Defending champions South Korea smashed Israel's pitching on Monday, earning 18 hits in an 11-1 mercy-rule win to secure the first final-four berth of the six-team Tokyo 2020 tournament.

South Korea struck first with a sacrifice fly and added two more runs on a homer by Oh Ji-hwan, his second against Israel at the Games.

Israel's first baseman Danny Valencia walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 in the fifth inning.

But the score lasted for about as long as rain fell in the inning. Valencia spiked a throw to home plate in the bottom half of the fifth, allowing the first of seven runs that would go on to put South Korea up 10-1. A run in the seventh ended the game under the tournament's mercy rule for blowouts.