BLACKTOWN, Australia (CP-AP) -- Canada was part of Olympic softball history on Sunday.
Unfortunately the Canadians were on the wrong end of it as Lori Harrigan pitched the first solo no-hitter at the Olympics to begin the Americans' gold-medal defence with a 6-0 victory Sunday over Canada.
Harrigan fumbled a grounder in the first inning, although the error was charged to first baseman Sheila Douty. She then retired 20 consecutive batters. Only four batters hit the ball out of the infield.
"I gave up the perfect game," Harrigan said, "so I don't have to blame it on anybody."
Although no-hitters and perfect games are more common in softball, where the quality of opponents can vary widely, no one ever has pitched a perfect game in the Olympics. Two Chinese pitchers combined on a no-hitter in 1996, when softball was added as an official Olympic sport.
The United States won gold in Atlanta, losing just one game during the tournament and only three games since. They have won 111 consecutive games dating to the 1998 world championships, going 60-0 on their pre-Olympic tour while allowing a total of four runs.
Harrigan -- known as Vegas called because of her security job at the Bellagio hotel and casino -- may be less accomplished than U.S. ace Lisa Fernandez, who pitched five consecutive perfect games during the "Central Park to Sydney" tour, including six straight no-hitters.
But Harrigan was picked to start the opener because the Canadian lineup is dominated by lefties. And if anyone thought the Americans were saving their best for the big matchup against Australia, they soon discovered how deep the U.S. pitching staff can be.
"They're both good pitchers," Canadian pitcher Vicky Bastarche said. "Obviously, Lisa is an excellent pitcher. But Lori threw well today and she deserves the credit."
After her first-inning error, she retired every batter she faced, finishing off the gem herself by fielding Erin Woods' nubbed grounder to the pitcher's circle and throwing easily to first.
Although Harrigan has lost count of all the no-hitters she's thrown as a schoolgirl and at college at Nevada-Las Vegas, where her number is retired, that hasn't diminished the thrill of throwing them. As in baseball, none of her teammates would say the words during the game.
"It doesn't matter who we throw it against," she said. "It's still special."
Summary
| Canada | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO |
| D. Carriere rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Hiesl-Boyer cf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Thorburn Smith dh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| E. Woods lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. West 1b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| N. Fradette 3b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Attwell c | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Nichol ss | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Lance 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| United States | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO |
| D. Richardson 2b | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Berg cf | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. Fernandez dh | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Bustos ss | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Douty 1b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| J. McFalls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Brundage 3b | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Nuveman c | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| L. O'Brien-Amico rf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Ambrosi lf | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 31 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Canada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0 | 0 | 4 |
| United States | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | X | -6 | 10 | 1 |
E--S. West (2), J. Nichol, S. Douty. LOB--Canada 1, United States 8. HR--D. Richardson, C. Bustos, J. Brundage.
| Canada | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| V. Bastarache, L | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| H. Newsham | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| United States | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| L. Harrigan, W | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
PB--L. Attwell.
Umpires--Home, Franklin Eusebio Hermanus, Netherlands Antilles; First, Antonella Garofalo, Italy; Second, Kerry Franklin, Australia; Third, Xing Lisha, China
T--1:51. A--5,210.
