South Korea joins Japan in WBC quarterfinals, advances with 7-2 win over Australia

South Korea advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic, moving past the first round for the first time since 2009 by beating Australia 7-2 on Monday night at the Tokyo Dome behind four RBIs from Bo Gyeong Moon, who leads the tournament with 11.

The South Koreans (2-2) finished second in Group C behind Japan and Shohei Ohtani, and they will next play at Miami on Friday. South Korea, Australia and Taiwan all had identical records, and South Korea needed to beat Australia by five runs or more to advance based on a tiebreaker of fewest runs allowed divided by defensive outs.

Australia would have advanced with a win or a loss by four runs or fewer.

Hyun Min Ahn hit a decisive sacrifice fly in the ninth that scored Hae-Min Park standing up. Do Yeong Kim walked against Jack O’Loughlin leading off and Park, a pinch runner, reached third when Jung Hoo Lee’s grounder off O’Loughlin’s glove went to shortstop Jarryd Dale, whose throw to second bounced into short right field for an error.

With Australia needing one run to advance, Chris Burke walked with one out in the bottom half and Lee robbed Rixon Wingrove of an extra-base hit with a sliding, backhand catch in the right-center gap. Pinch-hitter Logan Wade followed with a game-ending popout to Moon, and the first baseman threw his glove high in celebration.

Winner Ju Young Son pitched a scoreless first. Loser Lachlan Wells allowed two runs, two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings.

Moon had three hits, including a second-inning homer off Wells, and is batting .538 (7 for 13). Lee and Moon had RBI doubles in the third, and Moon added a run-scoring single for a 5-0 lead in the fifth.

Robbie Glendinning homered in the bottom half but Do Yeong Kim’s RBI single boosted the lead to 6-1 in the sixth. Top prospect Travis Bazzana hit a run-scoring single in the eighth.

Japan (3-0) closes group play on Tuesday against the Czech Republic (0-3).