BLACKTOWN, Australia (AP) _ The U.S. softball team still has a chance at a gold medal. It's just taking more work than anybody expected.

Heavily favored before a three-game losing streak brought them to the brink of elimination, the Americans clinched at least a bronze on Monday (Sunday night EDT) when Stacey Nuveman homered in the third extra inning to beat China 3-0.

The deep drive gave the Americans their first extra-inning win after three losses. The homer started the crowd, led by Tom Lasorda and the U.S. baseball team, into a chant of "U-S-A!"

China, which lost to the Americans in the gold medal game in 1996 but beat them 2-0 in 14 innings in the round-robin, finished fourth.

Having avenged one of their preliminary round losses, the Americans will try to do the same against Australia. The winner plays Japan in the gold medal game.

Japan beat Australia 1-0 earlier in the day.

Arriving in Sydney with a 110-game winning streak that they extended to 112 with victories in their first two games, the Americans lost an unprecedented three straight.

All of them were scoreless heading into extra innings; two of them were, at the time, the longest games in Olympic history. Compared to those, Monday's 10-inning affair was relatively brief.

Lasorda, who was holding a practice for the U.S baseball team on the next field, brought his players over to cheer their countrymates. He signed autographs, posed for pictures with babies and led cheers, but by the 10th the crowd had settled into its seats, expecting a long one.

Both teams had their chances in regulation, but pitching continued to dominate. Michelle Smith struck out 10 in eight innings for the United States before Christa Williams pitched two hitless innings for the win.

Starting in the 10th, each half-inning begins with a baserunner on second in an attempt to break the tie. With Jennifer Brundage as the free runner, Smith walked and, one out later, Nuveman hit it deep to left to win the game.

At the conclusion, the Chinese held a brief discussion at home plate with the umpires, apparently claiming the home run was a foul ball.

Nuveman, the catcher, also combined with second baseman Dot Richardson to pick two runners off first base.

Smith struck out 19 against China in the preliminaries, but lost in the 14th on a throwing error. She was less dominant this time, allowing baserunners in every inning but the sixth and eighth.

Zhang Yanqing retired the first 12 batters before Crystl Bustos singled to lead off the fifth. Brundage, the Americans' leading hitter, bunted the runner to second, but she was stranded there.

Nuveman caught pinch-runner Qiu Haitao off first in the seventh when Richardson used her body to block the bag. One out later, Wei Qiang doubled over the right fielder's head.

But the threat ended when Mu Xia bunted into the air, and third baseman Lisa Fernandez made a diving catch for the third out.

China had runners on first and second in the ninth, but Fernandez fielded a grounder, flipped it behind her to third to Bustos, and she relayed to first for the inning-ending double play.

In the 10th, China moved the free baserunner to third. After fouling off a half-dozen pitches and working the count full, Yu Yanhong struck out, her fourth whiff of the day.

(Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)