Soft: Kerry's big hit makes her an Aussie idol

AAP General News (Australia)
08-23-2004
Soft: Kerry's big hit makes her an Aussie idol

By Guy Hand

ATHENS, Aug 22 AAP - If it wasn't for the timing of the Olympic Games, Australian softballer
and wannabe singer Kerry Wyborn says she would have been having a shot at Australian Idol.

Instead, she made herself one today with a big, match-winning hit to guarantee Australia
at least a Olympic silver medal and give her team a chance at gold tomorrow (eds: Monday
2300AEST) against the United States.

The singing softballer, who teammates rate as good a singer as a batter, hit a three-run
double with bases loaded under crushing pressure in the fifth inning to secure Australia
a 3-0 win over Japan in its sudden-death final.

Even the acid-tongued Idol judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson would have been impressed with
the New South Wales outfielder's composure on the biggest stage of her life today.

Except today it was the sweet sound of plenty of bat on ball as Wyborn batted in Simmone
(Simmone) Morrow, Tanya Harding and Tracey Mosley to ensure Australia will better its
bronze medal at the past two Games, no matter what the result against the US in the gold
medal match.

"Yeah, no pressure on me," joked the 26-year-old karaoke fan from Werrington in western Sydney.

"You've just got to relax, take it as it comes. You know you've done the training to
get to where you are.

"And then I hit it, and off she went."

Wyborn's heroics, coupled with another outstanding pitching effort from Queenslander
Tanya Harding, steered the Aussies past the 2000 Games silver medallist for the second
time at this tournament.

Harding gave up only three hits against Japan, which won the bronze medal after its loss today.

Harding has now not conceded a run in the 33 innings she has pitched at these Games
going into the final.

Despite a deflating 5-0 semi-final loss to the US earlier in the day, which consigned
them to the sudden-death semi-final, the Aussies were able to pump up their tyres in the
space of three hours to advance to the gold medal match.

Wyborn said the seeds of Australia's medal-winning performance were sown at a weekend
boot camp in Queensland in May.

There players twice went on team-building exercises for four and a half hours through
some of Australia's most challenging terrain.

"There's a good team unity. We went on a trip to Emu Gully up near Brisbane - it was
like a boot camp for us," she said.

"That showed the character, mateship and strength we all had in each other. We were
carrying each other on stretchers up vertical hills in pitch black darkness.

"That's what made us tougher and we also found out a bit about each other and what
we wanted to achieve.

"That's been a really pivotal thing as to why we're playing the way we are."

Australian head coach Simon Roskvist said his team's character to bounce back against
Japan after the US loss showed how tough they were.

"You needed a front-end loader to pick us up after that loss this morning," Roskvist said.

"So to bounce back like that, you bet we're pleased."

AAP gh/sp

KEYWORD: OLY SOFT AUST DAYLEAD

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