Veteran Osterman goes 6 innings
Cat Osterman, 38, pitched six innings of one-hit ball and Monica Abbott struck out the side in the seventh, helping the top-ranked U.S. team shut out No. 5 Mexico, 2-0.
Ali Aguilar provided a two-run single in the third that was just enough for the Americans to improve to 3-0 as the country tries to regain the Olympic gold medal.
“I’m here so they can win a gold medal because I already have one,” said Osterman, the last player remaining from the 2004 champions. “I want to see how they feel and how they react after we are able to possibly do that.”
Osterman didn’t pitch competitively from 2016-18. At the Olympics, she and Abbott have combined on three one-hit shutouts over four days.
Welcoming First Lady
Members of the U.S. swimming team cheered and chanted from the stands for U.S. first lady Jill Biden, who sat across the pool and waved as swimming kicked off. Without fans in the 15,000-seat Tokyo Aquatics Centre, masked teams had ample room to spread out in socially distanced seats above the deck. The U.S. contingent waved tiny American flags and pounded redwhite-and-blue Thunderstix, while the Germans spread their large-sized flag over two rows of seats. Waiting for the session to begin, the Americans chanted “Dr. Biden, Dr. Biden” and clapped.
Beach volleyball
Americans April Ross and Alix Klineman cruised to a straight-set victory against China in their Olympic opener. Ross is making her third appearance in the Summer Games with her third different partner. She’s already won a silver medal and a bronze. Klineman is making her Olympic debut. They’re among the favorites for the gold medal in Tokyo. The Americans won the first set 21-17 and then took the second 21-19 over Xue Chen and Wang Xinxin. Ross and Klineman play Spain on Tuesday.
Bad start for U.S. men
A bad beginning for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team in the qualification round on Saturday turned into as happy an ending as they could have expected. It rebounded from Yul Moldauer’s leadoff fall from the parallel bars to qualify fourth for the team final and cheered three-time Olympian Sam Mikulak, and national and trials champion Brody Malone into the allaround final. Powerhouses Japan (262.251), China (262.061) and Russian Olympic Committee (261.945) left the spirited but overmatched Americans (256.761) in their chalk dust.
Pittsburgh connection
Jenn Salling and Erika Polidori hit early two-run doubles for Canada, and Australia left the bases loaded the first two innings. Canada improved to 2-1 in softball with a 7-1 win behind 5⅔ innings of shutout relief from Jenna Caira and Lauren Regula, the 39year-old sister of retired Pirates All-Star outfielder Jason Bay.
Youngest Olympian is out
The youngest competitor at the Tokyo Games was eliminated. Hend Zaza of Syria lost in straight sets to Liu Jia, ending the 12-yearold’s hopes of making noise as the youngest table tennis player in Olympics history.
Japanese legend is out
Two-time Olympic champion Kohei Uchimura’s Olympic career ended when the 32-year-old Japanese gymnast fell during qualifying on high bar. Considered by many the greatest of all time, the 2012 and 2016 all-around gold medalist was midway through his set when he fell..
Doping reversal
Russian weightlifting leader Maxim Agapitov has beaten the IOC in court to win back his right to attend the Tokyo Olympics despite his own doping ban 27 years ago. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it upheld Agapitov’s appeal to regain his games accreditation.