Jennie Finch retired all 15 batters she faced -- 11 by strikeout -- as USA Blue defeated Guatemala 12-0 in its opening game of the Pan Am Games Qualifier Friday at Maracay, Venezuela.
Finch struck out the first five batters she faced and finished the game by striking out five of the last six batters. Finch did not allow any balls hit out of the infield. Jaime Clark drove in four runs with a two-run double, an RBI-single and a bases-loaded walk. Lauren Bauer collected two hits to extend her hitting streak to 12 games dating back to the Canada Cup. USA plays a pair of games back-to-back Saturday, taking on Bermuda at 11 a.m. (EST) and Colombia at 1 p.m. Pool play runs through Wednesday, August 1, with playoff rounds scheduled to begin Thursday, August 2. The championship game is slated for Saturday, August 4.
