Light-hitting Japanese infielder Yoshinori Okihara doubled home one run and hit a three-run homer Tuesday to power Japan to 7-3 victory over Australia in an Olympic baseball preliminary at the Sydney Games.
Okihara's four RBIs erased an earlier three-run homer by former major leaguer and Chunichi Dragons slugger David "Dingo" Nilsson to lift Japan to its second win against one loss in the eight-team round-robin tourney.
Lotte Marines right hander Tomohiro Kuroki, currently on a five-game winning streak in the Pacific League, held Australian batters to five hits over eight innings and struck out nine for the win.
One of the hits given up by Kuroki was a towering homer in the third to Nilsson.
Okihara had no trouble with his stroke as the corporate league infielder doubled home a run in the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3 and then connected for a three-run clout in the sixth as Japan broke away for the win.
United States 6, Netherlands 2
U.S. starter Kurt Ainsworth settled down after a shaky first inning, leading the unbeaten U.S. to a victory over the Netherlands.
Cuba 6, South Korea 5
Cuba survived its first close call, rallying from a four-run deficit to beat South Korea on Juan Manrique's tiebreaking homer in the eighth.
Cuba, which has never lost in the Olympics, ran its record to 3-0 and its streak to 21 wins, including gold medals in Barcelona and Atlanta. South Korea fell to 2-1.
Also:Italy 13, South Africa 0