SOFTBALL: Record crowd of 8,724 watches USA Softball sneak by Washington Glory with 2-0 win

For Immediate Release: 8/10/08 Record crowd of 8,724 watches USA Softball sneak by Washington Glory with 2-0 win BOWIE, Md. --- Setting a pre-Olympic tour high for attendance, 8,724 fans packed into the Prince George Baysox Stadium in Bowie, Maryland on Saturday afternoon to watch the USA Softball Women's National team sneak by the NPF's Washington Glory 2-0. It marked the largest non-Olympic Games attendance in the U.S. to watch the USA Softball National team. Just shy of the record, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, 8,750 people were in attendance at the gold medal game as the U.S. defeated China 3-1 for their first Olympic Gold."What a tremendous turn out,"said Natasha Watley."It was so great to play in front of this many fans. It definitely brought our intensity to another level. To see all these people cheer and be a part of our game was incredible. It just shows how much this sport has grown."The previous pre-Olympic tour record attendance was 7,245 in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1996. Improving to 31-1 on the KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour, the U.S. gave the crowd a close game in a 2-0 triumph over the Glory. Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) led the U.S. going 2-for-3 with a clutch RBI in the sixth. Lefty Monica Abbott (Salina, Calif.) started the game strong for the U.S. completing two innings retiring six straight with five strikeouts and a foul out to catcher Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.). It was then the pitching of Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) that kept the Glory hitters off balance as she finished with three innings and six strikeouts. Righty Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) was the pitcher of record tossing the sixth and seventh allowing three hits and two strikeouts. A 1-2-3 inning in the first, the U.S. saw its first runner reach base in the second inning when Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Springs, Fla.) drew a walk off of Glory starting pitcher Sarah Pauly. Stealing second base, Kretschman advanced to scoring position, but was stranded after pop outs from Nuveman and Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) ended the inning. Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) laid down a one-out base hit bunt in the third inning, but after a strikeout looking from Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) and a caught stealing situation from Lappin, the U.S. left empty handed. The speedy Watley led the bottom of the fourth inning with a base hit bunt, but a Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) pop out, a Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) strikeout, and a Kretschman flyout quickly ended things. Scoreless through four innings, Osterman found herself in a jam in the top of the fifth. A two-out double down the left field line by Glory's Sara Larquier put a runner on board before a wild pitch third strike sent Stephanie Best to first base and pinch runner Bianca Cruz to third. With runners on the corners, Osterman did was she does best and recorded her sixth strikeout to silence the Glory. The tide changed in the top of the sixth inning as the U.S. connected on two unearned runs that held to eventually win the game. With new Glory pitcher Amy Harre now in the circle, the U.S. began its scoring drive when Lappin reached on a fielding error by the Glory shortstop. A Lowe infield single then advanced the runners before Watley stroked a base hit to left field and Lappin came charging home for the 1-0 lead. The U.S. added a security run after a Kretschman base on balls loaded the bases the Glory's Harre walked Duran for the second and what would be final run of the game. The top of the seventh brought the winning run to the plate for the Glory after back-to-back singles, but Finch sealed the victory closing the game with back-to-back strikeouts. Lowe and Lappin each contributed one hit a piece in the contest. Beginning Sunday, the U.S. will take a four-day break traveling home before the Northern California portion of the tour begins on Friday, May 16 in Visaila, Calif. Game time 8 p.m. PST. NOTE: On Sunday, eight members of the USA Softball Women's National team will be honored at the Washington Nationals game. The team is being hosted by the Women's Sports Foundation and will attend batting practice and pre-game ceremonies. NOTE: Prior to the game, Kelly Kretschman and Monica Abbott along with the Washington Glory team were honored with their 2007 NPF Championship rings. 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.