Softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics

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Softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held at the Olympic Softball Stadium in the Helliniko Olympic Complex from August 14 to 23.

It was one of the three sports at the Athens Olympics that was for women only along with Synchronized Swimming and Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Eight teams competed for the gold medal in only the third appearance of the sport at the Summer Olympics.

Contents

[edit] Team squads

See Softball at the 2004 Summer Olympics (team squads) for details.

[edit] Medal winners

Gold: Silver: Bronze:
United States
Leah Amico
Laura Berg
Crystal Bustos
Lisa Fernandez
Jennie Finch
Tairia Flowers
Amanda Freed
Lori Hannigan
Lovieanne Jung
Kelly Kretschman
Jessica Mendoza
Stacey Nuveman
Cat Osterman
Jenny Topping
Natasha Watley
Australia
Sandra Allen
Marissa Carpadios
Fiona Crawford
Amanda Doman
Peta Edebone
Tanya Harding
Natalie Hodgskin
Simmone Morrow
Tracey Mosley
Stacey Porter
Melanie Roche
Natalie Titcume
Natalie Ward
Brooke Wilkins
Kerry Wyborn
Japan
Emi Inui
Kazue Ito
Yumi Iwabuchi
Masumi Mishina
Emi Naito
Haruka Saito
Hiroko Sakai
Naoko Sakamoto
Rie Sato
Yuki Sato
Juri Takayama
Yukiko Ueno
Reika Utsugi
Eri Yamada
Noriko Yamaji

In one of the most dominating runs in softball history, the United States team led by head coach Mike Candrea won the gold medal by defeating Australia 5-1 in the championship game on August 23. It was the first time in 9 games that an opponent scored a run against Team USA. Crystal Bustos hit two home runs to provide all the run-support that pitcher Lisa Fernandez required. Fernandez pitched all six innings, picking up her second win against Australia in as many days. She also won the semi-final game.

Throughout the tournament Team USA outscored its opponents 51-1. Team USA has won the Olympic gold medal in softball for the third straight time.

Australia's silver medal marks its best result in Olympic softball history. Japan earned the bronze medal after defeating China in the semi-final, and losing to Australia in the Bronze medal game.

[edit] Participants

Teams that qualified for the tournament:

[edit] Schedule

Starting August 14, there were four preliminary games each day until August 20 for a total of 28 games. Two semi-final games were played August 22, with the game for third place following later that day. The final game for the gold medal was played on August 23 at 4pm local time.

[edit] Standings

Pld W L RF RA Pct
United States 7 7 0 41 0 1.000
Australia 7 6 1 22 14 0.857
Japan 7 4 3 17 8 0.571
China 7 3 4 15 20 0.429
Canada 7 3 4 6 14 0.429
Chinese Taipei 7 2 5 3 13 0.286
Greece 7 2 5 6 24 0.286
Italy 7 1 6 8 24 0.143

[edit] Preliminary round

[edit] August 14

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 4 7 0
Japan 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
W: Tanya Harding (1-0) L: Yukiko Ueno (0-1)
Home Run
AUS 1 : N.Titcume N in 4th

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
United States 1 3 0 0 3 7 11 0
Game ended by Run Ahead Rule
W: Jennie Finch (1-0) L: Leslie Malerich (0-1)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1
Canada 0 0 0 2 0 0 X 2 5 0
W: Lauren Bay (1-0) L: Wu Chia-Yen (0-1)
Home Run
none

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 6
China 0 1 1 0 3 0 X 5 5 1
W: Lu Wei (1-0) L: Sarah Farnworth (0-1)
Home Run
none

[edit] August 15

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
Japan 1 4 0 0 1 0 X 6 13 0
W: Sakai Hiroko (1-0) L: Lin Su-Hua (0-1)
Home Run
none

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 3
China 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 7 5 1
W: Jennifer Spediacci (1-0) L: Li Qi (0-1)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
United States 2 0 0 8 X 10 9 2
Game ended by Run Ahead Rule
W: Lisa Fernandez (1-0) L: Brooke Wilkins (0-1)
Home Run
USA 1 : S.Nuveman in 4th, 3 RBI

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4
Greece 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 2 3 0
W: Sarah Farnworth (1-1) L: Kaila Holtz (0-1)
Home Run
none

[edit] August 16

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
China 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 4 0
Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
W: Zhang Lixia (1-0) L: Lauren Bay (1-1)
Home Run
none

