Bat flip, haka highlight Day 1 of WBC qualifier

Day one of the Australian qualifier for the World Baseball Classic in Sydney started off with tradition and ended with a merciful victory, as South Africa and Australia walked away victorious with routs of New Zealand and the Philippines respectively.

Although New Zealand's performance of the haka prior to their contest looked intimidating, it didn't scare the South African squad one bit, as they took home a 7-1 victory thanks to eight shutout innings from Seattle Mariners prospect Dylan Unsworth.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

And while South Africa easily handled the Kiwis, their performance was outdone by an impressive 11-1 victory from Australia over the Philippines, prompting a mercy rule after seven innings.

Twins minor-leaguer James Beresford went 4-for-5 with three RBIs leading off for the Aussies, while former Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Trent Oeltjen showed off his bat flip skills:

The WBC continues Thursday at 9 p.m. ET with the Philippines facing off against New Zealand in an elimination game.