Softball

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, July 21, 2010

• Jennie Finch retiring from softball next month: Olympic gold medalist Jennie Finch announced Tuesday that she will retire next month, bringing an end to a 10-year career in which she helped softball blossom in the United States. The dominating pitcher will play her final games with the U.S. national team this week at the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City. She’ll then finish the rest of the National Pro Fastpitch season with the Chicago Bandits before calling it quits at the age of 29 to focus on her family. The 6-foot-2 Finch was a standout at Arizona before becoming an icon with the U.S. team, going 32-0 her junior year and putting together 60 consecutive wins — both NCAA records. She won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and silver four years later in Beijing. This month, she helped the U.S. win its seventh straight world championship.

— From wire reports