USA loses to Japan in Gold Medal final

Beijing, China - In an historic loss, the USA women's softball team passed the torch to gold medal winner Japan, 3-1 today, just as softball as an Olympic sport was extinguished from the games until at least 2018. Emotions ran high at Fengtai Stadium as this gold medal game served as a benchmark for years to come with Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno  putting in one of the most amazing pitching performances in history with five hits and one run in seven innings.  As the Americans had not even allowed an earned run until tonight's game, the loss is a tremendous disappointment for them as there is no chance for redemption in the near future for the USA. However, their silver medal performance certainly proves to naysayers that softball is indeed an international sport where the competition is tight and the level of play is equal.

After going 7-0 in the round robin and beating Japan 4-1 in the semi-finals in extra innings, the American team who had not lost a game since 2000, was denied its fourth straight gold medal after giving it their very best in the final games of their careers.

Ueno was unstoppable today and the Japanese women were hitting well with a third inning double that put the score at 1-0 for Japan, followed by a fourth inning homerun by Japanese player Eri Yamada that really turned up the heat for the Americans. After a short rain delay, third-base slugger and three-time gold medalist Crystl Bustos (Canyon Country, CA)  hit a home run putting the score at 2-1 with no outs.

The fifth inning remained scoreless for the Americans putting the Japanese back on the offensive but pitcher Cat Osterman's (Houston, TX) high-speed pitching and her famous "back door" curve kept the inning scoreless retiring six straight hitters. But, the Japanese also held the Americans scoreless in the fifth inning with no change giving the Americans a huge hurdle to overcome with no runs, no hits and no errors on either side. In the sixth inning, the Americans put in pitcher Monica Abbott (Salinas, CA). Her pitches were a bit wild at first but she finally settled down and hit her stride with 85 mph solid pitching - ending the Japanese momentum in the sixth. Three-time gold medalist Caitlin Lowe (Tustin, CA) led off in the bottom of the sixth with a single, and Mendoza moved her to second base with a bunt. Next up, slugger Bustos was intentionally walked by the Japanese, and with the bases loaded, Andrea Duran (Selma, CA) came up next with the biggest at bat of her career but unfortunately she popped the ball to third base getting Japan out of another bases loaded jam.  In the final inning, Megu Hirose of Japan got onto first base to start the inning and advance to second after Masumi Mishina got a single and made an insurance run putting the score at 3-1 in the top of the seventh.

After winning round-robin play by 7-0 against teams ranging from the Netherlands to Australia, the USA softball team may have a silver medal but they will take away golden memories of a championship run.

In a sense, everyone was watching this team as they said goodbye to the Olympics at least until 2018. President George Bush hosted pitcher Jennie Finch as one of the invited Olympians to come to the White House and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge came to watch the women play.  Despite the fantastic Olympic performance, the women will have to promote their sport all over again to see it return to the Olympics in 2018. 

"I've watched them make huge sacrifices to make it to the Olympics, "Ron Radigonda, Executive Director of the Amateur Softball Association (USA Softball) "Doesn't every American love to be an Olympic champion? It is a dream and it only started in 1996 and it has been extinguished and shut off just as it has gotten started. What we are really looking for continued growth and the reinstatement of the sport because it deserves to be here."