Wednesday 13 August 2008

Cat purring as U.S. blanks Australia

Cat Osterman tossed a no-hitter and Crystl Bustos crushed a two-run homer to power the United States to a 3-0 victory over Australia on Wednesday for their 16th consecutive Olympic softball victory.

In two games, the Americans have yet to allow a hit, Osterman's seven-inning gem following a five-inning masterpiece from Jennie Finch and reliever Monica Abbott in an 11-0 rout of Venezuela.

The Americans have lost just four times on the way to winning three Olympic gold medals and the Australians have taken two of those scalps, once at the 1996 Atlanta Games and again four years later in Sydney.

But in the rematch of the 2004 gold medal final the Australians sputtered, falling to 0-2 in Beijing following a 4-3 loss to Japan in their opener.

With the U.S. clinging to a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, Bustos, who slammed an Olympic record five home runs in Athens in 2004, clinched the victory with her second homer of the Beijing Games.

"The pitch wasn't bad," Australian pitcher Tanya Harding told reporters. "I was more annoyed about getting the runner on base before her."

In other preliminary round play, China improved to 2-0 with a 7-1 decision over Olympic debutantes Venezuela.

The Venezuelan's celebrated their first run in Olympic competition when 41-year-old catcher Zuleyma Cirimele drove across Yuruby Alicart in the fourth inning.

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