03/16/26 09:59:00
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03/16 21:57 CDT Venezuela rallies past Italy 4-2 with 3-run 7th and will face
US for World Baseball Classic title
Venezuela rallies past Italy 4-2 with 3-run 7th and will face US for World
Baseball Classic title
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
MIAMI (AP) --- Ronald Acua Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez hit run-scoring,
two-out singles in a seventh-inning rally that led Venezuela over Italy 4-2 on
Monday night and into its first World Baseball Classic championship game.
Venezuela overcame a 2-0, fourth-inning deficit after rebounding from a
three-run hole to beat defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal and reached
the final for the first time after losing to South Korea in its only previous
semifinal appearance in 2009.
It meets the United States for the title on Tuesday night and appears likely to
start Eduardo Rodrguez against the Americans' Nolan McLean. Because both teams
are 5-1, a coin toss was held earlier Monday to determine the home team, and
the U.S. won.
Italy, the first European nation to reach a WBC semifinal, had been 5-0 in the
tournament and sparked attention with an espresso-sipping ritual after home
runs and victory celebrations featuring Italian wine.
But a team with three Italy-born players, a handful of major leaguers and many
from the minors couldn't hold a late-inning lead against a batting order that
got three straight RBIs from All-Stars as a pro-Venezuelan sellout crowd at
loanDepot park roared.
Italy went ahead in the second when Keider Montero forced in a run with three
straight walks, the last to J.J. D'Orazio. Dante Nori hit into a run-scoring
forceout against Ricardo Snchez, the first of six relievers who combined to
finish a five-hitter.
Eugenio Surez's fourth-inning homer off Aaron Nola started the comeback, and
winner Angel Zerpa escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when he threw a
sinker on the outside corner past Sam Antonacci.
Gleyber Torres walked leading off the seventh against loser Michael Lorenzen,
and Jackson Chourio's two-out single put runners at the corners.
Acua grounded to the shortstop hole and beat Antonacci's throw from the
outfield grass as pinch-runner Andrs Gimnez scored. Garcia lined a 2-0
fastball to left, driving in Chourio with the go-ahead run, and Arraez chased
Lorenzen when he singled on a full-count fastball.
Daniel Palencia got three outs for the save, striking out Antonacci to end the
game.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
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