Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-08-20 13:54:44

(BEIJING, August 20) — The United States scored four runs off previously untouchable Ueno Yukiko of Japan in the ninth inning to defeat Japan 4-1 at the opening semifinal game at Fengtai Softball Field on Wednesday.

The victory slots the Team USA into the gold medal game on Thursday.

Ueno and American Monica Abbott, the only two pitchers to throw perfect games in the Olympic Softball competition, kept each other’s team scoreless through the first seven innings of regulation play and the first extra inning.

Under the provisions of the International Softball Federation’s tie-breaker rule for extra innings, a team at bat starts their half of the inning with a runner already on second base.

US shortstop Natasha Watley, who made the third out in the previous inning, was straddling second base in the ninth inning when Caitlin Lowe send a ground ball up the middle of the infield past Ueno shortstop Nishiyama Rei. Lowe’s single brought home Watley with the game’s first run.

Designated player Crystl Bustos opened the floodgates two batters later with Lowe on second base and fellow slugger Jessica Mendoza on first. Bustos sent a knee-high pitch soaring up into the left-field stands to bring home three more runs.

Japan tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth, opening with a near-duplication of the US teams’s ninth-inning start. With Fujimoto Motoko on second base, pinch-hitter Sachiko hit a ground ball that escaped Abbott, Watley and second baseman Lovieanne Jung and rolled into center field to score Fujimoto.

The United States coach Mike Candrea countered by replacing Abbott with Cat Osterman in the pitching circle. She duly closed down the Japan offense, retiring the next three batters in a row to preserve victory for the USA.

Winning pitcher Abbott gave up three hits and one walk in eight innings while striking out 11 batters. Osterman was credited with two strikeouts.

Losing pitcher Ueno worked all nine innings. She gave up six hits and two walks while striking out eight batters.

Under the Page Play-off system, Japan still has a chance to enter into the gold medal game. Japan will play the winner of the second semifinal game between Australia and Canada. A victory moves Japan into a rematch with the Team USA at Fengtai Softball Field on Thursday. A loss means Japan settles for its second consecutive bronze medal in Olympic Softball.

Updated: 2008-08-20 13:09:22

Monica Abbott (No. 14) of the United States throws a pitch. (Photo credit:Clive Rose/Getty Images)

The Women’s semifinals Softball event took place at the Fengtai Softball Field on day twelve of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. US beat Japan 4-1.

Yukiko Ueno (No. 17) of Japan throws a pitch. (Photo credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Crystl Bustos (No. 6) of the United States hits a 3-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give USA a 4-0 lead. (Photo credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Crystl Bustos (No. 6) of the United States is greeted by her teammates at home plate. (Photo credit: Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Updated: 2008-08-19 17:42:32

(BEIJING, August 19) — With the preliminary round competition completed, four teams return to Fengtai Softball Field on Wednesday, August 20 for the semifinal and final rounds that lead to the grand final gold medal game on Thursday, August 21.

The United States of America (7-0), Japan (6-1), Australia (5-2) and Canada (3-4) finished the 28-game round-robin Preliminary competition with the four best win-loss records, earning slots in the semifinals. No. 1 seed the United States meets No. 2 seed Japan in the first semifinal game. No. 3 seed Australia plays No. 4 seed Canada in the second game.

Under the Page Play-off system that is used in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the loser of the Team USA against Japan game plays the winner of the Australia versus Canada game in the final round. The loser of that game, which will be played Wednesday, August 20 at 5:00 p.m., is awarded the bronze medal.

The winner of the final round game plays the winner of the United States versus Japan game in the grand final at 6:30 p.m. (UTC/GMT 8). The winner of that game is awarded the gold medal. The loser wins the silver medal.

United States plays Japan in the first morning game August 20. Team USA is seeking their fourth consecutive Gold medal. Japan hope to add a gold medal to the one silver and one bronze they have won previously.

