SOFTBALL: AMERICANS MAKE QUICK WORK OF RIVAL AUSSIES U.S. 10, AUSTRALIA 0.Byline: Mirjam Swanson Staff Writer ATHENS, Greece - The U.S. women's softball team needed to work only part-time Sunday to trounce one of the world's best teams. The U.S. triggered the mercy rule A mercy rule, also well known by the slightly less polite term slaughter rule (or, less commonly, knockout rule and skunk rule), brings a sports event to an early end when one team has a very large and presumably insurmountable lead over the other team. in the fifth inning of its 10-0 rout of rival Australia. The U.S. is 2-0 and has outscored opponents 17-0. The game against Australia ended so quickly, veteran pitcher Lisa Fernandez Lisa Fernandez (born February 22, 1971, in New York City) is a renowned softball pitcher of Cuban-Puerto Rican descent who established an Olympic record in softball with 25 strikeouts as a member of the United States Women Olympic Softball Team. failed to get a strikeout for the first time since she was 8 years old, if she remembered correctly. Fernandez indicated that she had not forgotten the lack of run support she received at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where the U.S. was disappointed with a silver medal. But Fernandez's teammates more than had her back Sunday at the Olympic Softball Stadium. ``Today was just an incredible display of softball,'' said Fernandez, a former All-American at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX . ``Is that going to happen again? I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. about that.'' That experience was hard to forget for a U.S. team that was previously untouchable untouchable Former classification of various low-status persons and those outside the Hindu caste system in Indian society. The term Dalit is now used for such people (in preference to Mohandas K. . ``This game (against Australia) is something that's been marked on my calendar for a long time,'' said Fernandez, who allowed one hit and walked one in five innings. ``It's the history we have with Australia, it's like USC-UCLA, putting two powers against each other, and may the best team win.'' The United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. scored two runs in the top of the first to chase Aussie starter Brook Wilkins after a third of an inning. Melanie Roche entered the game in relief, and for a little more than two innings, befuddled the Americans by effectively moving her pitches. But the U.S. figured her out in the fourth, and scored eight runs, capped by former UCLA All-American Stacey Nuveman's three-run homer into the forceful 30-mph wind gusts and over the left-field wall. Mirjam Swanson, (909) 386-3865 mirjam.swanson(at)sbsun.com |
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