SOFTBALL

U.S. off to 2-0 start

Fukushima, Japan: Monica Abbott pitched a one-hitter, center fielder Haylie Mccleney and second baseman Ali Aguilar combined to throw out the potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning and the United States beat Canada 1-0 Wednesday for a 2-0 start.

Abbott struck out nine, walked three and needed 102 pitches to throw the Americans’ second consecutive one-hitter. Cat Osterman, at age 38 the Americans’ senior player, allowed one hit and struck out nine over six innings and Abbott struck out the side in the seventh to finish an opening 2-0 win over Italy on Tuesday.

Amanda Chidester hit an RBI single in the fifth off loser Jenna Caira that scored Mccleney, who went 3 for 3 with a walk and has reached base seven times in the two games.

Michelle Moultrie singled in a run in the fourth inning for the top-ranked U.S., which lost the title to Japan 3-1 at the 2008 Beijing Games. Janie Reed added a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Japan 8, Australia 1

Yukiko Ueno settled down from a shaky start to allow two hits over 41/3 innings with seven strikeouts, and Japan beat Australia in the first event of the Olympics. Minori Naito and Saki Yamazaki hit two-run homers, and Yu Yamamoto, who had three RBIS, added a two-run drive in the fifth that ended the game under a rout rule.

Canada 4, Mexico 0

Sara Groenewegen was removed after four hitless innings of a combined two-hitter. Jenn Salling had two RBIS.

BIRD, ALVAREZ CHOSEN TO CARRY U.S. FLAG AT OPENING CEREMONY

Four-time Olympic women’s basketball gold medalist Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez were chosen as U.S. flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday night.

Alvarez, who won a silver medal in speedskating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Bird were chosen by a vote of fellow U.S. athletes. They are the first duo to share the honor of leading the delegation into the ceremony.

Bird is the second U.S. women’s basketball player to carry the flag, joining current coach Dawn Staley, who did it at the 2004 games.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected the flag bearer for Team USA,” Bird said.

Bird will be trying to win an unprecedented fifth gold medal with teammate Diana Taurasi, which would give them the most in women’s hoops history.

Alvarez becomes the first baseball player to carry the flag for the U.S.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

U.S. roster update

USA Basketball expects to have its full 12-man roster available for Sunday’s matchup against France.

Zach Lavine has been cleared to exit the health and safety protocols that stemmed from a coronavirus testing-related issue, will fly to Japan and rejoin the team Thursday. And the plan is that the three players from the NBA Finals — Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday from the newly crowned champion Milwaukee Bucks and Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns — will be in place Saturday.

The rest of the American roster worked out in Japan for the first time.

ETC.

The referee’s whistle blew, and British women’s soccer players dropped to their knees. Their Chilean counterparts responded in kind. An hour later, it was American and Swedish players in Tokyo taking part in united, unprecedented gestures against racism by teams at an Olympics. The final game of the day saw Australia’s players pose with an Indigenous flag and link arms while their New Zealand counterparts knelt . ... An American beach volleyball player is in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 in Japan, USA Volleyball said. A player said Taylor Crabb was in quarantine. Tri Bourne could replace Crabb and join Jake Gibb on Sunday . ... Top-ranked women’s skeet shooter Amber Hill tested positive for COVID-19 at home in Britain and will miss the Games . ... Russian swimmer Ilya Borodin, the European champ in the 400 IM, is out after testing positive in Russia . ... The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee fired Kentaro Kobayashi, director of the opening ceremony, because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.