With the teams scoreless after one inning, Miller hit an opposite field two-run homer to right center to give the USA an early 2-0 lead. Miller’s homer—his first and the fifth for the USA in three games—came off losing pitcher Tatsuya Hamaguchi.

“The ball was a dipper (drop ball),” Miller said. “It was a great pitch to hit and I was glad that I could give us an early lead.”

After Miller’s homer, which had Nate Devine (Merced, Calif.) aboard after reaching on a fielder’s choice, Japan cut the margin in half by scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning. Ryuji Hazeyama tripled to the left field corner to open the inning and scored on a fielder’s choice by Shubei Suzuki. It was the only run allowed by USA starter and winning pitcher Sonny Perkins (St. Michaels, Ariz.) who allowed only five hits in his first start at the World Cup. He fanned four and walked three.

The USA added to its lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Chris DeLarwelle (Appleton, Wisc.) that scored Lucas Goring (St. Paul, Minn.), who reached on a bunt to lead off the inning and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Miljavac (St. Joseph, Mo.).
An exclamation point was added in the sixth inning after Devine led off with a monster home run that cleared the trees in left field that gave the U.S. a comfortable 4-1 advantage.

Goring had a pair of singles in three at-bats to lead the USA six-hit attack.

Now 3-0, the USA will play two club teams from Spain on Wednesday, Halcones Tenerife and Santa Isabel Zaragoza.