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Mon, Dec 01 2008 

Published May 09, 2008 12:45 am - Be it Bowman Field or Beijing, the U.S. Olympic softball team is going to be mighty tough to beat.
Team USA paid a visit to Historic Bowman Field on Thursday night as part of its "Bound 4 Beijing Tour" prefacing the Summer Games in China this August.


Amateur softball: Olympians display their mettle against region all-stars


By Todd Stanford
The Daily Item

WILLIAMSPORT--- Be it Bowman Field or Beijing, the U.S. Olympic softball team is going to be mighty tough to beat.

Team USA paid a visit to Historic Bowman Field on Thursday night as part of its "Bound 4 Beijing Tour" prefacing the Summer Games in China this August. Jennie Finch threw a complete-game two hitter and the Olympians belted five home runs en route to a 15-0 win over the Longstreth Regional All-Stars.

Team USA, which is now 30-1 on the tour, brought a capacity crown to the Crosscutters' home. There were 4,312 in attendance, which is the second-largest crowd thus far on the tour.

"I am very impressed (with the turnout)," said Finch, a gold medalist with the 2004 Olympic team. "I held a camp here last October (across the street at Elm Park) and it was sold out in less than a month. ... It's crazy, just the excitement and growth of fastpitch softball in the East."

The Longstreth team was made up of former college stars, mostly from the Williamsport region. Jersey Shore graduate Kirsten Lazorka singled off Finch in the fourth.

"I don't even know what to think about it right now," Lazorka said. "It's something that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life."

Lazorka's brother Jeremy worked as the Longstreth coach. Jeremy Lazorka is a manager for the softball team at the University of Arizona, and he helped organize the event through the ASA and the Pennsylvania Softball Coaches Association of District 4. The PSCA-D4 inaugurated eight members into its initial hall of fame before the game.

Once the action got under way, Team USA wasted little time showing why it's won every gold medal in Olympic history. Finch set the side down in the top of the first, and then the Olympians unloaded for eight runs in the bottom of the first. Andrea Duran hit a two-run home run off losing pitching Jenn Shellhammer.

Lauren Lappin hit two home runs (fencing was put in 220 feet from home plate), and Crystl Bustos and Jessica Mendoza also went yard.

"We're very capable of doing that," Team USA head coach Mike Candrea said. "This team's pretty explosive."

After Natasha Watley tripled in two runs in the first to make it 8-0, Bloomsburg University alum Amber Cowher relieved Shellhammer. She pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven hits and five runs. During one span from the second through the fourth, she retired six out of eight batters. The fourth ended when Cowher got Duran to hit into a double play.

"There are a lot of good players on that team," said Bustos, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs. "If they had gone to some bigger colleges, (people) probably would have known about them."

Finch, who struck out 19 of the 25 batters she faced, gave up just the two singles (Jamie Wohlbach had Longstreth's other hit).

"It's great to get a complete game," Finch said. "That's what you look for: You need to get your innings in and get prepared for Beijing."



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