USA Softball: Bowie Memories
If there is one plus to being single and having no social life, it’s that I can sit home and watch the U.S. Softball team play in non-Olympic tournaments — of course, Olympic softball no longer exists.
Right now, the United States is leading the Netherlands, 5-2, in the top of the fifth inning. The Americans are playing in the KFC World Cup of Softball. Team USA recently won the Canada Cup by going 12-0 during the tournament in British Columbia.
Jennie Finch is pitching her second inning now. Not only is she easy to look at, but Finch was incredibly gracious with her time last May when Team USA strolled through Bowie as part of its Bound4Beijing tour, essentially a tune-up for the Olympics.
Your sports editor was the only member of the media to show up for Media Day at a Bowie hotel. I also interviewed Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott. The Americans won the silver medal at last year’s Olympics.
I still have the pen that Finch used to sign autographs after their game last May at Prince George’s Stadium. And after the fifth, Finch has struck out five batters in just two innings of work.
Original from:
USA Softball Team Won
Former University of Alabama outfielder Brittany Rogers went 2-for-3 with a walk and scored three runs to help the U.S. national team defeat Venezuela 10-0 in a game that ended in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Canada Cup international softball tournament.
Rogers batted in the leadoff position, while former Crimson Tide teammate Ashley Holcombe drew a walk in her only pinch-hit at-bat. The U.S. improved to 7-0 with the victory.
Rogers has played in six games, starting five, and leads the team with a .857 batting average. She is 6-for-7 with a double and an RBI, has drawn two walks and is 3-for-3 in base-stealing attempts. Rogers has scored seven runs and also has been errorless in the outfield.
Holcombe is batting .250, appearing in six games with one start. She is 1-for-4 with two runs scored and has drawn three walks.
The U.S. team was scheduled to play Canada in a late-night game Thursday to close out pool play. The championship round begins Friday.
For information, go to http://www.canadacup.com.
Rogers and Holcombe are scheduled to go to Oklahoma City to play with the U.S. in the KFC World Cup of Softball at the conclusion of the Canada Cup event.
Softball is a team sport popular especially in the United States. It is a direct descendant of baseball. Some key differences between softball and baseball are that softballs are larger than baseballs, and pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball was invented by George Hancock in Chicago, Illinois. The first softball game was played using a rolled up boxing glove as a ball and a broomstick as a bat.
Original from :
