Highlighting the USA Softball Olympic Teams: Athens 2004

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 third of a five-part series highlighting USA Softball Olympic teams.

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2004 Athens Olympic Games

Venue: Olympic Softball Stadium, Athens, Greece

Head Coach: Mike Candrea

Roster: Leah O’Brien-Amico, Laura Berg, Crystl Bustos, Lisa Fernandez, Jennie Finch, Tairia Flowers, Amanda Freed, Lori Harrigan, Lovieanne Jung, Kelly Kretschman, Jessica Mendoza, Stacey Nuveman, Cat Osterman, Jenny Topping, Natasha Watley

Countries Competing at the Olympics: Australia, Canada, China, Greece, Chinese Tapei, Italy, Japan, 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 Preliminary Play: The United States produced one of the greatest performances in Olympic history as the Eagles rolled through the competition at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Team USA opened the competition with a 7-0 victory over Italy behind a combined shutout from Jennie Finch, Lori Harrigan and Cat Osterman, while Natasha Watley hit a two-run triple to spark the offense. Team USA rolled past Australia 10-0 as Fernandez pitched a one-hit shutout and Stacey Nuveman belted a three-run home run. The Eagles improved to 3-0 with a hard-fought 3-0 victory over Japan in eight innings. Osterman allowed just one hit and struck out 11, while Team USA got RBIs from Kelly Kretschman, Jenny Topping and Watley. Harrigan took center stage in the circle for Team USA as the Eagles defeated China 4-0 to improve to 4-0 in pool play. Harrigan permitted just one hit and struck out eight, while Lovieanne Jung had two RBIs and Crystl Bustos hit a home run. The Eagles clinched a berth in the medal round with a 7-0 victory over Canada as Finch tossed a one-hit shutout and Bustos and Fernandez each contributed home runs. Fernandez led Team USA to a 7-0 win over Greece as she tossed a one-hit shutout and also went 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. Team USA wrapped up round robin competition with a 3-0 win over Chinese Tapei as Osterman struck out 10 and allowed just one hit in six innings and Bustos belted her third home run of the Olympics. Team USA finished first in round robin play with a 7-0 record, while Australia was second with a 6-1 record. Japan was third with a 4-3 record and China earned the final spot in the medal round with a 3-4 record.

The Medal Round: The United States faced long-time rival Australia in the medal round, while Japan squared off against China. Team USA earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 5-0 win over the Aussies. Fernandez threw a three-hit shutout and added two RBIs, while Kretschman blasted a home run for the Eagles. Japan edged China 1-0 in eight innings to set up a meeting with Australia to determine the opponent for Team USA in the gold medal game. Australia got a three-hit shutout from Tanya Harding in a 3-0 win over Japan to earn its third attempt at a victory over the Eagles.

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