US softball team rocks Venezuela 11-0

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

BEIJING (AP) Like nervous girls before the first day of school, some U.S. softball players laid out their new uniforms the night before their Olympic opener.

Turns out they had nothing to worry about. The fit was perfect.

The Americans picked up where they left off four years ago in Athens, starting their bid for a fourth straight gold medal with an 11-0 rout of Venezuela on Tuesday that set an Olympic record for runs scored in a game.

"We were so amped up when we got here," said Crystl Bustos, who hit a solo home run. "We couldn't wait to get into a game and get this thing started. We're so sick of practice."

Jennie Finch pitched four no-hit innings and Caitlin Lowe hit an inside-the-park homer as the U.S. won its 15th straight Olympic game and dispatched the Venezuelans in five innings due to the run-difference rule. Andrea Duran drove in three runs and Natasha Watley contributed a two-run homer.

The Venezuelans, Olympic rookies who never had a chance, dropped to 0-7 against the U.S.

"When we face the USA we have all kinds of problems," catcher Zuleyma Cirimele said. "We always lose by four or five runs. We should have done better."

Following pre-game introductions and the traditional gift exchange between the teams, U.S. coach Mike Candrea gathered his team near the dugout and asked, "Who do you play for?"

"U-S-A," shouted the world's top-ranked team.

Finch then proceeded to dominate on the mound. Watley and Lowe set the tone at the top of the order and Bustos, capable of hitting 300-foot-plus blasts, lined a screamer over the wall in left-center field, leading off the fifth to make it 5-0.

By then, any thoughts the Venezuela team had of staging a historic upset were, well, history.

"This was a great start," said Finch. Her husband, Casey Daigle, a pitcher in the Minnesota Twins' organization, and their 2-year-old son, Ace, stayed up late to cheer her on.

"There's only so much scrimmaging you can do," Finch said. "We needed to play somebody else."

But can anyone play with the Americans?

Four years ago in Greece, the U.S. were softball goddesses. They obliterated the tournament field, outscoring the other seven teams 51-1 to win their third consecutive gold.

With 10 players back from that squad, the U.S. is expected to roll again, although Japan, Australia, China and Canada all have enough talent to hang with the Americans.

Beating them is another story.

Bustos, a three-time Olympian, insists that while some games may appear lopsided, winning a gold medal in the sport's last Olympic appearance until at least 2016 is no guarantee.

"We've already played Canada and Japan and China this year," she said. "The gaps have closed and we recognize that. It's going to be interesting. I don't take anything for granted. I think it's going to be a little bit harder."

Things could get a lot tougher for the U.S. on Wednesday when it faces longtime nemesis Australia. It will be a rematch of the gold-medal game in Athens, which the U.S. won 5-1.

Against Venezuela, the Americans threatened in their first at-bat, but after putting two runners on with none out, the U.S. couldn't push a run across against Johana Gomez.

Gomez plays for Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa, but it's safe to say she's never faced a lineup like this one. The U.S. displayed its top-to-bottom depth and speed while scoring four runs off the right-hander in the second.

Duran was hit by a pitch leading off and she sped to third when Stacey Nuveman ripped a single to right. Lovieanne Jung followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

One out later, Watley drilled a two-run homer to center field and as she trotted around the bases, her teammates skipped from the dugout to welcome her home.

Lowe, one of five Olympic newcomers on the team, reached out and poked a ball to left that Rubilena Rojas misjudged and let sail over her head. Rojas stumbled and fell while trying to track it down, and by the time she got to the ball, the lightning-fast Lowe had kicked into high gear.

"Once I saw coach Candrea doing his little thing," she said, waving her hand in a circular motion, "I knew I'd make it all the way."

Another U.S. rout was on, probably not what a few International Olympic Committee members on hand at steamy Fengtai Softball Field wanted to see.

The IOC voted softball off the 2012 program for London, and many feel the decision was partly a backlash against the Americans' supremacy since softball was added to the games in 1996.

"We're not trying to put on a show," Candrea said. "We're playing the game the way we want to play it. USA softball is playing aggressively and it's playing smart and that's really my only concern right now.

"It was a great show and I hope we have many more."

