Holcombe and Murphy Help Team USA to Gold in Venezuela
8/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Aug. 11, 2009
Maracay, Venezuela - Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy and former Crimson Tide All-American backstop Ashley Holcombe helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2009 Pan American Qualifier. After an earlier loss to Canada in the medal round USA had to rally to win two games to come away with yet another gold.
"It was the experience of a lifetime," Murphy said. "We had several obstacles over the course of the 13 days to overcome. [Monica] Abbott showed everyone why she is one of the best in the world on championship Sunday."
Abbott led USA to both victories on the day, propelling the team over host Venezuela 2-0 and Team Canada by the score of 3-1.
Team USA went 13-1 over the course of the tournament with its only blemish coming in a 3-1 loss to the Canadians on Friday. The Americans were able to accomplish the feat with only 10 healthy players at their disposal.
Murphy was one of four coaches to make the trip with the Americans to Maracay, Venezuela. Alabama was also represented by Holcombe, who had her best international tournament of her career.
Holcombe played in 10 of the 14 games and made eight starts. The Fayetteville, Ga., native batted .278 (5-for-18) with a home run, five RBI and five runs scored. The tournament was the final of the summer for Team USA. The squad earned gold in all three, taking home the championship at the World Cup of Softball, Japan Cup and Pan Am Qualifier.
