Australia have given world No.1 Japan a scare at the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, leading the hosts for much of the game before succumbing 4-1.
Australia's Allan de San Miguel stunned the hosts with a second-innings home run to claim a 1-0 lead in their pool B encounter at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
Some assured pitching including two strike-outs by Tim Atherton protected the underdogs' lead until Japan tied it in the fifth innings
Atherton was replaced after conceding two hits to start the fifth before Nobuhiro Matsuda levelled scores with a sacrifice fly off reliever Lachlan Wells.
The game was deadlocked until the seventh innings, when second relief pitcher Matt Williams was dispatched over the left-field wall by Japan's Sho Nakata for a solo home run.
The host nation clinched the result with a two-run blast from Yoshitomo Tsutsugoh in the eighth inning.
Canberra pitcher Atherton was happy with his showing on the world stage as he seeks an avenue back to the United States, having left after five years in the Minor League.
"These are some of the best hitters in the world," Atherton said.
"To go out and pitch the way I did was awesome for me, personally."
Australian manager Tim Deeble was impressed by the world No.10 side's ability to match it with the tournament favourites for as long as they did.
"(Japan pitcher Tomoyuki) Sugano was throwing up to 97 miles an hour tonight, that's tough to hit in the big leagues," Deeble said.
"I thought our guys had some really good at-bats tonight, we really took it up to Japan and swung the bats pretty well."
Australia next meet China in pool B on Thursday morning, before a tough outing against world No.3 Cuba later in the day.
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