Crushing the softball and the spirits of its Chinese hostesses with a nine-run first inning, the powerhouse U.S. team moved within two wins of a fourth consecutive gold medal with a 9-0 victory over China.
Destroying opponents just as they did four years ago, the Americans pushed their Olympic winning streak to 21, and right now, the run doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of ending anytime soon.
Hitting, pitching, running, fielding. Nobody does it better than the Americans, who are conducting a softball clinic in the sport's farewell performance for at least eight years.
This has been easy, maybe a little too easy. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 53-1 (Canada's run in an 8-1 loss was unearned) and the Americans have only had to play five innings in each of their past four games, which have been halted because they've been so far ahead.
A Beijing beatdown.
Before coming to China, the U.S. players weren't sure how, or if, they could top their performance from the Athens Games in 2004, when they beat teams by a combined 51-1 and were crowned "The Real Dream Team."
Well, while the rest of the softball world has improved, the Americans have stepped up their game, too.
The gold medal is as good as around their necks.
The U.S. (7-0) tied an Olympic record -- one of the few they didn't already own -- with their nine-run outburst in the first, which included Kelly Kretschman's three-run homer, three doubles, three singles and two pitchers.
Chinese coach Wang Lihong had to rescue starter Lu Wei.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the big inning, though, was that it all came with two outs.
"I forgot that," Natasha Watley said. "I got back in the dugout and was like, 'Oh my gosh, we did all that with two outs."'
Kretschman even had two strikes on her before the outfielder, who has the New York Yankees' interlocking "NY" logo tattooed on her ankle, tattooed one of Lu's pitches over the fence in right for the U.S. team's 13th homer.
The Americans kept rounding the bases like they were running laps at the Bird's Nest, and by the time inning was over, the "Jia You (Let's Go), China" chants from the partial home crowd had been silenced.
On deck in Wednesday's medal round for the U.S. is Japan (5-1), a team the Americans rocked 7-0 earlier in the tourney. But the Japanese held ace Yukiko Ueno out of that matchup, saving the right-hander for another crack at the U.S. lineup.
Cat Osterman pitched three shutout innings and Finch took care of the final two against the Chinese (2-5), who tossed souvenir softballs into the crowd at Fengtai Field following their last Olympic game until at least 2016.
The IOC voted softball off the 2012 program in London, a decision some feel was rooted in the Americans' dominance in the sport. They've won six consecutive world titles and the three gold medals awarded since Atlanta in 1996.
Osterman and her teammates make no apologies about their superior skills.
"We shouldn't have to come in here and defend what we're doing on the field."
Watley got things started in the first as she patiently worked from behind in the count, taking a couple close outside pitches and fouling off others, to draw a leadoff walk.
She took second on a passed ball and Lu hit Jessica Mendoza in the back. Slugger Crystl Bustos popped out on the first pitch, and the Chinese were nearly out of trouble.
Against the U.S., nearly is about as good as it gets.
The game had just started, but it was over.
"It's tough to give up nine runs in the first inning and play with this team," U.S. coach Mike Candrea said. "We're in good place right now, but we understand the journey is just beginning."
Earlier, the Netherlands got its first Olympic win, 4-2 over Taiwan. The Dutch (1-6) are leaving China enriched by the experience and eager to spread softball's word in Europe, where it's still growing and where it needs to expand to help the sport return to the games.
"This can only help," shortstop Sandra Gouverneru said. "I'm not sure I can wait another eight years to play in another Olympics, though. It took me 12 years to get here."
In the evening session, Canada (3-3) faces Japan and Venezuela (2-4) plays Australia (4-2).
The Canadians must win to qualify for the medal round.
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