The US team has been unstoppable in the preliminary phase, allowing only one unearned and no earned runs. The 53 runs the United States scored thus far break their own record of 51 set in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

The top six batting average leaders are on Team USA: Crystl Bustos, .563; Kelly Kretschman, .471; Lovieanne Jung, .467; Jessica Mendoza, .421; Natasha Watley, .400; and Andrea Duran, .385.

Japan has two players among the top 10 batting average leaders: Hirose Megu, .357, and Sato Rie, .350.

Japan need to do a better job of maximizing scoring opportunities to defeat the USA. Japan left 14 runners on base in their 6-0 victory over Canada on Monday.

Japan’s starting pitchers Sakai Hiroko and Ueno Yukiko have earned run averages of 1.00 and 1.11, respectively. The entire US pitching staff has an earned run average of 0.00.

In the preliminary competition, The United States defeated Japan 7-0 in five innings.

Australia and Canada contest the medal position in the second morning game.

Australia has won one silver and two bronze medals in the Olympic Games. Canada has never won a medal.

Australia has three players among the top 10 in slugging percentage: Simmone Morrow, .789; Natalie Titcume, .786; and Jodie Bowering, .625. Canada has no one in the top 10.

Jennifer Yee is Canada’s most dependable batter. She is ninth among batting average leaders with a .368 average. Titcume fills that role for Australia; she ranks eighth with a .357 batting average.

Australia outranks Canada in team fielding average, .979 to .956, as well as earned run average, 1.40 to 2.19.

Australia pitchers Justine Smethurst and Kelly Hardie have the team’s best individual earned run averages. Smethurst carries a 0.50 ERA for 14 innings pitched, and Hardie a 1.75 ERA for eight innings pitched.

Canada’s top pitcher, Lauren Bay Regula, carries a 1.25 ERA for 22.1 innings. She has faced more batters (97) than Smethurst and Hardie combined (83).

Australia has scored nearly twice as many runs as Canada (30-17). Canada has had more than twice as many runs scored against them than have Australia (23-11).

In the Preliminary competition, Australia defeated Canada 4-0 in seven innings.

Updated: 2008-08-19 02:31:52

(BEIJING, August 18) — The Netherlands won their first game of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the United States their seventh during the final day of preliminary-round action at Fengtai Softball Field on Monday.

The four teams with the best win-loss records - the US Team (7-0), Japan (6-1), Australia (5-2) and Canada (3-4) - will contest the semifinals during the morning session on Wednesday, August 20.

The International Softball Federation certified the United State’s Monica Abbott’s 8-0 victory over the Netherlands on Sunday a perfect game. The game was called after five innings according to the provisions of the federation’s “run ahead rule.” Abbott retired all 15 batters she faced, striking out nine of them.

This is considered the second perfect game in Olympic Games Softball competition. Japan’s Yukiko Ueno threw the first perfect game, going seven innings to defeat China 2-0 at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Netherlands won a 4-2 moral victory over Chinese Taipei.

The Netherlands’ victory was their first in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Chen Miao-yi scored both of Chinese Taipei’s runs.

Jolanda Kroesen drove in the winning runs by sending Kim Kluijskens and Marloes Fellinger home with a single in the third inning.

The Dutch victory was only the second for a Netherlands Softball team in the Olympics. The squad that played in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games also finished with a record of one win and six defeats.

Chinese Taipei finished the preliminary round with two wins and five defeats.

The United States clobbered China 9-0.

The USA tied a record for most runs scored in a single inning (nine).

All the runs scored came in the first inning, when 14 batters went to the plate. Kelly Kretschman had three RBIs, thanks to her three-run home run.

The game was declared complete after five innings under the International Softball Federation’s ‘run ahead’ rule.

Five of the United States’ seven victories in the preliminary round were five-inning games.

China finished the preliminary round with two wins and five losses.

Canada couldn’t get anything going in a 6-0 loss to Japan.

Nishiyama Rei and Fujimoto Motoko of Japan batted in two runs apiece. Nishiyama’s RBIs came in the second inning and were the deciding runs of the game.

