Australia has defeated Czech Republic 8-3 to advance to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time.
The win in Tokyo saw Australia finish with a 3-1 win-loss record on the Group B standings.
World number one Japan finished in top spot on 4-0.
"This is significant on so many levels," Australia manager Dave Nilsson told Baseball.com.au.
"This means a great deal to players who have represented Australia before us, to the current group and to future players.
"I hope people are inspired by this group's breakthrough."
Australia will face Cuba — the top team in Group A — in its quarterfinal in Tokyo on Wednesday.
The winner will progress to the semifinals, which will be played in Miami.
Against Czech Republic, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the first on Alex Hall's solo homer off Martin Schneider.
The Czechs tied it at 1-1 in the third on Eric Sogard's single that scored Petr Zyma.
Logan Wade's two-run double in the seventh off the right field wall broke the tied score and drove in Robbie Glendinning and Aaron Whitefield.
Australia padded its lead by making it 6-1 in the eighth, and again it was Hall — this time with a triple — that scored Ulrich Bojarski and Tim Kennelly. Glendinning's subsequent single added another.
Marek Chlup's two-run single in the eighth narrowed the margin to 6-3, but Australia replied with two more of its own in the ninth.
Australia was coming off a 7-1 loss to top-ranked Japan on Sunday, but had upset world number four South Korea 8-7 earlier in the tournament.
AP/ABC
