BEIJING • Canadian softball coach Lori Sippel credited its latest loss to the United States to a simple bad outing.

“Let’s move on,” Sippel said after the 8-1 game, referring to what she told her players. “We’re better than that one inning. That was one inning out of 10.”

But it was that one inning that ultimately cost the Canadian team a victory in front of a sparsely filled crowd at Fengtai Softball Field.

There are few things that break up momentum like a 24-hour delay.

With Canada leading 1-0 midway through four innings, Beijing rains delayed the game between the neighbors. As it turns out, it was the worst thing that could’ve happened to the Canadian team and one of the best for the Americans.

Both teams played games before the resumption of their contest. The American team beat Japan 7-0 while the Canadians posted a dramatic defeat of host China 1-0.

But the USA vs. Canada is the matchup with the most drama, the one with the most emotion between the players. The USA is the big dog and Canada wants that title.

After an uncharacteristic first inning – before the delay – by Team USA including three illegal pitches from Monica Abbott and a first-ever national team error from center fielder Caitlin Lowe – in more than 100 games, Canada owned a 1-0 lead and seemingly all the momentum.

“That’s what we were saying in the media village afterward,” Canada shortstop Jennifer Salling said. “We wish we could’ve gotten it done then. We had so much going for us then. We wish we could’ve kept playing. It would’ve been nice, but hey, that’s part of softball.”

Though they played earlier in the day, Canada seemed cold and unprepared for the game’s resumption. The three errors during the top half of the fifth inning showed it.

Canada right fielder Alison Bradley made a great diving grab off a short hit from Tairia Flowers. But Bradley wasn’t able to hold onto the ball as she hit the ground. Then Salling failed to cleanly field a ground ball allowing runners on first and third.

Flowers got thrown out trying to take home after a hard grounder from Jessica Mendoza. Canada then intentionally walked slugger Crystl Bustos and immediately hit the next batter, Kelly Kretschman, tying the score at 1-1.

A wild pitch scored another run, and Salling had her second error of the inning overthrowing first base. Two runs scored off that error.

The American team opened up the scoring and chased Canadian pitcher Dione Meier out of the game in the seventh, scoring four more runs.

“I don’t know what happened,” Salling said. “It was just one of those days. It’s hard not to say that we kind of beat ourselves a little bit.”

The victories extend the American’s Olympic Games’ winning streak to 18.-Columnist Milo Bryant can be reached at 636-0252 or milo.bryant@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out Milo’s blog, The Extra Milo, at milobryant.blogspot.com

Photo by