The No. 10 Cougars came up short in their match-up against Team USA Tuesday as part of the national team’s "Bound 4 Beijing" tour with Team USA taking a 10-3 victory over UH at Memorial Park.
"You can’t expect to come out here and blow the USA team out," head coach Kyla Holas said. "With this many fans here, we had a great opportunity to show them about UH, what we have to offer and what type of girls we have."
The match was one in a 46-stop tour to help the national team prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games.
"This has been such a special year for this team," Holas said. "There have been so many firsts and milestones, and I think that this is just another one."
Junior infielder Jessica Valis reached first on a bunt to open the game, and junior catcher Elaina Nordstrom brought Valis home on a two-run homerun to put the Cougars up 2-0.
"I hit first base, and I just had this big smile on my face," Nordstrom said. "These girls are legends, and just to be able to be on the same field as them is such an honor."
Senior pitcher Angel Shamblin gave up three hits in the bottom of the first, but the Cougars prevented Team USA from putting any runs on the board.
In the top of the third, junior outfielder Katie Bush reached first on a bunt and advanced to second when Nordstrom grounded out to third. An RBI single from freshman infielder Jennifer Klinkert drove in Bush to bring the score to 3-0.
Team USA answered back in the bottom of the third with a two-run homerun from third baseman Andrea Duran, but they were unable to pull ahead until the bottom of the fourth.
With two runners on base and no outs, USA right fielder Kelly Kretschman hit a three-run homer to put Team USA ahead at 5-3. Shamblin gave up three more hits in the fourth, including a two-run double from Duran that put Team USA up 7-3.
Although UH brought senior pitcher Barbie Love in for Shamblin in the bottom of the fifth, Team USA continued to put numbers on the board.
Team USA pitcher and pinch hitter Jenny Finch hit a two-run double, and Duran hit an RBI triple to bring the score to 10-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
Try as they might, the Cougars were three up and three down in the bottom of the seventh, ending the game 10-3.
"We wanted to make sure that we played our kind of ball and do the things that we’ve practiced everyday," Holas said. "We wanted to make sure that we had fun and that we represent the University in a positive light."
The Cougars return to collegiate play and will face University of Texas San Antonio at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Cougar Softball Stadium.
"It sets the bar a lot higher for us," Nordstrom said. "We can’t take any team lightly, but we’re looking forward to going out and taking it to everybody."
