Japan downs USA, sets up rematch with Korea

Mar 23, 2009 - 3:27 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Kenji Johjima drove in a pair of runs and Akinori Iwamura added an RBI triple as Japan dispatched the United States, 9-4, in the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday.

Daisuke Matsuzaka lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits while striking out four, to earn his third win of the WBC for Japan, which will meet Korea for the fifth time in the tournament on Monday.

Korea and Japan have split four meetings so far in the WBC.

The U.S. jumped to an early lead in the top of the first when Brian Roberts led off the contest with a solo homer over the center field wall and led 2-1 after David Wright's RBI double in the third.

But the Japanese finally got to Roy Oswalt in the fourth inning when Atsunori Inaba and Michihiro Ogasawara led off with back-to-back singles. Inaba came in to tie the score at 2-2 when Kosuke Fukudome reached on Roberts' error and Ogasawara crossed to make it 3-2 on Johjima's sacrifice fly.

Iwamura followed with his RBI triple and came in to score Munenori Kawasaki singled to right. Hiroyuki Nakajima capped the scoring with an RBI double.

The U.S. managed to push two runs across in the top of the eighth and had the tying run at the plate, but Takahiro Mahara struck out Evan Longoria and got Roberts to ground out to end the threat.

The Japanese added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away.