Eri Yamada hit a two-run homer to highlight a four-run fifth-inning rally Sunday as Japan beat Venezuela 5-2 in the preliminary round of the Beijing Olympic softball tournament, securing a medal for the third straight Olympics.

Japan picked up its fifth win in six games and ensured that it will finish the group stage in the top two when Australia beat Canada 4-0 later in the day. Australia improved to 4-2 while Canada dropped to 3-3.

The top two in the preliminaries are guaranteed medals and face each other in a semifinal under softball's unusual playoff system. The loser gets another chance at the gold medal game if it can beat the winner of the other semifinal between third- and fourth-placed teams.

Japan has won a silver and a bronze with one fourth-place finish since softball became an official medal sport in the Olympic program in Atlanta in 1996. Softball will be dropped from the 2012 London Games along with baseball.