GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Team USA pitcher Cat Osterman pitched a shutout against Chinese Taipei yesterday, striking out 17 batters and giving up just one hit. At one point she struck out nine in a row.
[ SOFTBALL ]
U.S. holds
world to 1 hit
Losing is not an option.
Not for USA Softball. Not for Jennie Finch, and not for Stacey Nuveman.
The Americans got two more strong pitching performances to improve to 6-0 in the U.S. Cup yesterday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
Finch threw a no-hitter and struck out six in beating Canada 10-0. Nuveman accounted for the only run with a homer in a 1-0 victory over Chinese Taipei as Cat Osterman struck out 17 in a one-hitter.
Home runs also accounted for the U.S.'s first four runs in the Canada game, with Leah O'Brien-Amico driving in two with her blast over right-center in the first and Jamie Clark connecting for a two-run homer over right in the second.
Amanda Freed brought on the mercy rule when Honolulu-born Lovieanne Jung drove her in from third on a fielder's choice in the sixth inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth of a scoreless game against Chinese Taipei yesterday, Nuveman, the veteran catcher for the U.S. team, took matters into her own hands.
Nuveman tagged a 1-0 pitch off Kai-Ning Chung some 210 feet over center. It was a rope of a shot and a definite lifeline ... as it was the game's only run.
Nuveman's heroics were the perfect complement to the gem of an outing by her batterymate, Osterman. The left-hander struck out nine in a row.
The U.S. plays Canada again in today's 1:30 p.m. gold medal game.
"We've been putting up crazy numbers and hitting so well," Nuveman said. "Maybe it caught up with us. Today, we were making good contact, but we couldn't find the hole."
Chung limited a hot-hitting U.S. team to eight hits.
"She (Chung) was throwing a lot of off-speed (pitches). Our patience wasn't there, we were getting ahead of ourselves. One swing of the bat ... that's how this game is played out sometimes," Nuveman said.
Nuveman knew she had connected with the inside pitch but wasn't sure if it would translate into her first home run of the tournament.
"I haven't been hitting the ball well," said Nuveman, who was 3-for-11 coming into the game. "But I knew if it didn't go out, it was going to be off the fence."
The only hit Osterman gave up was a bloop-single over third by Hsiao-Ting Lo with two outs in the top of the first. There were two pop-outs with Chang getting the only grounder off the Texas All-American, hitting Osterman in the abomen to open the fifth.
The U.S. pitcher dropped the ball, then threw to first for the out before collapsing. She got up with a smile, promptly hit Taipei's next batter Chiui-Ching Lee, then got out of the inning with two strikeouts.
"Her maturity is probably the biggest improvement I've seen in her over the past couple of years," Nuveman said of Osterman. "She takes a shot in the stomach, hits the next batter and strikes out the next two.
"She's a little fragile, physically (6-foot-1, 155 pounds) but when you're throwing a one-hitter, it takes a lot to get you out of the game."
Canada 2, Hellas 0: Ani Nyhus tossed a three-hitter and the Canadians manufactured their two runs via a well-executed short game. An RBI-single by pinch-hitter Meaggan Wilton in the fifth and a sacrifice fly by Alison Bradley in the sixth accounted for Canada's scoring.
Chinese Taipei 3, Hellas 0: Ya-Fen Wang's three-run homer in the top of the fourth provided all of the game's scoring. It was the first home run for the Chinese team in the tournament.
U.S. Cup
At Rainbow Wahine Softball StadiumTODAY'S SCHEDULE
Bronze medal: Chinese Taipei (2-4) vs. Hellas (1-5), 11 a.m.
Gold medal: U.S. (6-0) vs. Canada (3-3), 1:30 p.m.