Japan’s winning pitcher Ueno Yukiko struck out two batters and limited Canada to just three hits while pitching six scoreless innings.

The victory locked up the second-ranked position in the preliminary round and guarantees Japan a medal.

Japan finished the preliminary round with a record of six wins and one loss Canada won three games and lost four in the preliminary round for the third time in Olympic competition.

Australia came up big to set down Venezuela 9-2.

Danielle Stewart hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning for the winner and team mates Natalie Ward and Tracey Mosley each batted in two runs.

Kelly Hardie was the winning pitcher. She allowed two runs on one hit and two walks. She also struck out three batters.

The game was declared complete after five innings under the provisions of the International Softball Federation’s ‘run ahead’ rule.

Australia finished the preliminary round with five wins and two losses.

Venezuela finished the preliminary round with two wins and five losses.

Olympic Softball action resumes August 20 with playoffs at the Fengtai Sports Center softball field in Beijing.

Updated: 2008-08-18 23:58:03

(BEIJING, August 18) — Two four-run innings were more than enough for victory as Australia defeated Venezuela 9-2 in Olympic Softball at Fengtai Softball Field on August 18.

Seven batters contributed hits for Australia, including Danielle Stewart, who popped a three-run home run into the left center stands in the fourth inning. Natalie Ward and Tracey Mosley each batted in two runs.

Venezuela’s two runs came in the fifth inning on two wild pitches by Kelly Hardie and a missed tag on Rubilena Rojas at the plate by catcher Mosley during a fielder’s choice play.

The game was declared over after five innings under the provisions of the International Softball Federation’s ‘runs ahead’ rule. A game is considered complete and official after five innings if one team is leading the other by seven or more runs.

Hardie was the winning pitcher. She gave up both of Venezuela’s runs on one hit and two walks. She also struck out three batters.

Starter Mariangee Bogado took the loss for Venezuela. Bogado gave up five runs on four hits and walked six batters without striking out anyone. Johana Gomez gave up the final four Australia runs on four hits and two walks.

Australia finished the Preliminary Round with five wins and two losses. They move on to the semifinals, which begin on Wednesday.

The Australian victory means that Canada takes the fourth and final spot in the semifinals.

Updated: 2008-08-18 22:33:14

(BEIJING,August 18)– Japan guaranteed themselves a medal and locked in second position in the Softball preliminary round with a 6-0 victory over Canada at Fengtai Softball Field on Monday.

Japan will take on the undefeated United States in the first semifinal on Wednesday, August 20. Japan is guaranteed a medal regardless of the outcome according to the Page Playoff system that will be used.

Nishiyama Rei and Fujimoto Motoko paced Japan’s offence, each batting in two runs. Nishiyama’s RBIs came on a second inning single and were the deciding runs of the game.

Winning pitcher Ueno Yukiko struck out two batters and limited Canada to just three hits while pitching six innings of scoreless softball. Someya Mika finished up for Japan, allowing one hit in Canada’s seventh inning.

Lauren Bay Regula lost her second decision in two days. Bay Regula gave up three runs on three hits and issued four walks before she was replaced by Robin Mackin in the pitching circle. Bay Regula struck out three batters.

Japan finished the preliminary round with a record of six wins and one loss. That loss was to the United States, 7-0.

Canada won three games and lost four in the preliminary round for the third time in the Olympic Games.

Updated: 2008-08-18 17:35:54

China’s Sun Li turns the double play over Andrea Duran (bottom) of the United States. (Photo credit: Wu Wei/Xinhua)

A preliminary game of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Softball tournament between the United States and China was held at Fengtai Sports Center Softball Field on August 18. The US team won the game 9-0, scoring all their runs in a record first inning.

Natasha Watley of the United States pops up. (Photo credit: Gaesang Dawa/Xinhua)
United States pitches windmill style. (Photo credit: Wu Wei/Xinhua)

(L-R) Natasha Watley, Andrea Duran, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Monica Abbott of the United States celebrate their victory. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)