By RYAN PYETTE -- Winnipeg Sun
 BLACKTOWN, Australia -- In the dream, Heather Newsham comes in to relieve her sister Sandy, mows down Japan, and gives Canada a chance.

 In the dream, big sister Sandy comes back as a pinch-hitter (under softball's quirky re-entry rule) and hits a game-winning home run.

 But that's in the dream.

 Sometimes, the Olympics don't feel like a dream.

 Things don't always work out with the fairy-tale ending.

 That's why, after one of the greatest games they've ever played in, Winnipeg's Sandy Newsham cried, her eyes red from the dream that died.

 And Heather Newsham looked in shock.

 Japan defeated the Canadian women's team 4-3 in 10 innings last night, effectively burying Canada's hopes of advancing to the medal round of these Games.

 Sandy Newsham, the squad's top pitcher was not at her sharpest.

 In the top of the first, Japan leadoff hitter Haruka Saito bombed her third offering of the game into the seats. After a walk and a few singles, Japan had a 2-0 cushion, and the way Canada has struggled at the plate lately, two runs is usually enough.

 And when Japan added another run in the top of the sixth, it looked like the curtains were drawing.

 But in the bottom half, 22-year-old Vancouver native Erin Woods played hero-of-the-moment, belting a game-tying three-run home to centrefield.

 "It was a fastball a little outside, and I knew it was gone," said Woods. "It was definitely the biggest hit I've had in international competition. I think that was my first hit of the whole tournament."

 Heather Newsham came in to relieve Sandy, and just like the dream, she was spectacular, throwing three shutout innings.

 "I was actually a little bit scared because my speed was about three or four m.p.h. off," said 23-year-old Heather. "But I was proud of my performance."

 Still, in the 10th, the dreaded Saito swatted a triple with a runner aboard to make it 4-3.

 With a couple runners on in the bottom half, Sandy Newsham re-entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Canada. She struck out.

 "We had a chance, it just didn't happen for us," said Heather.

 It never happens for this team.

 They are one of the all-time bad luck squads. They were snakebit on some key calls, and you combine that with poor overall hitting, and you won't win much.

 "I thought we gave it our all, it just wasn't enough," said Sandy. "It was like this for us in April when we came here, and it's like that for us now."

 At the start of the tournament, the Canadians figured they would have to win four games to advance past preliminary play. The most they can win now is three.

 "I feel really sorry for these girls, their dream is slipping away from them," said Canadian coach Ron Clarke. "But you can't fault the way they've played. With a few breaks, our record could actually be reversed.

 "Not right now, but someday, these girls are going to look back at how good they played."

 And realize that win or lose, they were living out their Olympic dreams.