Monica Abbott Returns to Salinas; USA Sofbtall Wins 10-0

SALINAS, Calif.-Monica Abbott made her first start in over five years Salinas Sports Complex in her hometown of Salinas, Calif. and over 3,000 fans came out to supports as Abbott hurled the team to a 10-0 victory of the Salinas Storm tonight as part of the KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour. Team USA (36-1), who did not allow a run through out Northern Cal, will now head to Prescott to take on the Prescott All-Stars. Abbott allowed one hit in the first inning, a bloop single to second base but a called strike left Jenna Cervantes stranded. Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) hit a shot past the pitcher to centerfield for the first run of the game. Earning the run was Laura Berg (Canyon County, Calif.) who came in to pinch run for Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) who was hit by a pitch. Sam Bias took a ball long for a stand up double to left center to put a runner in scoring position with one out but two strikeouts by the lefty left her stranded. Kretschman repeated her first inning performance in the third with another shot down the middle to score Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) who reached on an error. With two on, Duran took a pitch to the centerfield bleachers for her 15th homerun of the Tour allowing the team to take a 5-0 lead. Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) followed up with a long ball of her own to force the hand of the Salinas storm to bring in a new pitcher, Amanda Williams. After allowing a base runner on for innings one through four, Abbott did not allow anyone to reach in the fifth and sixth. Abbott worked a complete 7.0 inning game with 16 strikeouts. She allowed two hits and one walk to extend her record to 10-0. Former Auburn pitcher Anna Thompson was saddled with the loss."Its great to see such a wonderful and pure event here for the people of Salinas. Its rare we get the opportunity to host such big events and I am humbled to be even a part of it,"said Abbott."Its so wonderful to come out in front of the fans and play in front of them again. I take great pride in this community and am so glad they got to take a part of the Tour."The team jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the fifth scoring four runs. Kretschman, for her second run of the game, scored off a single by Lovie Jung (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Watley came up to bat with bases loaded and would be the only one left standing with a three-RBI triple down the left field line to give the team a 10-0 win. Also highlighting the night was a pre-game ceremony honoring Abbott where May 23 was named Monica Abbott day and she was given the key to the City of Salinas. The team will head out of California tomorrow to Arizona where they will take on the Prescott All-Stars on Sun., May 25th at 7:30 p.m. Continue to check out www.usasoftball.com for complete coverage of the KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour. About ASA The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/. About USA Softball USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/. About KFC Bound 4 Beijing Tour The KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour is a 45-city nationwide pre-Olympic tour for the USA Softball Women's National team as they prepare to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Beginning in February, the tour reaches every corner of the country including 23 states while Team USA prepares with 62 total games. The tour consists of five consecutive weekly national televised games on ESPN2 in April and May along with two other bonus games plus four games slated for July that rounds out over 22 hours of original USA Softball branded programming on the ESPN family of networks. Along with the title sponsor, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), other national tour sponsors include Dermabond and Lumber Liquidators. About DERMABOND Adhesive DERMABOND Adhesive is a topical skin adhesive used by doctors in the O.R. and E.R. to close incisions from surgeries or wounds from injuries. DERMABOND Adhesive may not be right for all types of wounds such as those that are infected or wounds on the eyes, mouth, scalp or joints. Tell your doctor about any skin sensitivities. Your doctor will know if DERMABOND Adhesive is right for you. For more information go to DERMABOND.com.