The United States beat Japan 2-1 to end round-robin play on Monday but their failure to record a hit against a third-string pitcher until the sixth inning highlights the challenge they face when the sides meet again in the gold-medal match-up.
U.S. batters did finally get a run against Yamato Fujita in the sixth, and Kelsey Stewart's tie-breaking homer won the game an inning later.
But, as the United States' 3-1 loss to Japan in the Beijing 2008 final showed, counting on lucky hits late in the game delivers inconsistent returns.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.