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YOKOHAMA, Japan – There haven’t been many storybook endings for American teams so far at these Tokyo Olympics. And what had all kinds of potential to be an emotional victory for USA Softball ended bitterly on Tuesday night.
Japan beat the Americans 2-0 to win the gold medal in a one-off special for those matches, amplifying the significance of the near miss for American players, many of whom wiped away their tears after being killed. satisfied with the money.
As with any high stakes softball game, there were many little moments that ultimately proved to be pivotal. But the whole match was summed up at the end of the sixth. With two on and one on and slugger Amanda Chidester, a moment that will long be remembered by players of this game has unfolded.
Chidester hit a rocket along the third baseline that smashed into the arm of Japanese third baseman Yu Yamamoto. At this point the ball could have gone anywhere and he was sure the Americans were going to get a point and maybe even two. But the ball leapt to shortstop Mana Atsumi, who made a bounding catch and passed a runner to end the inning.
The stunned looks on American faces after that moment summed up the game.
The Americans made many excellent defensive plays themselves in the game, from Janie Reed stealing a potential two-run homerun with a jump grab in left field, to right fielder Michelle Moultrie making a catch jump, to a play brilliant shortstop Delaney Spaulding who saved a race.
It ended with another classic chapter in a rivalry that will belong to Japan for the foreseeable future.
Softball was added to the games at the behest of host nation Japan and from the time it became official it seemed inevitable. Japan beat the United States team in Beijing to win gold in 2008, the last time softball was played and the only time the Americans failed to win all four Olympics they were disputed.
There was remarkable symmetry and old rivalries at play. The game of the starting pitchers, 39-year-old Japanese softball legend Yukiko Ueno versus 38-year-old Texan Cat Osterman, was a rematch of the medal game. 2008 gold.
Ueno’s performance on 413 shots over the last three games in Beijing is considered one of the most impressive in the history of the sport. Ueno’s performance in this one was not quite the same in terms of endurance, but given the circumstances, it will be savored in his home country.
One day after losing a pool game to the Americans by allowing a scoreless homer, Ueno allowed just two hits in six shutout innings, providing the regular start her team needed.
Osterman was not as strong and was lifted after two innings. The Americans ended up using three pitchers, including Monica Abbott, who, like Osterman, is considered one of the best pitchers in US history.
After allowing just two points in the entire tournament to come, neither of the pitchers were sharp. Ally Carda, who pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief for Osterman, allowed two runs on three hits to concede loss.
One run was scored on a single in the infield by Atsumi and another when Yamato Fujita hit a hit with two insurance strikeouts in the fifth inning.
Other than the wild double play in the sixth, the only other time the United States threatened was in the first, when Reed trebled, but was at home when she tried to score on wild ground.
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