|
|
Tuesday, September 26
Berg delivers game-winner in eighth
Associated Press
BLACKTOWN, Australia -- Do you believe in voodoo? The U.S.
softball team sure does.
Beaten three times in a row before they "washed away" their
bad luck, the American women completed a stunning comeback by
edging Japan 2-1 Tuesday night in extra innings to win their second
straight gold medal.
|  | | Rain-soaked U.S. players rush to hug Laura Berg, in helmet, after she drove in the winning run. |
This time the luck was all on their side when a fly ball by
Laura Berg popped out of the Japanese left fielder's glove moments
before a downpour drenched the field.
With runners on first and second, and one out, in the eighth
inning, Berg looped one over the head of Shiori Koseki, playing
shallow in the slick outfield in a light rain.
Koseki moved in a step, then backpedaled desperately, snared the
ball in her glove then watched it fall out as she somersaulted.
By the time she hurled a desperation throw over the catcher's
head, pinch-runner Jennifer McFalls had scored the game-winner.
"I saw her going back on it, and the ball just went out of her
glove," Berg said. "We've been very unlucky in this whole
tournament, but luck finally went our way."
The United States didn't need luck while compiling a 112-game
winning streak. But after losing an unprecedented three consecutive
games to reach the brink of elimination, the players held a
light-hearted "voodoo cleansing" in their athletes' village
shower to rid themselves of their bad fortunes.
Drenched this time by a rain that grew heavier as the game
reached extra innings, Lisa Fernandez struck out eight and allowed
just three hits. But she gave up a homer in the fourth inning to
Reika Utsugi -- a line drive over Berg, who went back to the
chain-link fence in center to jump for the ball, but couldn't reach
it.
"I let the ball go. I should have climbed the fence. I should
have done something. I should have caught it," Berg said. "I told
(Fernandez) I owed her, and we were going to get it back."
In a sport that frequently is scoreless in extra innings, the
early run had the potential to be a game-winner. Utsugi rounded the
bases and slapped home plate with her hand before being
congratulated by her teammates.
But the Americans tied it in the fifth when catcher Stacey
Nuveman, a star in both playoff games Monday, singled to score
Michele Smith.
It was Nuveman who walked in the eighth to start the
game-winning rally. After she was replaced by McFalls, who also
pinch-ran to score the game-winner Monday night, Leah O'Brien Amico
popped up a bunt attempt.
After taking two close pitches for called strikes, Dot
Richardson lined one down the first-base line. The umpire signaled
the ball foul quickly, but Richardson was at third base before she
realized she hadn't knocked in the winning run.
She also walked, then Berg hit it deep to left. It was ruled an
error on Koseki, who was playing shallow to keep the runner from
scoring on a single.
"I saw her going back, and I was like, 'Oh,' " Berg said. "And
then it popped out."
So powerful coming in, with 16 years as the No. 1 team in the
world, the Americans' winning streak ended last week with a 2-1
loss to Japan in 11 innings -- a game in which they stranded 20
batters. The United States went on to lose the next two games in
extra innings as well.
But while losses showed the team was vulnerable, they also made
the tournament more interesting and the Americans more determined.
Once it became clear they wouldn't cruise to the title -- as they
have in every major international tournament since 1983 -- the other
teams seemed energized.
The United States won its last two games of the round-robin to
squeak into the medal round. Then the Americans avenged two of
their three first-round losses, against China and Australia, to
reach the gold medal game.
Then came Japan.
Mariko Masubuchi was perfect through 3 2/3 innings, and she
allowed just one hit -- Nuveman's RBI single in the fifth. She was
replaced at the start of the sixth by Juri Takayama, who was
looking for her sixth win in the team's nine games.
Nuveman, who hit a game-winning homer against China on Monday to
clinch at least a bronze, hit a line drive to right field in her
first at-bat but was thrown out at first base. In the fifth, she
hit it where they couldn't throw her out -- or Smith, either --
lining it to the fence in right-center for the first U.S. hit of
the game.
Smith, who had walked, scored easily to tie.
After pitching carefully to Utsugi, and walking her, Fernandez
retired the next eight batters to end the game.
|  | |
ALSO SEE
Comeback trails leads to gold-medal game for softball team
U.S. puts extra work in again to beat China in softball
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
|
