Tied together by diamonds and bats and their American roots, softball and baseball have a similar mission -- to get back into the Olympics in 2016.

That means United States entries in those sports for the Summer Games in Beijing this year will have a taller than usual task. They will be playing for their sports' Olympic lives.

"We're just focusing on winning a gold medal and then doing the things we need to do afterward to try to get back in the Olympics," said infielder Lauren Lappin, a member of the U.S. softball team that played an exhibition game against Robert Morris University last night at Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pa.

Although softball and baseball were voted out of the 2012 Olympics, and both sports would like to win a vote next year to be reinstated in '16, there are differing opinions on how closely linked the two sports are or should be.

"They left together, so I'd like to see them go back together," U.S. baseball general manager Bob Watson said at a recent Olympic media summit. "They both play with balls, bats and bases. They should go hand in hand."

Not so fast, said the U.S. softball players, who are seeking their fourth consecutive gold medal, while the U.S. baseball team is trying to shake off the embarrassment of failing to qualify for the 2004 Games in Athens.

"That's a disadvantage to us," softball pitcher Cat Osterman said of teaming the sports in a both-or-neither outlook on future Olympics.

"Baseball and us are different. Baseball has their own issues. They don't send major-leaguers. They don't want to adhere to the same drug-testing. They've said they don't need the Olympics to survive, which is true. Softball's completely different."

The U.S. softball team is widely considered one of if not the most dominant team sports squads in the world.

Team USA got three home runs, including Jessica Mendoza's grand slam in the bottom of the second inning, to down Robert Morris, 16-0, in a game called after 5¹/₂ innings in front of a standing-room sellout crowd of 4,132.

Lauren Nisivoccia's bunt single followed by Brooke Panepinto's single to right field in the fourth gave the Colonials their only runner to reach second base.

From here, Team USA continues its 45-city exhibition Bound 4 Beijing nationwide tour, spreading the word and hoping to garner enough steam to convince the International Olympic Committee it deserves to be part of the '16 Games.

"We can only do so much, and for us that's competing," Osterman said. "We have to go out and show people what softball is all about, how much fun it can be and how it's a great opportunity for female athletes."

On that, the folks in softball and baseball can agree.

"The one thing we can do is put on a very good show in '08 at the Olympics, really show the game with enthusiasm and professionalism, the way we go about our business ... going about playing solid baseball in a way that people want it in 2016 and going forward," Watson said.

The sentiment includes not just the United States but countries around the world, softball pitcher Jennie Finch said.

"In the U.S., millions of girls have the option of getting a scholarship and playing in college, but in other countries, the Olympics is the only place to pursue their dream," she said. "We want to continue that dream for the young girls in Croatia or China. That's what it's all about."