Photo courtesy of World Baseball Softball Confederation
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to include softball as a part of the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The vote was held on Oct. 16, 2023 and softball, baseball, cricket, lacrosse and flag football were the sports added to the official Olympic program for Los Angeles.
With the news, Extra Inning Softball is reviewing all five of the previous teams that have worn the red, white and blue during Olympic competition.
USA Softball has fielded Olympic teams in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2020.
This is the first of a five-part series highlighting USA Softball Olympic teams.
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1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
Venue: Golden Park, Columbus, Ga.
Head Coach: Ralph Raymond
Roster: Laura Berg, Gillian Boxx, Sheila Cornell, Lisa Fernandez, Michele Granger, Lori Harrigan, Dionna Harris, Kim Maher, Leah O’Brien, Dot Richardson, Julie Smith, Michele Smith, Shelly Stokes, Danielle Tyler, Christa Lee Williams
Countries Competing at the Olympics: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, United States
Format for Olympic Play: Eight teams competed in the Olympic softball tournament with the competition consisting of two rounds. The preliminary round followed a round robin format, where each of the teams played all the other teams one time. The top four teams from round robin play advanced to a page playoff system round consisting of two semifinal games, and the bronze and gold medal games. The top two teams faced each other in one semifinal with the winner advancing on to the gold medal game, while the third and fourth place teams squared off in the other semifinal with the winner advancing on to meet the loser of the first semifinal. Those two teams meet with an opportunity to advance to the gold medal game.
The Eagles in Pool Play: The United States opened pool play with a 10-0 victory over Puerto Rico behind the pitching of Michele Granger and a 13-hit attack. Granger allowed only two hits and struck out 10, while Dot Richardson, Lisa Fernandez, Kim Maher, Sheila Cornell, Leah O’Brien and Gillian Boxx each collected two hits. The USA followed with a 9-0 win over Netherlands, a 6-1 victory against Japan and a 4-0 triumph against Chinese Taipei. The Eagles improved to 5-0 in the tournament with a 4-2 victory against Canada, but then suffered their first loss of the Olympics when Joanne Brown hit a walk-off two-run home run giving Australia a 2-1 victory in 10 innings. Trailing China 2-1 in the sixth inning of its next game, Sheila Cornell belted a two-run home run that lifted the USA to a 3-2 win to clinch the No. 1 seed in pool play. The Eagles finished pool play with a 6-1 record.
The Medal Round: In a tight pitching battle between Lisa Fernandez and Yaju Liu, the semifinal between the United States and China remained scoreless into the 10th inning. Sheila Cornell would prove to be the offensive hero as her single scored Dot Richardson with the winning run in a 1-0 victory for the United States. Fernandez went the full 10 innings and allowed just two hits while striking out 13 batters in a masterful performance.
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