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Monday, September 25
Americans keep gold-medal chances alive
BLACKTOWN, Australia -- The U.S. softball team still has a
chance at a gold medal. It's just taking more work than anybody
expected.
|  | | Members of the U.S. softball team celebrate their 10th-inning victory over China that keeps their gold-medal hopes alive. |
Heavily favored before a three-game losing streak brought them
to the brink of elimination, the Americans clinched at least a
bronze Monday when Stacey Nuveman homered in
the third extra inning to beat China 3-0.
The deep drive in the 10th started the crowd, led by Tom Lasorda
and the U.S. baseball team, into a chant of "U-S-A!"
"It meant the world to us to have them up there cheering for us
and hear them chanting," said Michelle Smith, who struck out 10 in
eight innings before Christa Williams pitched two hitless innings
for the victory.
China, which lost to the Americans in the gold-medal game in the
1996 Olympics, but beat them 2-0 in 14 innings in the round-robin
this year, finished fourth.
Having avenged one of their preliminary-round defeats, the
Americans will try to do the same against Australia in a day-night
doubleheader. The winner plays in the gold-medal game against Japan
-- the third team to have beaten the United States.
Japan beat Australia 1-0 in the early semifinal.
"The beauty of this team is our heart and our fight," said
Nuveman, who also combined with second baseman Dot Richardson to
pick two runners of first base. "After three losses, a lot of
teams would have folded and said, 'Those three teams are better
than us."'
That's not a position the Americans are used to.
Arriving in Sydney with a 110-game winning streak that they
extended to 112 with victories in their first two games, they lost
an unprecedented three in a row. All of them were scoreless heading
into extra innings; two of them were, at the time, the longest
games in Olympic history.
Compared to those, the 10-inning affair Monday was relatively
brief.
Lasorda, who was holding a practice for the U.S baseball team on
the next field, brought his players over to cheer their
countrymates. He signed autographs, posed for pictures with babies
and led cheers.
"This is the United States of America. We pull for everybody,"
said the former Los Angeles Dodgers manager, whose own Olympic team
has won twice so far on dramatic homers. "As long as they wear the
red, white and blue flag, we love them."
By the 10th, though, the crowd had settled into its seats,
expecting another long game.
Starting in the 10th, each half-inning begins with a baserunner
on second in an attempt to break the tie. With Jennifer Brundage as
the free runner, Sheily Douty walked and Nuveman hit it deep and
down the left-field line.
The Chinese coaches came out to home plate, apparently claiming
that the ball was foul. A similar -- but longer and more animated -- discussion followed the gold-medal game in Atlanta, when Dot
Richardson hit a game-winning homer that the Chinese also claimed
was foul.
"It's ironic that it happened that way. But when it went out,
it went out fair," U.S. coach Ralph Raymond said, putting his
fingers about four inches apart, "by that much."
Smith struck out 19 against China in the preliminaries, but lost
in the 14th on a throwing error. She was less dominant this time,
allowing baserunners in every inning but the sixth and eighth.
Zhang Yanqing retired the first 12 batters before Crystl Bustos
singled to lead off the fifth. Brundage, the Americans' leading
hitter, bunted the runner to second, but she was stranded there.
Nuveman caught pinch-runner Qiu Haitao off first in the seventh
when Richardson used her body to block the bag. One out later, Wei
Qiang doubled over the right fielder's head.
But the threat ended when Mu Xia bunted into the air, and third
baseman Lisa Fernandez made a diving catch for the third out.
China had runners on first and second in the ninth, but
Fernandez fielded a grounder, flipped it behind her to third to
Bustos, and she relayed to first for the inning-ending double play.
In the 10th, China moved the free baserunner to third. After
fouling off a half-dozen pitches and working the count full, Yu
Yanhong struck out, her fourth whiff of the day.
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ALSO SEE
U.S. makes softball medal round after shutout of Italy
U.S. softball ends skid, beats New Zealand
U.S. softball loses heartbreaker vs. Aussies
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