WASHINGTON, Pa. – With a rowdy 4,132 fans in the stands of the Wildthings Frontier League Stadium, the USA Softball Women’s National team (27-1) thumped the Robert Morris Colonials 16-0 in six innings on Thursday evening.  With three pitchers seeing action in the circle, the U.S. combined for 16 runs on 17 hits including three doubles, one triple, two home runs, and one grand slam.  The offense of Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) struck again as the left fielder recorded a tour-high seven RBI in the victory.  Going 3-for-3 with a single, triple and grand slam, Mendoza leads the tour with 48 RBI batting .489 (46-for-94).

“Tonight was outstanding,” said Mendoza.  “This city has been so welcoming and has gone above and beyond with every detail and extra effort.  I felt the energy tonight in this place and it definitely carried through to our team.”

Jennie Finch (La Mirada, Calif.) tallied the win moving to 6-1 in tour action while totaling six strikeouts in three innings pitched.  Monica Abbott (Salinas, Calif.) entered in the fourth completing one inning with two strikeouts and two hits.  Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) closed the final two innings striking out five of the six batters she faced.

The U.S pounced on the Colonials immediately scoring four runs in the bottom of the first.

Back-to-back singles from Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) and Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) put two runners on before Mendoza drove a 3-2 pitch to right field plating Lowe for the first run of the game.  Third baseman Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) soon cleared the bases sending a line drive over the left field fences for her 13^th home run of the tour and a comfortable 4-0 advantage.

With no outs, the U.S. loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning after three consecutive base hits.  Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) had a blooper to left field while Lowe and Watley both reached on their speed with infield base hits.  RBI leader Mendoza then put four more on the stat sheet with a grand slam to left center for the 8-0 lead.  The U.S. added two more runs thanks again to the long ball as Kelly Kretschman (Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.) drove in a two-run home run with a shot to right center.  Pinch runner Vicky Galindo (Union City, Calif.) scored on the homer after entering for Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) who reached on a single laced through the right side.

Mendoza pushed the lead to 12-0 in the bottom of the third with a two RBI triple that ripped through the Robert Morris first and second baseman.  It marked Mendoza’s first triple of the tour.  Berg and Lowe scored on the triple as they reached on a double and base on balls respectively.  A Nuveman single later allowed Mendoza to score giving the U.S. a 13-0 lead.

Held back in the fourth and fifth, the Red, White and Blue scored its final three runs of the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, Calif.) set the stage with a double to left field and then Lisa Fernandez (Long Beach, Calif.) reached on an error.  Jenny Topping (Whittier, Calif.) then roped in a two RBI double and later scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch.

Lowe, Watley, Nuveman and Berg each put two hits a piece in the scorebook while Bustos added three RBI.  Topping and Kretschman recorded two RBI each.

The Colonials saw their first runner of the game reach base in the top of the second inning due to throwing error by Watley.  In the top of the fourth, they yielded back-to-back hits off Abbott to put a runner in scoring position with no outs, but Abbott settled down and retired the next three batters to end the threat.