US tops Japan

The U.S. baseball team won a pitchers' duel by committee Wednesday night, defeating Japan 4-2 in 11 innings to close out preliminary play in the 2008 Olympic Games tournament.

U.S. manager Davey Johnson used six pitchers, with Jeff Stevens (Berkeley, Calif.) picking up the win after pitching the 12th and 13th innings to gain his first win of the Games. Casey Weathers (Elk Grove, Calif.) picked up his first save, striking out one in the 14th. Each team managed only five hits, with American Dexter Fowler (Atlanta, Ga.) wrapping out a pair of singles in three at-bats.

The American team receives the No. 3 seed moving into semifinal play and will face Cuba, the No. 2 seed, on Friday, August 22.