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Aussie Spirit wins Olympic bronze

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The Aussie Spirit have won Olympic bronze after going down to Japan 4-3 in a 12 innings marathon.

In what could be described as one of the best Olympic softball matches of all time, the Aussie Spirit showed guts and determination to match it with Japan every step of the way, before Japan were finally able to overcome the gallant Australian team with victory in the bottom of the 12th innings.

Australia finish with a bronze medal, to go with the bronze medals they won in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000, and the silver they won in Athens in 2004. Four time Olympians Tanya Harding, Melanie Roche and Natalie Ward become the first Australian women in history to win medals at four consecutive Olympic Games.

Although the colour of the medal was not what the Australian team were hoping for, both the team and the entire Australian softball community should be very proud of all their efforts.

TV network Channel 7 broadcast both the Australia - Canada semifinal, which Australia won 5-3 and guaranteed them a medal, and the Australia - Japan match in their entirety.

Click here for a play-by-play of the Australia - Japan match.

Click here for results of all matches played.

A summary of the epic match follows:

Australia got off to a great start when Sandra Lewis hit a triple in the top of the first innings to score Stacey Porter and give Australia a 1-0 lead. Australian Head Coach Fabian Barlow made the surprise move of starting the youngest player of the team, Justine Smethurst, on the pitching plate. But Smethurst put in an outstanding performance and held her nerve in such a big match, shutting out the Japanese batters for the first three innings.

In the bottom of the 4th innings Japan took the lead with a two-run home run to Megu Hirose, to give them a 2-1 lead. Smethurst, after pitching five excellent innings, was replaced as pitcher by Tanya Harding at the top of the sixth.

Coming into the top of the 7th innings, Japan still held a 2-1 lead, and the game looked over when Australia's first two batters in that dig went out. Enter Kerry Wyborn. Four years earlier in Athens, Wyborn had the hit that scored three runs against Japan to put Australia into the gold medal match. This time, she sent a Yukiko Ueno pitch sailing over the right-centrefield fence to level the match at 2-2.

With the scores tied going into the bottom of the 7th innings, Australia needed to shut out the Japanese to force the match into extra innings. With two out and a runner on first, Motoko Fukimoto hit one up the middle that went to the centrefield fence. With the runner on first heading towards third, the Japanese third base coach waved his arms sending her home, but centrefielder Belinda Wright threw to shortstop and Australian captain Natalie Ward who made a great throw to catcher Natalie Titcume to get the out at home plate on the advancing runner.

So the game went into extra innings with a runner to start on 2nd base each innings under the International Softball Federation's tiebreaker rule. Highlights in the extra innings were as follows:

Australia got off to a perfect start defensively in the bottom of the 8th, when Ayumi Karino's attempted slap went straight to Sandra Lewis who made the catch and then also got the runner on 2nd base out in a double play.

Australia had a great start in the bottom of the 10th innings to retire Japan's runner on 2nd base when catcher Titcume threw over to shortstop Ward to make the play on the runner. Replays showed that Ward had managed to put her foot in the way of the Japan's runners foot who was sliding back into base. A moment of genius by Ward.

Ward followed up this effort in the top of the 11th, when, with two out, her safe hit to the outfield scored Stacey Porter to give Australia a 3-2 lead.

Japan were able to equalise in the bottom of the 11th, after their lead-off batter hit a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to 3rd base, and then Satoko Mabuchi made a hit between shortstop and leftfield. Despite the best efforts of shortstop Ward, who managed to get a glove on the ball, the ball dropped in and Rei Nishiyama was able to score to tie the match up at 3-3.

In the bottom of the 12th innings, with loaded bases and one out, Japan won the game with a hit by Nishiyama landing safely in the outfield.

Japanese pitcher Yukiko Ueno put in amazing performance to pitch 12 innings, even more amazing considering the fact she had pitched 9 innings earlier that day against the USA, a staggering 21 innings for the day. Australian pitchers Justine Smethurst and Tanya Harding also pitched outstanding games, Harding's ability to get ahead of the count and make outs at crucial stages in those extra innings was exceptional.

Japan will now play the USA in the gold medal match.
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