Olympic softball comeback

 From the 2000 Olympics in Sydney:

By Doug Williams
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

SYDNEY -- It has come to this: The best women's softball team in the world, winner of 112 straight, gold medalist in Atlanta, winner of every world championship since 1986, was overjoyed just to get a win.

"Yeah, we're on a winning streak!" shouted Dot Richardson, fist raised, after the United States' 2-0 victory over New Zealand yesterday at the Olympic Softball Center in Blacktown.

A loss yesterday -- after a shocking three straight losses in this tournament -- likely would have been the kiss of death for the Americans' medal hopes.

But the U.S. win enables Dot and her cohorts to control their own destiny.

The top four teams in the eight-team tournament make Monday's semifinals. The final spot will go to either the United States (now 3-3) or Italy (2-3 entering last night's game with undefeated Japan).

The Americans play Italy tomorrow night in the final preliminary-round game.  If they win, they're in.  If Italy upsets Japan and then beats the Americans, Team USA goes home.  Right now, the Americans are hoping for a little help from Japan to straighten things out.

They figure they've already gotten a little help from the softball gods.

After Thursday's third straight loss, this one to Australia, the American team had a cleansing -- literally.

Players, dressed in the white uniforms they wore yesterday, all jumped into a big shower at the Athletes Village, turned on the jets and washed away all the bad.  They tossed a softball around the room, each player taking her turn to say something positive when the ball came her way.

"Whatever it takes to win," said third baseman Lisa Fernandez, who finally got her first hit of this Olympics, breaking an 0-for-20 slump.  "Like Dot said: `The voodoo's gone.' We're ready to rock 'n' roll."

The U.S. team rocked early, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a home run Jennifer Brundage pulled down the left-field line, then went up 2-0 in the fourth when Brundage singled and came around on a single, a wild pitch and Richardson's groundout.

That was enough for U.S. pitchers Lori Harrigan and Christa Williams, who combined to shut out New Zealand on one hit while striking out eight.

It was a nice change for Team USA. A win, and a win in just seven innings after going 0-3 over 38 innings the previous three days against Australia (13 innings), China (14) and Japan (11).

Now, Italy awaits.  Win, and Team USA is in medal play.  The win against New Zealand, plus another over Italy, would put the U.S. in a fourth-place vs. third-place game.  The winner of that would play the loser of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 semifinal.  And then: the final.

"Right now we just want five in a row," said Richardson.  "We want five a lot more than we did 112."