Day 3 Historical Preview: Tokyo 2020 Olympic Softball tournament

Day 2 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Softball tournament featured three exciting one-run games, highlighting the international growth that the sport of softball has undergone over the last decade. Japan topped Mexico, 3-2, in eight innings; USA shut out Canada, 1-0; and Australia edged Italy 1-0 at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium on Thursday, 22 July.

With 6 of the 17 softball games concluded at Tokyo 2020, here's a look at past head-to-heads and historical data for the third day (Games 7, 8 and 9), as the tournament moves to Yokohama Stadium:

Saturday, 24 July

No. 8 Australia vs. No. 3
Canada

• Australia and Canada met on all four previous occasions softball was in the Olympic Games. Australia won all five games, including two in the most recent Olympic Games in which softball was held in 2008.
• At the Olympic Games in 2008, Australia beat Canada 4-0 in the group stage and 5-3 in the elimination semi-finals.
• Canada's five losses against Australia are their most against a single opponent in the Olympic Games.
• In the world championship in 2018, Australia beat Canada 2-0 in the group stage, but lost 12-0 against the Canadians in the elimination semi-final.
• Of the four stolen bases thus far at Tokyo 2020, two came from Canada representatives: Erika Polidori and Kelsey Harshman.
• Canada have drawn nine walks at the Tokyo tournament, at least five more than any other team.

No. 1 United States vs. No. 5 Mexico

• Since softball made its Olympicdebut in 1996, United States have faced Mexico 11 times in World Cups, worldchampionships, Pan American Games and Pan American championships. They won 10of those 11 games.
• Mexico beat United States 7-2 inthe eighth inning in the qualifying quarter-finals of the Pan Americanchampionships in 2017. They met again in the final, which USA won 9-0 to takethe title.
• USA defeated Mexico 5-2 in thegroup stage on their way to the title in the most recent world championship in2018.
• Haylie McCleney has the highestbatting average of all players at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (.800).
• Mexico have hit one home run thusfar (United States 0) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, a solo shot by AnissaUrtez.

No. 2 Japan vs. No. 9 Italy

• Japan won both past games versus
  Italy at the Olympic Games. They won 2-0 in the group stage in 2000 on theirway to the silver medal. In 2004 they beat Italy 1-0 in the group stage enroute to the bronze medal.
• Since softball made its Olympicdebut in 1996, Japan and Italy met each other six times in Olympic Games, worldchampionships and World Cups. Japan won all six games.
• The most recent of those six gameswas in the group stage of the world championship in 2018, where Japan won 9-0.
• Yamato Fujita hit a home run inboth of Japan’s Tokyo 2020 games thus far. Fujita is the only player to havemultiple homers at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
• Fujita also leads the tournamentin RBIs, alongside teammate Yu Yamamoto (3 each).
• This game features the highest-scoringteam, Japan (11) and the losing scoring team, Italy (0).