U.S. softball team ends tour with a win
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The U.S. women’s softball team closed out their pre-Olympic exhibition tour with a 6-2 win over Team Intensity at Bill Barber Memorial Park Stadium in Irvine in front of 2,447 fans who were chanting U-S-A.
During the tour, the U.S. team (59-1) has played in front of more than 200,00 people in 45 cities and is ready to earn another gold medal, which would be their fourth.
“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 of Camarillo on the USA Softball website. “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 U.S., leading 3-2 in the fourth, put the game away by scoring three runs with two outs. Caitlin Lowe of Tustin got it started with a double to center field, and scored off a triple by Mendoza.
Mendoza closed the tour with a team-high 107 runs-batted in and was second on the team with five triples. The tour leader in home runs finished her last at bat of the tour in typical fashion as Crystl Bustos of Canyon Country hammered her 28th home run of the season for two RBIs.
Pitcher Jennie Finch of La Mirada collected the win and had nine strikeouts while giving up two earned runs. She finished with a team-high 19-1 record.
Mendoza, who batted .495, also was team leader in doubles and hits. 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 team opens up Olympic competition Aug. 12 against Venezuela.
-- Debbie Goffa