even more focused on the  Olympics,” said Head Coach Mike Candrea. “We had a great tour this year  with some of the best stops till ‘96. The local hosts held some great  events and the communities really supported softball and that’s great  to see. Now we are on to why we are here, to bring home a gold medal.”

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The LIVE television schedule for the 2008 Olympic Softball competition was recently announced by NBC. The USA Softball Women’s National team will begin competition on August 12 on CNBC at midnight/ET as the 32-game slate spans from August 12-21 at the Fengtai Softball Field in Beijing, China.

The three-time defending Olympic Gold Medal winning team will look to defend its title by playing seven round robin games before looking to advance to the playoffs on August 20 and the grand final on August 21. Six of the seven round robin games for the U.S. will be brought to the U.S. LIVE from CNBC. On August 17, they will play the Netherlands at 7:30 p.m. local time and that will be LIVE on MSNBC. See below for complete schedule.

• PLEASE KNOW ALL TIMES AND NETWORKS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ** Log onto http://www.nbcolympics.com/ for the most  up-to-date T.V. schedule. </p>

*USA Television Schedule for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

NOTE: Beijing, China is 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. *

  Tuesday, August 12

USA vs. Venezuela - Noon Local - (Midnight EST) – CNBC & CNBC HD

  Wednesday, August 13

USA vs. Australia – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Thursday, August 14

USA vs. Canada – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Friday, August 15

USA vs. Japan – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Saturday, August 16

USA vs. Chinese Taipei – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

  Sunday, August 17

USA vs. Netherlands – 7:30 p.m. Local - (7:30 a.m. EST) - MSNBC

  Monday, August 18

USA vs. China - Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

*Tuesday, August 19 – *OFF DAY

  Wednesday, August 20 - Playoffs

GM1: Seed 1 vs. Seed 2 – 9:30 a.m. Local - (9:30 p.m. EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

GM2: Seed 3 vs. Seed 4 – Noon Local - (Midnight EST) - CNBC & CNBC HD

GM3: Loser of GM1 vs. Winner of GM2 – 5 p.m. Local (5 a.m. EST) - MSNBC & MSNBC HD

  *Thursday, August 21 – *Grand Final Game – 6:30 p.m. - (6:30 a.m. EST)  – USA &amp; USA HD

NEW YORK -- USA Baseball announced Wednesday 23 of the 24 members of  its 2008 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team. The Davey Johnson-led squad is set  to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Aug. 8-24 (baseball  competition Aug. 13-23).

The team features 12 pitchers and 11 position players. The 24th member  of the Olympic Team will be named in the coming days, ahead of the  Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad's  (BOCOG) July 22 cut-off date.

"We are proud of the ballclub we have assembled," said USA  Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "The team is strong from  top to bottom, and we are confident it will succeed in Beijing. We  applaud our coaching staff and selection committee for their tireless  work in putting together an excellent team."

The initial 23-member roster includes Cleveland Indians OF Matt  LaPorta (Port Charlotte, Fla.) and San Diego State University RHP  Stephen Strasburg (San Diego, Calif.). LaPorta was recently dealt by  the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cleveland Indians as the key piece of a  trade that brought 2007 A.L. Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia to  Milwaukee. Baseball America currently ranks LaPorta as the top prospect  in Cleveland's farm system, and the outfield slugger was also a member  of the 2005 USA Baseball National Team (Collegiate).

Strasburg made national headlines this year following a  23-strikeout performance against Utah on April 11, 2008, that was part  of a breakthrough sophomore campaign. The 19-year-old righty, who turns  20 on Sunday, is currently anchoring the pitching staff on the 2008 USA  Baseball National Team. The team of collegiate all-stars is fresh off a  first-place finish at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands, which  included two victories over the Cuban National Team.

The Olympic Team is laden with veteran talent -- 14 players are  currently playing at the Triple-A. Seven players are in Double-A, one  in Class A and one at the collegiate level.

Bob Watson, USA Baseball General Manager of Professional Teams said that they were looking for a roster of experienced players.

"We knew going in that we wanted a veteran club, a team of guys  who have been battle-tested, so to speak," Watson said. "But we wanted  younger prospects as well, guys with the fire to go out and showcase  their talents on the international stage."

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team will be led by Manager  Davey Johnson (Winter Park, Fla.). Johnson returns to USA Baseball on  the heels of a gold medal-winning performance last November at the 2007  IBAF Baseball World Cup in Taiwan. That team included All-Star Tampa  Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, as well as two players named to  the Olympic roster: St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Colby Rasmus  (Columbus, Ga.) and Cleveland Indians right-handed pitcher Jeff Stevens  (Berkeley, Calif.).

Johnson will be joined by the same coaches he has worked with  at USA Baseball since the 2005 IBAF Baseball World Cup. Marcel  Lachemann (Penryn, Calif.) is the team's pitching coach, and Reggie  Smith (Woodland Hills, Calif.) will act as the hitting coach.  Third-base coach Rick Eckstein (Sanford, Fla.) and auxiliary coaches  Dick Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) and Rolando de Armas (Palm Harbor, Fla.)  round out the staff.

"We have an unbelievable coaching staff," said Johnson, who in  addition to his international accomplishments, also achieved  wide-spread success as player and coach in the big leagues, including  leading the 1986 New York Mets to a World Series title.

