June 13, 2008

Box Score | PHOTO GALLERY

ST. ANN, Mo. - (Thursday, June 12, 2008) When asked to describe how she felt after the game former Redhawks ace Elaine Fisher (St. Peters, MO/Francis Howell North) couldn't express her emotions in words but had no problem smiling ear-to-ear after her Amateur Softball Association (ASA) St. Louis All-Stars team fell 6-0 to the USA Softball Women's National Team at ABC Park in St. Ann, Missouri Thursday evening. The game was a part of the Team USA's Kentucky Fried Chicken "Bound 4 Beijing" Tour that showcases the greatest USA women's softball players as they play exhibition games against various collegiate and All-Star teams throughout the country.

Fisher, who just completed her eligibility at Southeast Missouri State, was selected to participate as a member of the St. Louis All-Star Team that featured the best collegiate players from the St. Louis area in early May and has been training since then to pitch against the women that she grew up idolizing as a softball player.

She finally got her chance in the fourth inning. With the US Team ahead 1-0 heading into the fourth, starting pitcher Jen Bruck (University of Missouri) gave up a long flyball to Andrea Duran that bounced out of the glove of leftfielder Elisha Swider (Missouri State) for a three-base error. Catcher Stacey Nuveman that singled through the left side to plate Duran for an unearned run and a 2-0 lead.

Bruck then gave way to Fisher after 3.0 innings and holding the USA team to only two runs (one earned) on only two hits while striking out the very first batter she faced in Natasha Watley.

Elaine Fisher delivers a strike to Jennie Finch in the fourth inning

Fisher was greeted by Lovieanne Jung who smashed a ball that appeared to be heading out of the park before Swider made a marvelous catch at the fence to rob Jung. The next batter Fisher faced was her idol Jennie Finch, one of the greatest players in USA softball history. Fisher delivers a fastball that hit the inside corner for strike one. Her second pitch was high for ball two. Fisher then unloaded a changeup that fooled Finch as she swung right through it. With the count 1-2 and over 3,000 fans screaming and cheering Fisher again delivered another changeup that Finch swung and missed again for strike three and out number two. She retired Watley with a gound out to secondbase to get out of the inning.

"To tell you the truth I really don't remember that whole sequence," said Fisher after the game. "I remember asking someone in the dugout in the sixth inning if we had struckout anyone today and they looked at me strangely and said "E you struckout Jennie Finch!". I guess that's when it started setting in and I couldn't help smiling after that point. It was a dream come true not only to play in this game but to hold my own against the greatest players in front of a hometown crowd, it was amazing!"

Fisher returned in the fifth inning and gave up a lead-off infield single to Caitlin Lowe. Jessica Mendoza then reached on a fielder's choice that forced Lowe out at second. Next up for the US was cleanup hitter Crysti Bustos, the most dangerous power hitter in US history. Fisher battled Bustos, throwing a mixture of pitches including her dangerous changeup before getting her to groundout to shortstop for the second out of the inning. Kelly Kretschman then doubled to leftfield to plate the speedy Mendoza for a 3-0 lead. Fisher settled down and got Duran to flyout to center to get out of the inning allowing only one run.

In the sixth Fisher walked out to the circle and issued a lead-off walk to Nuveman. That prompted Head Coach Evan Beatty to call for a pitching change as Karen Macke (Eastern Illinois) came in for relief. Fisher received a loud applause as she left the mound with her head held high. Unfortunately that lead-off walk would eventually end up hurting Fisher as Laura Berg, pinch running for Nuveman, scored on a wild pitch by Macke.

Fisher's stat line would end up with 2.0 innings of work, facing nine batters, allowing two runs on two hits with one memorable strikeout.

The USA Team would score three more runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final of 6-0 and extended their winning streak to 26 games and improve their record to 44-1 on their current tour. The final was one of the closest scores on the tour as the St. Louis All-Stars pitchers held the USA Team to only five hits as Team USA stranded seven base runners.

Monica Abbott (11-0) pitched the complete game shutout as she allowed only two hits, walked one and struckout 11 including the final four batters she faced and seven of the final eight batters. She had only allowed 18 hits in 21 appearances before tonight's game.

Bruck (0-1) was credited with the loss

Mendoza drove in a game-high two runs for the US. Pinch runner Lauren Lappin scored two runs. Finch went 0-2 with a pair of walks and one RBI.

Katie Wilson (Southern Illinois University-Carbondale) collected the first hit of the game with a single in the second inning. Ally Stanton (Kansas) recorded the team's second hit in the sixth inning.

The ASA St. Louis All-Stars fell to 0-5 against the USA National Team.

Photo Gallery of the game coming soon!