YOKOHAMA, Japan — After a 13-year wait, it comes down to this: the United States and Japan, the world’s softball powers, facing off for the gold medal on Tuesday night here.
The last time the two teams were in this position was in 2008, when softball was last an Olympic offering. In the final at the Beijing Games, Japan’s star pitcher Yukiko Ueno outdueled her counterparts — Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott — to lead Japan in a stunning 3-1 upset of the previously invincible United States.
It was the only time a softball gold medal hadn’t been won by the United States, dating back to 1996.