Tokyo 2020 Olympics softball score: Team USA falls to Japan as hosts win second straight gold

Thirteen years after the Japanese national women’s softball team scored its biggest victory by defeating the United States team in the gold medal match at the 2008 Olympics, it returned to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and won the gold medal again.

Japan defeated USA Softball in Tuesday’s gold medal game, 2-0. The Americans came into the game with a perfect 5-0 group game record and handed Japan their only loss on Monday, 2-1, on Kelsey Stewart’s homerun in the seventh inning. Tokyo 2020 Softball Tournament concludes with Team USA taking silver and Canada taking bronze (the nation’s first in softball) after beating Mexico, 3-2, over early Tuesday.

With this victory, Japan established itself as a powerhouse in softball, joining its rival the United States as the only two countries to have won Olympic gold. With the US team’s silver medal, the country won its fifth total medal in softball, the most of any nation.

• 1996: United States def. China, 3-1
• 2000: United States def. Japan, 2-1
• 2004: United States def. Australia, 5-1
• 2008: Japan def. United States, 3-1
• 2020: Japan def. United States, 2-0

* Softball was not part of the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and will not be part of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

In Tuesday’s winner’s final, Japanese star pitcher Yukiko Ueno shone on the mound. Uneo, 39, was also the winning pitcher in 2008. She pitched six scoreless innings and limited the United States to just two hits and struck out five on strikes. The United States team had the combination of Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott and Ally Carda on the mound, but the line was not enough to stop Japan from replenishing clutch strikes and two-way rallies.

Here are four takeaways from the gold medal game.

1. No offense but excellent defense from Team USA

Japan just thwarted the American offense in the gold medal game at Yokohama Stadium. The team finished with just three hits in the loss. It wasn’t necessarily a huge shock to see Team USA’s offense so calm; throughout the round robin at the Olympics, the team had scored just nine runs on 27 hits with a single home run. Japan, meanwhile, scored 18 points on 26 hits with six home runs.

On a positive note for the Americans, their defense has been spectacular. There were lots of perfect parts for the manuals as well as an amazing Janie Reed home run take. Here is this superb catch two out from outfielder Michelle Moultrie to keep the game goalless in the second:

In the third inning, Kelsey Stewart caught the lead runner on second base on a great bunt play from Japan:

And Reed’s superb catch, which deprived Japan of a two-point home run:

The capture deserves a closer look:

2. Yukiko Ueno adds to Olympics legend

Japanese Yukiko Ueno, 39, once again dominated the international scene. In 2008, Ueno pitched 28 innings (413 throws) in two days to lead his team to the top of the podium, and in 2021, Ueno returned to form. In Tuesday’s game, she struck out eight straight hitters and settled into a rhythm long before the Bats of the United States could do anything. After Ueno gave up a starting single in the sixth inning, she left the game to come back in the seventh to close the victory by withdrawing the team in order.

Stepping into the game it seemed like the only thing between Team USA and a vengeful gold medal was the legendary Uneo. Well, that turned out to be the case. Now included in Uneo’s historical Olympics roundup: two gold medals, the only perfect match in seven sets (Athens 2004) and a record (also set in 2004) that could never be beaten by 15 sets 1 / 3 in a row without giving up a hit.

3. Osterman, Abbott’s last go-around

Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott were two notable Olympic veterans on this year’s U.S. team roster. The two lefties were both on the 2008 silver medal team, and Osterman was the last survivor of the 2004 gold medal team. Osterman, 38, and Abbott, 35, can be considered two of softball’s greatest ambassadors, but Tokyo is likely their last time on the Olympic stage.

4. Softball will not be back in Paris, full of hope for LA 2028

Softball is thriving on the Olympic stage, so it is a shame the sport does not return to the next Games, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The organizing committee for Paris determined that they would not recommend baseball or softball; the two sports are considered as one sport by the International Olympic Committee. Since neither baseball nor softball are permanent Olympic games, fans will have to wait seven more years until both are back. Both sports are expected to return in 2028, when Los Angeles will host the Summer Games. Let the countdown begin.

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Relive the USA-Japan gold medal game with our updates, highlights and analysis below.

Japan 2, USA 0 (final)