TOPEKA, Kansas --- After a one hour and 27 minute lightning delay, the USA Softball Women’s National team posted a dominating 17-0 shutout over the Kansas All-Stars Tuesday evening at TPS Hummer Park. Winning pitcher Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) moved to 9-0 on the tour allowing just one hit with 12 strikeouts in the contest. Improving to 42-1, the U.S. recorded 23 hits in the victory with seven players registering multiple-hit outings.

Leading the way was Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) who was 4-for-5 with two RBI and switch hitter Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) who connected on three hits left-handed and one hit right-handed going 4-for-4.

“I went into tonight really wanting to work on some things from the left side,” said Lappin. “I was able to execute on my short game and slapping which was nice. My team really set the table for me and we had a good frame of mind coming into tonight.”

Despite the delay, the fans still packed the stands with over 3,000 people in attendance for the entire evening. The Kansas All-Stars was a team consisting of players from Oklahoma, Kansas, Pittsburg State, Washburn, Missouri St. and Winthrop.

In the top of the first, All Star third baseman Val Chapple connected on a two-out base hit through the right side just over second baseman Vicky Galindo’s head. Chapple was stranded with a ground out to close the inning before the lightning delay occurred at 7:36 p.m. prior to USA’s first at bat.

Play resumed in the bottom of the first inning at 9:03 p.m. with Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) at the plate.

With two outs in the first, Mendoza drove the ball through the right side for a base hit bringing Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) to the plate. A stolen base from Mendoza combined with an errant throw from the All Star catcher put Mendoza on third before Bustos produced her 63^rd RBI of the tour with a base hit plating Mendoza for the 1-0 lead.

Switch hitter Lappin used her left-handed skills with a lead off base hit bunt in the bottom of the second inning. She quickly made her way back to the dugout however after being caught stealing during Vicky Galindo’s (Union City, Calif.) at bat. Galindo reached on a base on balls, advanced to second on a stolen base and reached third after Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) laid down a perfect bunt to put runners at first and third. A passed ball then scored Galindo before Watley drove in the second run of the inning with a double to left field. The U.S. took a 4-0 lead when Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) recorded her 62^nd hit of the tour scoring Berg. A double by designated player Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Springs, Fla.) pushed Lowe across and an RBI single up the middle from Tairia Flowers (Tucson, Ariz.) put Kretschman home. In her second at bat of the inning, Lappin connected on an RBI base hit scoring Kretschman for the comfortable 7-0 lead.

Defensively the U.S. held strong through the third and fourth innings despite putting runners on at first and second base to start the innings. The U.S. will continue this practice throughout the tour to prepare for situations and play in the Olympic Games.

Silenced in the third inning, the U.S. loaded the bases in the fourth when Andrea Duran (Selma, Calif.) walked followed by a high flying base hit from Flowers and the third single of the night for Lappin. Galindo roped the ball to All Star shortstop Miranda Campbell for the out at first but Duran would score for the 8-0 advantage.

The U.S. added nine more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning batting through the line up. Watley had a lead off double that started the run barrage and the U.S. more than doubled their previous run total in just this one inning. The inning was highlighted by a Duran two RBI single as well as a Mendoza two RBI single pushing the 17-0 win.

Watley, Lowe and Kretschman each contributed three hits a piece.

Through 43 games, the team is hitting .418 and has outscored opponents 469 to 25. The pitching staff had held opponents to a .092 batting average with a 0.82 ERA.

Up next the U.S. will bus to the Gateway City of St. Louis, Mo. for competition on Thursday evening at ABC Park. The team will match- up against the Missouri All Stars at 7 p.m.

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.

Article take from http://www.usasoftball.com/news.asp?uid=3828&p=303