Jul 28 (nbcnews.com) - Japan took home the gold medal Tuesday, stunning the U.S. softball team 13 years after the Japanese defeated the Americans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Japanese team beat the Americans 2-0 at the Yokohama Baseball Stadium.
It was a devastating upset for the U.S. team, which claimed silver for the second time against its rival during the world sporting event and suffered its first loss at the Tokyo Olympics. Softball returned to the Olympic program for the first time this year after it was dropped in 2008.
Veteran pitcher Yukiko Ueno tossed five scoreless innings before the host country snuffed out an American rally attempt with a double play in the sixth inning.
In each of the first four innings, Japan had a runner in a scoring position before batter Mana Atsumi hit a run-scoring infield single. At the top of the fifth inning, Yamato Fujita gave Japan a 2-0 lead after adding a second run when Monica Abbott came into pitch for the U.S.
Source: ANNnewsCH
