By Wes Holtsclaw (wholtsclaw@starhq.com)
KNOXVILLE — Monica Abbott never got to experience the University of Tennessee’s brand new softball facility as a Lady Volunteer.
When the former All-American threw her first pitches from the Lee Stadium mound against her former teammates Sunday, she experienced a world of different emotions.
After giving up a pair of home runs early, Abbott delivered a stellar performance to help guide the United States Women’s National team to a 4-2 decision before a sellout crowd of 1,622 in the first stop of the Tennessee leg of the ‘Bound 4 Beijing Tour.’
“It was definitely a little surreal,” Abbott said afterwards. “These people are my closest friends and my family. I’ve kind of grown up a lot with them over the last four years helped seeing this program grow from nothing to what it is today.
“It’s a little different being out there playing against people I love. And I want them to do good too, you know? The bottom line is you have to come out everyday and represent the United States.”
Once she settled down Abbott, the youngest member of Team USA, struck out 11 and held Tennessee to the two scoring hits.
“Obviously giving up the couple of home runs is something we need to eliminate,” said Team USA coach Mike Canrea. “You get in the Olympics and you let that happen that’s a big momentum swing for other teams. You’ve got to be smart.
“Other than that, I thought she settled down and did a very nice job to finish the game. I know she was excited to get back here and it’s tough on a young kid to go through this. She was overly excited and wanted to have a great performance. Sometimes you get too excited and try too hard. I thought she settled down nicely.”
Abbott helped built Tennessee’s softball program towards three consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances while setting many career and single season NCAA records her senior season with 189 victories, 2,440 strikeouts, 112 shutouts, 253 appearances and 1,448.0 innings pitched.
She finished her collegiate career with 23 no-hitters and six perfect games and was named the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
“Facing my former teammates was interesting because they know me the best and I played with them for four years,” Abbott said. “A lot of them are really good, dear friends of mine. But when you put that uniform on and cross that line, it’s still a competition.”
In the first inning, the southpaw was met by former teammate Tonya Callahan, who put the Lady Vols on top with a solo shot to center.
Then, in the second inning, first baseman Jennifer Lapicki took Abbott yard with a line shot to right center.
Abbott shook off the rough start by striking out four of the next five batters she faced.
She got help from her teammates on the offensive end in the third inning.
Caitlin Lowe led off with her second double of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jessica Mendoza to make it a one-run game.
The United States offense came alive in the fifth against Tennessee reliever Danielle Pieroni.
With one out on the board, Natasha Watley delivered a hard ground single. Then, U.S. left fielder Mendoza then lifted a two-run shot to right field to put the Olympians on top.
“It was kind of funny because my first swing (Pieroni) threw a change-up and it was so out in front of me I had one of the ugliest swings ever. It kind of calmed me down a little bit,” Mendoza said. ” I started laughing and coach started laughing. We kind of had a moment wanting to have some fun and that was the best thing for me. She had to come back inside again, this time I was ready for it.”
Two batters later, right fielder Kelly Kretschman provided a solo home run of her own prompting the Lady Vols to make it a 4-2 game.
“I sat on a change-up and it went,” Kretschman said. “I tried to make up for the two at bats before that. Jess had a good shot before me and we wanted to keep it going.
“It’s kind of hard to keep our lineup down going through it twice. We try to see what we can do in the first at bat, and make adjustments in the second.”
While the American team finished with four runs on eight hits offensively, Abbott and her defense finished the game by retiring 17 of the final 18 batters they faced.
“I think for me the hardest part was that I feel so much of me has been invested in this program and to Tennessee softball,” Abbott said. “I’m so very proud of them. It excites me what they’re doing today.”
Megan Rhodes started in the circle for Tennessee, pitching two scoreless innings before the team made the move to Pieroni.
Prior to the game, University of Tennessee coaching legend Pat Summitt, coming off her eighth national championship victory, gave members of the U.S. National Team a pep talk and threw out the first pitch of the game.
“I was more nervous then than I was at the Final Four,” Summitt joked atop the press box afterwards.
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