Overshadowed by the home runs hit by Sho Nakata and Nobuhiro Matsuda, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo was something of an unsung hero in Japan's 10-2 victory over the United States on Saturday night in the Premier 12.

Tsutsugo didn't blast a homer like his two teammates. But without his earlier offensive efforts, the game at Taoyuan International Stadium could've been a lot tighter.

Tsutsugo drove in a run with a double to cut a 2-0 deficit to one in the fourth. And in his next plate appearance, he again came up with an RBI double to pull Samurai Japan even before Nakata belted a three-run homer in the sixth.