United States 9 Venezuela 1, 5 Innings

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Crystl Bustos and Kelly Kretschman hit two-run homers and the U.S. opened its title defense at the World Cup of Softball with a 9-1 win against Venezuela.<br/><br/>Kretschman's

Thursday, July 12th 2007, 8:24 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Crystl Bustos and Kelly Kretschman hit two-run homers and the U.S. opened its title defense at the World Cup of Softball with a 9-1 win against Venezuela.

Kretschman's two-out opposite-field shot to left in the fourth inning pushed the U.S beyond the seven-run mercy rule needed to end the game after five innings.

It was the 17th straight win for the Americans.