TAIPEI -- Yomiuri Giants catcher Shinnosuke Abe belted a two-run homer and drove in three runs Sunday as Japan posted its fifth straight win in World Cup competition with an 8-0 triumph over Australia.
The victory at Tienmou stadium kept Japan atop the standings in Group B and ensured the mixture of Japanese amateurs and professionals a berth in the quarterfinals of the championships next Friday.
Southpaw Yoshiteru Suda allowed only four hits over seven innings and struck out nine for Japan, while reliever Yuya Ando closed out the final two innings, giving up only one hit and a walk.
Abe connected for his two-run blast in the seventh after Japan had already built up a four-run lead on a solo shot by Ikuro Katsuragi of the Orix BlueWave in the fifth and a two-run double by Meiji University infielder Shingo Maeda in the sixth.
Maeda was playing for the Daiei Hawks' Tadahito Iguchi, who was hit in the left elbow by a thrown ball in Japan's 5-3 win over Cuba on Saturday night.
The 16-team tourney takes a day off Monday. Japan resumes play in Group B against Canada on Tuesday.