ATHENS, Greece - The zeros are beginning to line up like Olympic rings for the U.S. softball team.

Lori Harrigan allowed only a first-inning bunt single and Crystl Bustos homered today as the Americans posted their fourth straight shutout of these games, a 4-0 win over China.

Harrigan, a security supervisor at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas when she's not whipping fastballs past hitters, struck out eight as the U.S. (4-0) coasted past another of the tournament's medal contenders.

Lovieanne Jung had two RBI and Leah O'Brien-Amico drove in a run as the Americans ran their winning streak to 74 games and their international record against China (2-2) to 10-1. The U.S. has outscored its opponents 24-0 in the preliminary round of the Olympic tournament.

Unlike their thrilling win Monday against Japan, this one was easy for the Americans, who have blanked Italy, Australia, Japan and now China in succession. Since softball joined the Olympics in 1996, the United States has recorded 14 shutouts in 23 games.

Harrigan, a three-time Olympian, allowed only two baserunners in the second straight dominant performance by a U.S. pitcher. On Monday, Cat Osterman pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts as the Americans beat Japan 3-0 in eight innings.

Harrigan doesn't get the publicity of teammates Jennie Finch, Lisa Fernandez or even Osterman. But the left-hander has been one of the mainstays for the U.S. team for more than a decade.

China was one of three teams to beat the U.S. during round-robin play four years ago in Sydney, winning 2-0 in 14 innings. However, the Americans avenged that setback - and the two others - with a 3-0 victory in 10 innings in the semifinals on their way to a second straight gold medal.

For the third time in four games, the Americans scored in the first inning, taking a 2-0 lead off Chinese starter Lu Wei.

Natasha Watley reached on shortstop Wei Qiang's error leading off, and Lisa Fernandez walked on four pitches with two outs. Jenny Topping also walked and Jung, whose walk after a 17-pitch at-bat keyed Tuesday's win over Japan, dropped a two-run single into shallow left-center.

The U.S. tacked on a run in the second - again with two outs - as Watley walked, stole second and scored when O'Brien-Amico sliced a double that fell just inside the left-field foul line.

Bustos, considered the world's best power hitter, connected for his first homer of the games in the fifth inning.

The muscular Californian had been 1-for-10 in the tournament before pulling a pitch from Li Qi over the 220-foot wall in left. As she left the batter's box, Bustos did a Sammy Sosa-like hop before heading toward first.

As she came to the plate where her teammates were waiting to greet her, Bustos let out a big exhale as if relieved to have finally contributed to one of the U.S. wins.