U.S. Softball, with 3 Florida Gators on the roster, falls to Japan for silver at Tokyo Olympics
After an ideal run-thru pool play, we had to settle for silver at the softball diamond at the Tokyo Olympics.
Crew u.S. Changed into shutting out 2-zero by way of host Japan on Tuesday inside the gold medal in shape.
Three former Florida Gators standouts — Kelsey Stewart, Aubree Munro, and Michelle Moultrie —
had been regulars inside the USA beginning lineup for the duration of the six-game tournament. All of them started the gold medal recreation.
“It’s become a very nerve-wracking and a very humbling experience while you watch gamers that you’ve acknowledged for this sort of long term” compete at the Olympic degree, UF train Tim Walton stated in a smartphone interview with the Miami usher in on Monday.
“I’ve been striking on each pitch. … It’s been simply feelings which you never even knew you had towards the sport while you’re watching your gamers play it that on that form of a prestigious degree.”
They weren’t the biggest names on the roster or the ones catching all the headlines.
However, they made their impact on the crew and played precious roles during group America’s run in Tokyo.
Moultrie drove in team united states’ first run of the tournament with an RBI unmarried within the fourth inning of a 2-0 win over Italy to begin pool play. The 31-year-antique outfielder has been a member of the U.S. Countrywide group considering she graduated from the College of Florida in 2012.
She had to wait more almost a decade — softball became not part of the Olympic games that summertime in London in 2012 or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016, and the Tokyo Olympics have been behind schedule a yr due to COVID-19 — for the possibility to play inside the Olympics.
Moultrie’s leadoff unmarried followed by a one-out unmarried from Janie Reed within the 6th represented one of the USA uncommon scoring tries within the identify recreation on Tuesday. Amanda Chidester covered into an inning-finishing double play to end that risk.
Stewart, who started each recreation at third base, hit a walk-off home run against Japan on Monday to cap an undefeated run-
through pool play and make sure that the united states might be the house team for the rematch with Japan in the gold medal game.
Munro, a catcher, hit a single and scored a coverage run in the US
in the 5th inning of the pool play opener against Italy, but her effect becomes felt the most behind the plate. Munro began five of six video games and labored masterfully with the pitching team of workers led with the aid of Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott.
U.S. Pitchers recorded forty-nine strikeouts and gave up simply two runs (one earned) within the 30 innings Munro became in the back of the plate in the 5 pool play games — a run wherein the united states outscored its warring parties 9-2.
Stewart and Munro have been both mainstays inside the Gators’
starting lineup at some stage in UF’s women’s university global collection championship run in 2014 and 2015.
This changed into the fifth time standard softball was performed on the Olympic level and the primary time since 2008. Japan beat America for gold that year, as nicely. We received the gold medal the primary 3 times (1996, 2000, and 2004).
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USA softball, with three Florida Gators on roster, falls to Japan for silver at Tokyo Olympics
