The Japanese softball players edged Australians 4-3 after a prolonged seesaw battle that lasted for three and a half hours on Wednesday evening.

Watched by Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and IOC honorary president Juan Antonio Samaranch, the do-or-die clash turned out to be the longest softball match at the Beijing Olympics with 12 innings.

The sun was down and the light was on. They were still on the Fengtai softball field, pitching and batting in sweat.

In the first inning, Australian Stacey Porter broke the ice by scoring one point at Sandy Lewis' batting.

However, advantage of the Oceanian team was just kept to the fourth inning, as a homer by Japan's Hirose Megu sent herself and her teammate Mabuchi Satoko to the home plate. The score became 1-2.

Before the tired Japanese could stop to celebrate their success, a solo homer by Australian Kerry Wyborn in the seventh inning dragged them into a second extra on Wednesday.

The draw of 2-2 remained unchanged until the 11th inning, when both team made a single to rewrite the score to 3-3.

Ueno Yokiko, 26-year-old outstanding pitcher from Japan who hurls at a speed above 110 kilometers per hour and worked nine innings in the match against the United States, played throughout the epic match.

The deadlock was finally broken at the conclusion of the 12th inning, when spectators were anxiously expecting the next one, short-haired Japanese Mishina Masumi, who had been in the third base, dashed out and reached the home plate before her Australian counterparts could deliver the ball back.

The winner sent the Japanese into the final while the Australian team settled for the bronze medal.

"We gave our best. We knew we were going to get hits against us and we got them, but we still did a great job," said Australian second base Sandy Lewis.

Admitting that the match was "both physically draining and mentally draining", Natalie Ward praised their rival.

"They showed so much fight spirit and so much courage," she said.

"When the match is prolonged to this moment, mindset of the players has become the most important factor," said Saito Haruka, head coach of the Japanese team.

The exhausted Japanese team is to face the United States again at the final on Thursday, which will be their third encounter at the Olympics.

In the preliminaries, the Japanese was battered by the American team 7-0.

This morning saw their second encounter in the semifinals which Japanese lost 4-1.

(Xinhua News Agency August 20, 2008)