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.