In the tournament opener, Canada defeated Taiwan 6-1. Laura Bay Regula allowed just one hit in five innings and Megan Timpf drove in three runs for the Canadians, who matched their entire scored run output in while finishing fifth in '04.

2008 USA Softball Women’s National team roster named for Beijing Olympic Games

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced today its 15-person roster and three replacement players that will compete this August in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. These 15 athletes will look to defend three consecutive Olympic Gold Medals when they begin competition in China on August 12.

“I am very excited about this team and its ability to continue the excellence that USA Softball has come to expect at the Olympic Games,” said head coach Mike Candrea. “This team is built around a core of veteran players that bring a tremendous amount of International and Olympic Games experience. With the addition of some very good young talent, this team will be well balanced between speed, power, pitching and defense.”

“We look forward to our preparation and the challenges that the Olympic Games in Beijing will bring with great excitement and anticipation!”

The 2008 USA Softball Women’s National Team roster includes ten 2004 Olympic Gold Medalists, 13 members of the 2006 World Championship team, and all were on the 2007 Pan American Gold Medal team.

As the National Governing Body of Softball, ASA and USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting women’s, men’s, junior girls’ and junior boys’ National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The evaluation is based on the quadrennial dating back to September of 2004.

The final roster for the 2008 Olympic Team must be submitted to the United States Olympic Committee for final approval by July 1, 2008.

Below are the 15 members of the 2008 USA Softball Olympic team roster;

Monica Abbott, Salinas, Calif. (University of Tennessee ‘07) – Abbott, the youngest member of the team, is a two-time member of the National Team. She has also competed as a member of the 2004 World University Team and 2003 Junior Team. Abbott led the pitching staff in 2007 with a 6-0 record for a 0.00 ERA. In 26.2 innings pitched, she issued no walks and no earned runs.

Laura Berg, Santa Fe Springs, Calif. (Graduate ’98) – Outfielder Berg is the one three-time Olympic gold medalist to be selected to the 2008 Women’s National Team. Along with her three Olympic gold medals, Berg has captured gold at four World Championships and three Pan American Games. She also received the honor of carrying the flag during closing ceremonies at the 2007 Pan American Games.

Crystl Bustos, Canyon Country, Calif. (Palm Beach C.C.) Bustos has established herself as one of the most feared hitters in the World and will look to earn her third Olympic gold medal. The team will look to her for a repeat performance of the ‘04 Games where she broke Olympic records with five homeruns and 10 RBI.

Andrea Duran, Selma, Calif. (UCLA ’06) – Making her first Olympic team, Duran has been a member of the National team for three seasons after spending time on the World University, Elite and Junior team rosters. Solid at third base, Duran made an impressive run the past summer including a grand slam at her first Pan American Games. She is also a two-time World Cup Champion as well as 2006 World Champion.

Jennie Finch, La Mirada, Calif. (Arizona ’02) – Two-time World Champion Finch will look to become a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in her seventh consecutive year on the National team. Finch has dominated in the circle, even coming back three months after having her son Ace in 2006 to compete the remainder of the season. Finch made two appearances at the ’04 Games, working 8.0 innings with 13 strikeouts.

Tairia Flowers, Tucson, Ariz. (UCLA ’04) – Starting first baseman with a powerful swing, Flowers has been a solid player for the Red, White and Blue as she vies for her second Olympic Gold Medal. With six seasons of experience at the National level, the 2004 Olympian emerged this past 2007 leading the team throughout the summer with a batting average of .543 including her first career grand slam at the World Cup of Softball.

Vicky Galindo, Union City, Calif. (Cal ’05) – After suffering a broken arm at the beginning of the Bound 4 Beijing tour, Galindo battled back to make her first Olympic team roster. She is the perfect combination of speed, power and defensive play. Seeing time at second and designated player, she is coming off an outstanding 2007 summer where she was second on the team with a .500 (18-for-36) batting average and no errors in the field.

Lovieanne Jung, Fountain Valley, Calif. (Arizona ’03) – Second baseman Jung will be making her second Olympic squad after being a solid fixture on the National Team level since 2002. She is a two-time World Champion and Pan American Champion and is looking to earn her second-Olympic gold medal after drawing a team-high five walks during the ’04 Games.

