They stood on the medals stand and cried, finally free to let out the emotions of a ride that began with great promise and ended with a great test of their resilience.
"This really showed us what it means to be a team and to have to count on each other," Lisa Fernandez said after the U.S. women won the Olympic softball gold medal Tuesday night.Fernandez was by no means the only U.S. player with a look of relief after the Americans captured the inaugural title with a 3-1 victory over China.
It was a stark contrast to less than a week earlier. The Americans were almost unbeatable leading up to the Olympics, and they breezed through their first five opponents on the way to what everyone thought would be a fast track to gold.
Then came a shocking 10th-inning loss to Australia followed by a pair of one-run victories over China. The U.S. bats, which produced nearly seven runs per game in each of the first five contests, had quickly become undependable. Another lackluster performance against China in the title game, and the gold medal could be gone.
"Our offense picked up when it needed to at the end," starting pitcher Michele Granger said.
The boosts came from Dot Richardson and Sheila Cornell, both 34 and likely playing in their only Olympics.
Richardson went 2-for-3 and hit a home run, and Cornell, already a hero against China in two earlier games, hit a deep drive that scored another run in a third-inning burst that sent the Americans to victory.
And when it was over, they said the struggles they encountered made the triumph that much more special.
"It's sweet when you have to get down and reach deep inside and give it everything you have," Richardson said. "And then you can say you did it."
China, which beat Australia 4-2 in the afternoon to qualify for the gold medal game, took the silver. Australia won the bronze.
The Chinese were upset with the way their title hopes turned in the bottom of the third. Laura Berg led off with a single and Richardson followed with a home run just inside the pole in right field, her third homer of the tournament.
The play led to a nearly 10-minute delay as the Chinese vigorously complained the ball was foul. Television replays clearly showed it was a home run.
"We think you understand the reason we lost the softball game," said Li Xiaosheng, the head of the Chinese softball program. He said the team wanted to see replays before commenting further.
When play resumed, Julie Smith reached on a throwing error and Cornell hit a drive to deep center that bounced off Zhang Chunfang's glove, putting the United States up 3-0.
Granger struck out eight and allowed a pair of hits before giving up two hits in the sixth. Fernandez, who threw a four-hitter Monday night in the Americans' 1-0, 10-inning victory over China, relieved and immediately threw a high fast ball that sailed past catcher Gillian Boxx, bringing in China's lone run.
Fernandez ended the inning with a strikeout and retired the Chinese in order in the seventh, completing the Americans' drive to gold with a strikeout of Xu Jian. Fernandez flung her glove high in air, and before she could catch it, many of her teammates had converged on her, setting off a wild celebration.
"We didn't do it pretty, but we won," Fernandez said, clutching her gold medal. "And right now, that's all that matters."