Head coach Mike Candrea says Cat Osterman can get better. The Japanese National Team, who struck out 13 times against Osterman in tonight’s World Cup of Softball final loss 3-0 to Team USA, might beg to differ.
Osterman, recovering from recent surgeries to her ankle and clavicle, showed that she just might be the ace of a stellar pitching staff that allowed only two runs during the entire tournament.
“Cat spins the ball as good as anyone and has lots of movement,” said Candrea. “When Cat’s ball is breaking that much and they’re missing that much you know she’s on. I really like what I saw.”
For Osterman it was a rematch of last year’s final against Japan. This time though Osterman, with her trademark riseball and backdoor curve, left Japanese hitters completely flustered en route to a three-hit shutout. For coach Candrea it was the fulfillment of potential he first saw from the Texas hurler back in 2004.
“Cat’s a very good pitcher. I’ve seen her mature a lot,” Candre said. “She’s become a smarter pitcher. There’s a lot of growing up at this level and she has become the total package.”
Osterman set a new World Cup of Softball record with thirteen strikeouts in the game --and the team needed every single one of them. Team USA’s offense, which had blistered nearly every other team in the tournament, was held to just three runs by a Japanese squad who used five separate pitchers over the course of the game.
Still the approach wasn’t enough to stop the torrid hitting of Tairia Flowers who finished with three homeruns and 11 RBI in the tournament, virtually cementing her place on the team for the Beijing Olympics.
“It takes some time to get comfortable with a pitcher. So the Japanese threw us off slightly tonight. But we’ve seen them all before and we just went in there and stayed aggressive.”
Despite the tournament win Team USA can’t celebrate too long. From here the girls travel to Brazil for the Pan Am Games and then prepare for the all-important national team tryouts in Chula Vista, California before beginning a playing tour that begins in February and concludes with summer games in Beijing that might represent the swan song for softball on the Olympic level.
For now though the girls can enjoy the win and realize winning tournaments like these is the best way to ensure that the sport of softball grows, both in this country, and in the diverse countries that participate in the World Cup of Softball.
Cat is totally awesome!!! she is my idol!!!