SALEM, Va. — With just one game left on the KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour schedule, the USA Softball Women’s National team added another victory to the win column with a 9-0 win on Thursday night against the Salem All Stars. At 58-1, the U.S. scored in four of the seven innings with RBI duo Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, Calif.) and Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, Calif.) leading the way both having 3-for-4 outings accounting for a total of seven RBI.

It’s the final countdown for Team USA as they will fly from the east coast to west coast on Friday afternoon for the final game of the KFC Bound 4 Beijing tour on Saturday evening. The 60th contest, the U.S. will square off against Team Intensity at a sold out Bill Barber Park on at 7:30 p.m./PST.

“Tonight was a special night for me because it really all sank in,” said Mendoza. “It’s such a bittersweet feeling. I am sad the tour is over because the fans across America have been outstanding, but I am so excited because the journey awaits for us in China.”

Left-handed winning pitcher Cat Osterman (Houston, Texas) improved to 15-0 on the tour as she controlled the game with 15 strikeouts allowing just two hits and one walk.

“We are about a week away from leaving so tonight was a good test as always,” said Osterman. “We have to treat every pitch and at bat like the game is scoreless and we need to come out on top and get the clutch hit or out.”

With 4,126 in attendance, the U.S. jumped ahead early with a 2-0 lead through the first inning. Lead off hitter Natasha Watley (Irvine, Calif.) legged out her sixth triple of the tour after she rocketed her third pitch to right field. An RBI fielder’s choice from Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, Calif.) plated Watley for the first run of the game. Lowe then stole her 15th base of the tour sliding safe into second base before Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) drove her home with a high–flying RBI single to right field.

Two more runs gave the U.S. a 4-0 advantage after the bottom of the second. Four-time Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Berg (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) led the inning with a base hit bunt to the pitcher and later became the first out of the inning on a fielders choice from Lowe. RBI leader Mendoza, whose hitting .500, then roped her fourth triple of the tour as Lowe cruised across home plate. The second run of the inning was produced when Bustos put a single to right field notching her 89th RBI of the tour.

The pitching change of Salem’s Cari Woolridge proved positive in the bottom of the third as she held the U.S. bat to zero runs.

But that didn’t last long as the U.S. bats responded in the fourth inning recorded three runs on a single and two home runs. Watley hit a ground ball to the Salem shortstop and hustled to first for her second hit of the contest. Mendoza then sent the crowd to its feet with a towering two-run home run to centerfield marking her 21st home run of the tour. The power just kept on coming as Bustos belted her 27th home run with a solo shot to left field for the 7-0 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, the U.S. scored two runs thanks again to Mendoza and Bustos marking the eventual 9-0 win. They both connected on doubles and through 59 games they have combined for 197 RBI on the tour. Watley went 2-for-4 on the night.

On August 4th, the U.S. will depart for China for a week of practice for its first game on August 12 at noon Local against Venezuela.