Americans stunned by Japan in softball finale

BEIJING - Perhaps the International Olympic Committee should reconsider its decision to eliminate softball.

The United States has been dominant, winning every gold medal since the sport was added in 1996.

The IOC may have thought the world would never catch up to the Americans, who had a 31-4 record in Olympic play heading into yesterday's gold medal game against Japan.

Well, so much for that school of thought.

The Japanese shocked the softball world by scoring a gritty 3-1 victory at rain-soaked Fengtai Field.

"It's interesting because everyone says all the time that we win and no one can compete," said American left fielder Jessica Mendoza. "It was proven today that [other] teams can [win]. The sport should remain [on the Olympic docket]; it's global."

The Japanese ended their drought in the finals of major tournaments against the US. The US beat Japan, 2-1, for the gold medal in Athens in 2004. The Yanks also beat the Japanese in the last two World Championships (2002, 2006) and in the last two World Cup finals.

The Japanese scored first, sparked by Masumi Mishina's leadoff double. Mishina was sacrificed to third. After another out, Ayumi Karino singled to deliver Mishina.

The Japanese doubled the lead in the top of the fourth when center fielder Eri Yamada cracked a leadoff home run to center.

The Americans, who entered hitting a tournament-best .347 and averaging seven runs per game, mustered only five hits. The Americans' only run came courtesy of leading hitter Crystl Bustos, who homered to lead off the fourth.

Otherwise, Yukiko Ueno, who pitched 21 innings Wednesday, kept the Americans off-balance by changing speeds and painting the corners to earn the victory.

"She threw good enough to win tonight," said US coach Mike Candrea. "She relies on spotting pitches. We hit the ball hard. We couldn't find a hole when we needed to."

The Americans stranded seven runners, including leaving the bases loaded twice with less than two outs.

The favorites had a chance to draw first blood in the first inning when Natasha Whatley and Caitlin Lowe opened with singles. Mendoza then hit a shot to third, forcing Whatley.

Up stepped Bustos, who entered the game hitting .500 with five homers - including the winning three-run shot against the Japanese Wednesday. Bustos reached on a fielder's choice as Mendoza beat the throw to second.

However, Kelly Kretschman hit a grounder to second that Mishina gobbled up before firing home to get Lowe. The threat ended when Andrea Duran popped to the catcher.

The Americans were held hitless until Bustos's homer.

American lefthander Cat Osterman, who had not allowed a run and just three hits in her 15 innings in Beijing, was not at her sharpest. She gave up two runs on three hits in five innings. The two earned runs were the first given up by the US in the tournament.

"Honestly, it wasn't a bad performance," said Osterman, who struck out five of the first six hitters she faced. "I threw two bad pitches - the double and the home run."

The Americans had a final rally in the sixth. Lowe led off with a slap single to right and was sacrificed to second by Mendoza, a questionable move because it left first base open for the Japanese to intentionally walk Bustos - which they did.

"We were trying to manufacture runs," Candrea said. "We play the game the way we are supposed to."

Added Bustos: "I expected that one. I told Kelly when I was walking down the line, 'Now's your time.' Coach has faith in the whole team and this is what we live by."

Kretschman walked to load the bases. But Duran popped to short and Stacey Nuveman popped to second to end the uprising.

The Japanese added a run in the seventh, aided by a pair of US errors.

"We win as a team, we lose as a team," said Whatley, who had one of the errors in the seventh. "It hurts to lose."

However, players from both sides see the greater loss as the elimination of Olympic softball.

There is movement afoot to bring back the sport in 2016.

"It is probably our last Olympic Games," said Japanese coach Haruka Saito. "It is a big encouragement and motivation for us to get softball back into the Olympic Games."

But for the Americans, the pain of yesterday's loss will remain fresh. The future of the game is a distant thought.

"Honestly, I have not thought about it," Osterman said. "The loss hurts in the present moment."