Kelly Kretschman, Indian Harbour Beach, Fla. (Alabama ’01) – A 2000 Olympic team alternate and 2004 Olympic team member, Kretschman makes her second Olympic roster coming back stronger than ever. Kretschman played in all nine games of the 2004 Games and was the only one on the roster to hit at least one single, double, triple and homerun for a .333 average.

Lauren Lappin, Anaheim, Calif. (Stanford ’06) – After being a 2004 Olympic alternate, Lappin has persevered to make her first ever Olympic roster. During the four years, she has developed as a utility player at catcher and middle infield. Lappin had a stellar return to the National Team roster in 2007, hitting fourth on the team with a .480 (12-for-25) average while teaching herself to bat both left and right handed.

Caitlin Lowe, Tustin, Calif. (Arizona ’07) – The leadoff batter over the past three seasons, Lowe has earned her first spot on an Olympic roster having a presence on the program since 2005. She has led the team during the quad making an appearance in all events, with a .402 average while she is second on the team during the quad with 63 runs scored.

Jessica Mendoza, Camarillo, Calif. (Stanford ’02) – Outfielder Jessica Mendoza has been one of the top run producers on the USA National Team since the 2001 season and will continue as she makes her second Olympic roster. In 2006, she played a major role in the U.S. winning its first World Cup as well as its seventh-World Championship title, including hitting the game winning homerun in the Gold Medal game of the World Championships.

Stacey Nuveman, La Verne, Calif. (UCLA ’02) – Leading with experience, catcher Stacey Nuveman returns to her third Olympic roster after being an integral part in both the 2000 and 2004 gold medal victories. She had the only hit of the 2000 gold medal game and a homerun in the 2004 gold medal game. Nuveman returns to the squad after taking off the 2007 season with the birth of her son, Chase.

Cat Osterman, Houston, Texas (Texas ’07) – Osterman has emerged as one of the best pitchers in the world, defeating some of the world’s top teams as she makes her second Olympic team roster. She has earned the start and complete game in the circle in big games including the championship games at both the 2006 World Championships and 2006 and 2007 World Cup.

Natasha Watley, Irvine, CA. (UCLA ’05) – A highly recognized shortstop, Natasha Watley joins her second Olympic roster after an exceptional 2007 season. She hit .466 with 27 hits and a team-high two triples, scoring 21 runs. The speedster started all nine games at the 2004 Games, tying a team-best 12 hits for a .400 average.

Below are the replacement players of the 2008 USA Softball Olympic team:

Lisa Fernandez, Long Beach, Calif. (UCLA ’95) – Right-handed pitcher Lisa Fernandez made her return this year to the National Team roster after a three year hiatus with the birth of her son Antonio. She has pitched in three Olympic games, including earning the win in the circle of the Gold Medal 5-1 victory over Australia in 2004 as well as a top offensive contributor hitting .545 (12-for-22) at the Games.

Alicia Hollowell, Suisun, Calif. (Arizona ’06) – Hollowell, in her third-consecutive year on the National team, brings another right-handed pitcher to the pitching staff. Hollowell earned her first World Championship in 2006.

Jenny Topping, Whittier, Calif. (Cal-State Fullerton ‘03) – Providing depth behind the plate, Topping, a 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist, is on the National team roster for her seventh season. Topping earned the starting spot as catcher in 2007 with Nuveman out for the season. Topping saw action in four games during the 2004 Olympic Games, going 4-for-6 for a .667 average.

Coaches for the 2008 USA Softball Women's Olympic Team will be Head Coach Mike Candrea (Casa Grande, Ariz.) from the University of Arizona, Assistant Coach Chuck D’Arcy (Sacramento, Calif.), Assistant Coach Karen Johns (Charlottesville, Va.) and Assistant Coach John Rittman (San Jose, Calif.) from Stanford University.

The USA Softball Women’s National Team has a record of 24-4 over the last three Olympic Games including an undefeated 9-0 record at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, outscoring opponents 51-1. The team broke 16 records in 2004 including breaking eight of their own records previously set. On top of three Olympic Gold Medals, the U.S. women are eight-time World Champions and two-time World Cup Champions.