Bruin Quartet Wins Silver at 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

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TOKYO - Bruin alums Ally Carda, Rachel Garcia, Bubba Nickles and Delaney Spaulding earned silver medals representing the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Games, as softball returned to the Olympics for the first time since 2008.

Team USA won all five of its pool play games versus Italy (July 21), Canada (July 22), Mexico (July 24), Australia (July 25) and Japan (July 26) before falling to the host nation in the gold-medal game on Tuesday (July 27).

Spaulding started all six games, playing some sparkling defense at shortstop, while recording a double against Canada and four walks in 18 plate appearances. Carda played in three of the six contests. She earned the start in the pool-play finale against Japan, striking out nine in 5 1/3 innings, giving up an unearned run and four hits with no walks. Carda also scored the game-tying run in a walk-off win over Australia and fanned two in 2 2/3 innings of relief in the gold-medal contest. Nickles appeared in two games, earning a start in right field against Australia and recording a line-drive single and a walk in her only two trips to the plate in that contest. Garcia was only given pinch-hitting opportunities against Italy and Japan (pool play game).

The United States has medaled in all five Olympic Games where softball has been played, winning gold in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004) and silver in Beijing (2008) and Tokyo (2020). Softball will not be a part of the program for the Games in Paris in 2024, with the hope it returns to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.