U.S. and Japan to play for last softball gold

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States will play weary Japan on Thursday for the final Olympic softball gold medal to be awarded before the sport is dropped from the Olympic program.

The U.S. booked their spot in the final by beating Japan 4-1 in a nine-inning thriller on Wednesday decided by a three-run homer into the left-field bleachers from Crystl Bustos.

Plucky Japan battled their way back into the gold medal contention later in the day with a pulsating 4-3, 12-inning victory over Australia, who will settle for the bronze.

With International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, former president Juan Antonio Samaranch and several other IOC dignitaries looking on, Japan and Australian put on the type of show that might give members second thoughts about their decision to chop the sport from the roster.

They will not soon forget Japan right-hander Yukiko Ueno, who produced one of the greatest pitching performances ever seen at an Olympic Games by tossing 21 innings -- or the equivalent of three regulation games -- to send her team into the final.

It will mark the third time Japan and the U.S. have clashed in Beijing, the Americans winning both contests, including 7-0 thumping in the preliminary round.

The U.S. roar into the final unbeaten in 22 straight Olympic and are guaranteed at least a silver.

But nothing less than gold will satisfy the mighty Americans who have reigned supreme over the Olympic diamond since the sport was introduced at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The first semi-final featured the only two pitchers to toss perfect games in Olympic competition, Ueno and American Monica Abbott, engaging in a riveting duel through eight scoreless innings.

The U.S. finally broke through in the ninth with a run-scoring single from Caitlin Lowe but it was slugger Bustos who clinched the victory crushing a monster three-run homer that nearly sailed out of Fengtai stadium.

It was the fifth homer in Beijing for Bustos, matching her single Games Olympic record set in Athens.

"When I stepped into the box and she (Ueno) came with that first ball, I knew that she wasn't throwing anything that was going to dance by me," said Bustos. "She was coming at me hard.

"So I was just waiting for that pitch."

(Editing by Steve Ginsburg)