Team USA came into the six-team Tokyo tournament ranked No. They are still pitching for admission to the Los Angeles 2028 Games and now also have hopes of playing in 2032 in Brisbane, which was announced later Wednesday as a future Olympic and Paralympic host. Unfortunately, softball and baseball will likely be left out of the Paris 2024 Olympics. We hope that people across the globe tune in across all platforms – TV, online, social media – as we use the Tokyo Games as a stepping stone into the future of softball.” We want to show the world how much our sport has truly grown. “It’s a little bit emotional and surreal that we’re finally here, but wow, softball is finally back in the Olympics,” Abbott said after a pre-Games practice. Or as USA Softball calculated, that was a hiatus of 4,717 days. The United States had won every previous Olympic softball tournament, starting at the Atlanta Games 25 years ago and continuing in Sydney and Athens.Īfter baseball and softball were unceremoniously dropped from the Olympics, the sports teamed up to fight for readmission, winning the right to play in at least one more Games. Osterman, 38, and Abbott, 35, also were on the mound in the gold-medal game in Beijing when Japan upset Team USA 3-1. The two left-handers were the only American players who also played in the 2008 Olympics, the last time softball and baseball were on the Olympic program. USA Softball Women's National Team □□ July 21, 2021 Now that we have one game settled, the rest of the tournament should be pretty smooth sailing.”Ĭat Osterman pitched the first six innings for Team USA, recording nine strikeouts, while Monica Abbott came on in relief for the final inning, striking out three. Leading up to this moment, building up, building up, building up, then today was just, ‘Oh my God, it’s finally here.’ “You know when water is boiling, and you start to see bubbles,” she said, “then all of a sudden a lot of bubbles? I think that’s what today felt like. Team USA defeated Italy 2-0 in softball in the second-game of a triple-header at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium.Ĭenter fielder Haylie McCleney said it was difficult dealing with the uncertainty surrounding the Games. The long-awaited Olympics Tokyo 2020 started Wednesday – two days before the Opening Ceremony - after a one-year delay due to the pandemic.įittingly, the Games began with a sport that has waited 13 years to return to the Olympic stage. Haylie McCleney competes in a game against Italy at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on July 21, 2021.
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