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0
Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
W: Catherine Osterman (1-0) L: Juri Takayama (0-1)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 0
Greece 2 0 0 0 0 0 X 2 5 3
W: Sarah Farnworth (2-1) L: Susan Bugliarello (0-1)
Home Run
none

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Australia 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 1 4 0
W: Wu Chia-Yen (0-2) L: Tanya Harding (2-0)
Home Run
none

[edit] August 17

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
United States 2 1 0 0 1 0 X 4 5 1
W: Lori Harrigan (1-1) L: Zhang Lixia (1-1)
Home Run
USA 1 : C.Bustos in 5th, 1 RBI

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2
Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
W: Lauren Bay (2-1) L: Yukiko Ueno (0-2)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 1
Greece 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 0 5 1
W: Lai Sheng-Jung (1-0) L: Sarah Farnworth (2-2)
Home Run
none

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Australia 2 2 2 0 2 8 10 1
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
Game end by Run Ahead Rule
W: Melanie Roche (1-0) L: Jennifer Spediacci (0-1)
Home Run
AUS 2 : S.Porter in 1st, 2 RBI;N.Titcume in 5th, 2 RBI

[edit] August 18

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 1 4 0
W: Lin Su-Hua (1-1) L: Susan Bugliarello (0-2)
Home Run
none

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 4 0
China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
W: Melanie Roche (2-0) L: Lu Wei (1-1)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
United States 1 2 1 2 1 7 11 1
Game ended by Run Ahead Rule
W: Jennie Finch (2-0) L: Auburn Sigurdson (0-1)
Home Run
USA 2 : C.Bustos in 4th, 1 RBI;L.Fernandez in 4th, 1 RBI

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Japan 0 3 1 0 0 0 2 6 12 1
Greece 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 0 2 3
W: Hiroko Sakai (2-0) L: Sarah Farnworth (2-3)
Home Run
none

[edit] August 19

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
China 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 1 4 0
W: Lu Wei (2-1) L: Lai Sheng-Jung (1-1)
Home Run
none

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Greece 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
United States 0 0 1 3 3 7 9 0
Game ended by Run Ahead Rule
W: Lisa Fernandez (2-0) L: Stephanie Skegas-Maxwell (0-1)
Home Run
none

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Japan 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 1
W: Yukiko Ueno (1-2) L: Jennifer Spediacci (1-2)
Home Run
none

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0
Canada 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
W: Melanie Roche (3-0) L: Lauren Bay (2-2)
Home Run
none

[edit] August 20

09:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Canada 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 1 1 1
W: Lauren Bay (3-2) L: Susan Bugliarello (0-3)
Home Run
none

12:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
United States 0 0 0 1 1 1 X 3 8 1
W: Catherine Osterman (2-0) L: Wu Chia-Yen (0-3)
Home Run
USA 1 : C.Bustos in 4th, 1 RBI

17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Greece 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 2
Australia 0 0 1 2 0 0 X 3 7 1
W: Tanya Harding (3-0) L: Sarah Farnworth (2-4)
Home Run
AUS 2 : T.Mosley in 4th, 2 RBI;S.Porter in 3rd, 1 RBI

19:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Japan 0 0 0 0 1 1 X 2 8 0
W: Yukiko Ueno (1-2)** L: Lu Wei (2-2)
Home Run
none

** Perfect game

[edit] Semi finals

The semi-final game between the #3 and #4 ranked teams (Japan and China) is an elimination game, with the loser out. The winner faces the loser of the other semifinal in the bronze medal game later Sunday night. The loser of the bronze medal game received the bronze medal. The winner of that game faces the winner of the Australia vs. United States semifinal in the gold medal game, with the winner of that game receiving gold and the loser receiving silver.

August 22 9:30

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 0
China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4
W: Yukiko Ueno (2-2) L: Lu Wei (2-3)
Home Run
none

August 22 12:20

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
United States 0 0 0 1 3 1 x 5 8 0
W: Lisa Fernandez (3-0) L: Melanie Roche (3-1)
Home Run
USA: K. Kretschman in 6th, 1 RBI

[edit] Bronze Medal game

August 22 17:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 4 0
Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1
W: Tanya Harding (4-0) L: Juri Takayama (1-2)
Home Run
none

[edit] Gold Medal Game

August 23 16:00

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Australia 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 1
United States 3 0 2 0 0 0 x 5 9 0
W: Lisa Fernandez (4-0) L: Tanya Harding (4-1)
Home Run
USA : C.Bustos in 1st, 2 RBI; C.Bustos in 3rd, 1 RBI; S.Nuveman in 3rd, 1 RBI

[edit] External link