Kretschman Helps Lead Team USA to Softball Gold
8/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Kelly Kretschman, second from left, and her United States teammates wave to the crowd after receiving their gold medals on Monday in Athens.
In its eight years of existence The University of Alabama softball program has gathered some impressive accolades, including two World Series appearances, several All-America awards, SEC Tournament Championships and so on, but now it’s got an Olympic Gold medal winner.
Former all-everything for the Crimson Tide softball program, Kelly Kretschman, helped Team USA cap off a tremendous run through the Olympics with a gold medal victory over Australia 5-1.
“This is the greatest feeling in the world,” said Kretschman. “We made it look easy but every game was tough.”
Kretschman was 1-for-3 with a single in the game finishing the tournament with a .333 average (7-17) with a home run, a triple, three doubles and two singles. She drove in five RBI while scoring four runs.
The gold medal is the third straight for the United States, the only country to claim the gold since softball came under the auspices of the Olympics in 1996.
