CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Jeff Grynkewich, a pre-business sophomore, paid $7 for a ticket he bought from another fan outside the gates of Hillenbrand Stadium Friday night.

While the at-capacity crowd in Hillenbrand Stadium Friday night may have been wearing red, white and blue, it certainly wasn't chanting, "U-S-A."

Although the Wildcat softball team fell to Team USA Friday, 6-1, the record crowd of 3,541 fans was rooting for current and former UA players on both teams.

Team USA, which played the Wildcats in a midseason exhibition game, features four former UA players. Jennie Finch, Lovie Jung, Nicole Giordano and Leah O'Brien-Amico all returned to campus to take on the No. 1 Wildcats.

But they all had to sit in the visitors' dugout.

"We don't know whom to root for," said Ruthie Zales, a Tucsonan who has season tickets. "When an old UA player comes up to bat, we root for them. But then we root for the UA team."

Arizona fans are known for being tough on umpires and other teams, and the Olympic team was no exception.

"For the record, this row of fans thinks Coach Candrea brought his own umpires," said Tucsonan Gary Jones. Mike Candrea, who has coached the Wildcats for 19 years, took the season off to lead Team USA to the summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

"(UA) fans are tough on everyone. They are Wildcat fans and they always will be," Candrea said after the game. "I was expecting it. It is kind of good for (Team USA) to learn how to deal with that."

More than 200 fans stood along the side of the field and some who were unable to score tickets lined the blue metal fence outside the stadium. Others stood on cars and sat on nearby rooftops.

Even though Jennie Finch, a former UA pitching star, took the mound for Team USA, the fans weren't going to let a questionable call go by without heckling the home plate umpire.

"Playing for the fans was a little different this time because they were cheering against us," said O'Brien-Amico. "I can't believe they don't like Jennie anymore. She'd throw a strike and they'd complain about it."

Finch said it almost felt as if the fans had turned their backs on her as she tossed heat at the Wildcat batters.

"It seemed like they forgot about me quickly. They are die-hard Wildcat fans no matter who's in the opposing dugout, and today they proved it," Finch said.

But the fans proved their loyalty when Candrea purposely took Finch off the mound after one pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning. The crowd gave her a standing ovation.

"I hope it was a special moment for her. Obviously, she deserves that," Candrea said. "She has done a great job not only for the University of Arizona, but also for the game of softball. I am very proud of her."

Some in the audience came just for Finch.

"I am rooting for the UA and Jennie Finch, because she is hot and they are my school," said Derek Hampshire, a pre-business sophomore.

Some former UA players who were not on the field playing against the Wildcats were there to show their support.

"I'm rooting for the UA. It's my alum and it's my girls - although, it seems half my team is on Team USA," said Becky Lemke, a former pitcher.

Even some of the men's basketball players showed up to support their fellow UA athletes.

"I am rooting for Arizona. I'll cheer for Team USA when the Olympics come," said guard Fil Torres. "We love every single one of them like they are our sisters."

Jokingly, center Channing Frye added, "I cheer for Jennie Finch, but not her fiancŽ." Finch plans to wed Casey Daigle, a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, this fall.

Although the Wildcats couldn't recover the lost runs, the fans didn't seem too disappointed.

"I'd like to see the UA win, but both teams win by playing," said Brett Aderhold, an aerospace engineering sophomore. "If the UA wins, it would show what a good college team they are."

Team USA left Tucson Saturday to continue its journey for an Olympic gold medal, but the four former UA players said they won't be leaving their fans behind.

"The fans are a part of me. I loved playing here for four years, and they are truly what make Arizona softball," Finch said.