Canadians Dealt First Loss

Athens - Japan used two first-inning runs to hand the Canadian Olympic Baseball team its first loss of the Olympics, a 9-1 defeat, on Friday. 

Former Husker Adam Stern went 1-for-3 and collected one of Canada's five hits. Tsuyoshi Wada (1-0) pitched seven innings and did not allow a run while surrendering only three hits. Mike Johnson (1-1) took the loss for the Canadians.

Japan out hit Canada 11-5 and scored in each of the first five innings. The Canadian team avoided the shutout with a lone run in the ninth.

With the loss, Canada falls to 4-1. Canada, Japan and Cuba are in a three-way tie for first place, making Saturday's 3:30 a.m. (CDT) game with Cuba a key game for Canada when it comes time for seeding in the semifinals.