Oregon State
USA Softball Olympic Team (Palm Springs Classic)
No. 24 Softball Gives USA Olympic Team A Scare Before Falling 4-2
February 22, 2004 | Softball
Feb. 22, 2004
Box Score
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - No. 24 ranked Oregon State used back-to-back home runs by Kelly Petersen and Vanessa Iapala to tie the score at 2-2 in the fourth inning but the USA Softball Olympic Team rallied for a 4-2 victory in Sunday's exhibition action at the Palm Springs Classic.
"This was a great game for our program," said OSU head coach Kirk Walker. "Hopefully our confidence from this game will carry over for the rest of the year."
The Olympic squad got on the board early, taking advantage of three hits to score a pair of runs in the first inning, but Beaver starter Brianne McGowan settled in and recorded three strikeouts in three innings of work.
"Brianne (McGowan) and Ty (Ta'Tyana McElroy) did a great job of settling in and dealing with the weather," said Walker.
McElroy allowed just two hits and tallied a strikeout in three innings of relief.
The Beavers were the first team of the Palm Springs Classic to take the Olympic squad a full seven innings. Before Sunday's game, Team USA had out-scored the opposition by a 38-3 margin.
Iapala opened the offensive attack for the Beavers with a shot that bounced off the leg of Olympic pitcher Lisa Fernandez in the second inning. Oregon State had another runner reach base in the third when Natalie Johnson got hit by a pitch.
The Beavers reached the scoreboard in the fourth, as Petersen belted her third home run in as many games, when she went deep over the left field fence against two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Lori Harrigan. Iapala followed Petersen's blast with a home run that nearly hit the ivy wall (290 feet) of the replica stadium of Chicago's Wrigley Field.
"Kelly and Vanessa swung the bat extremely well," said Walker. "I'm very impressed with the composure they showed against the best pitching in the world."
The Olympic team regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Crystal Bustos belted an RBI single to left-center and Natasha Watley crossed the plate after a throwing error on an attempted steal.
Oregon State tallied five hits in the game, compared to the Olympic team's six.
Iapala finished the game 2-for-3, while Lisa Allen doubled down the left field line and Adrienne Alo had a single to center field.
University of Texas All-American Cat Osterman earned the victory, while former NCAA Player of the Year Jennie Finch recorded the save, striking out five in 2.1 innings of relief.
"We were competitive and right with the greatest national team this country has put together," said Walker.
Oregon State returns to action on Mar. 5 when the Beavers face UC Santa Barbara at the CS Fullerton Worth Tournament.