"We have worked together for over three years now and across  several international tournaments. With the staff's help, I think we  achieved the well-balanced lineup that is critical for Olympic  success."

In addition to LaPorta, Strasburg, Rasmus, and Stevens, the  Olympic Team also features five other USA Baseball alumni: Oakland  Athletics left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson (Midland, Tex.; 2005 18U,  2004 16U), Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitcher Jake Arietta  (Farmington, Mo.; 2006 National), Florida Marlins outfielder John Gall  (Stanford, Calif.; 1998-99 National), Texas Rangers catcher Taylor  Teagarden (Dallas, Tex.; 2004 National), and Colorado Rockies  right-handed pitcher Casey Weathers (Elk Grove, Calif.; 2006 National).

LaPorta, Anderson, Arietta, Teagarden and Weathers were also  members of the 2008 XM Future Stars USA Team during Major League  Baseball's All-Star weekend. The game, which saw the U.S. fall to the  World Team 3-0, acted as an Olympic Trials event for Johnson and his  staff. Trevor Cahill (Oceanside, Calif.), Jason Donald (Fresno,  Calif.), Dexter Fowler (Atlanta, Ga.) and Clayton Richard (Lafayette,  Ind.) were also members of the Futures Team who are on the Olympic  roster.

The U.S. last competed in the baseball competition in the  Olympic Games in 2000. Tommy Lasorda managed the team in Sydney and  guided a squad featuring Ben Sheets and Roy Oswalt to the gold medal  over Cuba. Since baseball was recognized as an official medal sport in  Olympic competition by the International Olympic Committee in 1992, the  U.S. has finished fourth (Barcelona, 1992), third (bronze, Atlanta,  1996) and first (gold, Sydney, 2000). The U.S. did not qualify for the  Athens Games in 2004.

PORTLAND, Oregon – Exactly a month out of opening ceremonies for the  2008 Olympic Games, the USA Softball National teamcontinued their KFC Bound 4  Beijing Tour with a 19-0 rout of the Portland All-Stars going nine innings to  help prepare the team for Beijing. No. 14 Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.)  earned her 14th win of the season working nine complete innings with  15 strikeouts and no hits for her third no-hitter of the Tour.

“Its nice to get out there again as we are about a month out of our first  game at the Olympics. The team is gelling well and we are just trying to build  on that in preparation for the Games,” said Abbott. “We still have a lot to  work on over the next couple weeks before we leave for China but today was a good game to  get our last leg of the tour started on.”

It was almost three up three down for the team in the first inning until  Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo,   Calif.) roped a double down the  left field line for the team’s first hit of the game. A pop up to left field by  Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) left Mendoza stranded in  scoring position.

Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) earned the start in the circle for  her 15th start of the Tour.

The Portland All-Stars would put their own runner in scoring position in the  second inning when Robyn Mask reached on an error by second baseman Lovie Jung  (Fountain Valley, Calif.). She advanced to second on a passed  ball but a groundout by Portland  would leave her stranded.

The team struck in the second inning when Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) took a full count pitch over the  bleachers in left center field to give the team a 1-0 lead.

For the second consecutive inning, Team USA  led off with a homerun this time off the bat of Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.).  Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) followed with a bloop over the third  baseman’s head , scooting to second but would be caught stealing for the final  out of the inning.

The Americans doubled their lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning with Watley  getting it started when she was hit by a pitch. Watley advanced to second on a  passed ball and would score when Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.)  singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by pitcher Mandy Hill. A sac  fly by Mendoza  plated Lowe to give the team a 4-0 advantage.

Starter Candice Baker earned the loss working three innings, giving up four  hits and two earned runs.

In the sixth a shot over the centerfield fence by Stacey Nuveman (La Verne,  Calif.) plated Kretschman and Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) both who reached on  walks for three more runs. Nuveman was 2-for-4 on the night with three RBI and  two runs scored. Jung followed with a double over the left fielder’s head and  would score when Watley singled down the right field line. A Lowe single put  two runners on but not for long as Mendoza hit a ball that fell just short of  going over the fence but was good enough for a double, giving the team a 10-0  lead. Bustos edged the lead to 12-0 with a shot that cleared the outside fence  hitting the Portland  trees, bringing in another pitching change. Kretschman, in her second  appearance at the plate in the sixth, was the first up to face pitcher Kelly  Dyer with two outs but a fly out by her and Duran concluded the inning.

In the seventh inning, back-to-back doubles by Nuveman and Flowers put two  runners on with Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) up to bat after entering in for  shortstop Watley. A Lappin single to right field pushed a run across with  another run scored off a fielder’s choice by Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.)  who came into centerfield, giving the team a 14-0 advantage. A single by  designated player Vicky Galindo (Union    City, Calif.) scored  two more runs for the Red, White and Blue with Galindo reaching third on a  single by Kretschman which brought in the fourth pitcher of the game in Mikayla  Endicott. A two-RBI single by Duran concluded the six-run seventh inning.

The game went nine innings tonight to help prepare the team for extra-inning  games in Beijing.  Mendoza tacked  on one in the eight off a sac fly to score Flowers who reached on an error by  shortstop giving the team a 19-0 win. Seven of the 19 RBI came off homeruns by  the team.

Abbott closed out the game with 15 strikeouts and allowed no hits for her 14th  win of the season.