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Japan beat China in softball semi-final
Reika Utsugi drove in the winning run on a double in an extra eighth inning as Japan whipped China 1-0 in the semi-final round of the Olympic softball competition Sunday. Japan, which finished third in the preliminary round-robin, was to play off
later in the day for a berth in Sunday¡¯s gold-medal showdown with the loser of
the premier semi-final match between the United States and Australia.
The second-tier semi-final between Japan and China, third and fourth in the preliminary round, stretched beyond the regulation seven innings as both teams squandered scoring chances. Yukiko Ueno got off to a brilliant start with the first perfect game in Olympic softball history when Japan beat China 2-0 in a preliminary match on Friday. She allowed no Chinese on base until the bottom of the fourth inning. ¡°I thought of switching the pitcher in the sixth inning but I decided to keep Ueno in the game. I believed in her,¡± Japan coach Taeko Utsugi said. ¡°I blame myself for some things. I thought that Reika Utsugi would score.¡± In the top of the eighth inning, Japanese short-stop Emi Naito was placed on second base without standing at bat in accordance with extra-inning rules. Naito moved to third base when Kazue Ito cracked a ground ball and was forced out. With two out, 31-year-old veteran Utsugi doubled to centerfield off Lu Wei, sending Naito home. China could not respond with a run. With one out, Wang Xiaoyan popped up to centerfield with Li Chunxia on third base. Eri Yamada put out the sacrifice fly and threw the ball direct to home plate to remove Li. While Ueno kept shutting out Chinese, Japan could not capitalise on a chance at the top of the third inning when Eri Yamada banged deep into centerfield for a triple with one out. But she was forced out when she dashed home on a bunt by Naito. In the bottom of the fourth inning, centerfielder Zhou Yi singled to become the first Chinese on base and stole second base when Deng Xiaoling was struck out. With two out, Tao Hua could only crack a ground ball to the pitcher. Neither Japan nor China could score in the fifth inning when they loaded first and second bases. With two out and third base loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Naito¡¯s ground ball was easily disposed of by second-base player Deng Xiaoling. |
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