The United States opened their march toward a fourth straight Olympic softball crown with an 11-0 thrashing of shellshocked Venezuela on Tuesday. Winners of every gold since softball entered the Games in 1996, American dominance is considered a prime reason the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the sport after the Beijing Games.
"We're not trying to put on a show, we're trying to play the game the way we know how to play," US coach Mike Candrea said. "USA softball plays the game hard, plays the game aggressively, playing it smart, and that's my concern. "If it was a great show, I hope we have more great shows throughout the week."
In other opening day action, China crushed the Netherlands 10-2, while Japan, silver medallist in 2000, edged 2004 runner-up Australia 4-3. Canada cruised to a 6-1 win over Taiwan, matching their entire run production at the Athens Olympics.
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1. China 13 3 4 20
2. US 7 6 8 21
3. South Korea 5 6 1 12
4. Italy 3 4 2 9
5. Australia 3 2 5 10
6. Japan 3 1 2 6
7. Germany 3 1 1 5
8. Russia 2 4 3 9
9. Britain 2 1 2 5
10. Czech Republic 2 0 0 2
11. North Korea 1 2 4 7
12. Azerbaijan 1 2 0 3
13. Netherlands 1 1 2 4
14. Slovakia 1 1 0 2
15. Romania 1 0 1 2
15. Spain 1 0 1 2
15. Finland 1 0 1 2
18. India 1 0 0 1
18. Thailand 1 0 0 1
20. France 0 7 2 9
21. Zimbabwe 0 2 0 2
22. Cuba 0 1 1 2
22. Austria 0 1 1 2
22. Kazakhstan 0 1 1 2
25. Colombia 0 1 0 1
25. Hungary 0 1 0 1
25. Turkey 0 1 0 1
25. Sweden 0 1 0 1
25. Vietnam 0 1 0 1
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