Venezuela rallied for three runs in the seventh inning to beat Italy 4-2 on Monday at loanDepot Park and advance to the World Baseball Classic final against the United States, game reports said.
Trailing 2-1, Venezuela began the two-out rally when Jackson Chourio singled and Andres Gimenez advanced to third, according to game accounts. Ronald Acuña Jr. reached on an infield single that scored Gimenez to tie the game, and Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez followed with run-scoring hits to make it 4-2.
Italy had taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning when J.J. D’Orazio was walked home and Dante Nori produced a fielder’s choice that scored another run, game reports said. Eugenio Suárez hit a solo homer in the fourth to cut the deficit to one.
Italy was unable to respond in the late innings, and Daniel Palencia closed the game by striking out the final two batters in the ninth, according to the World Baseball Classic. Italy’s run through the tournament, which included a pool-play upset of the United States and a 4-0 finish in Pool B, drew widespread attention, with coverage noting the team’s mix of major leaguers, prospects and heritage players.
Team USA reached the final after a 2-1 semifinal win over the Dominican Republic, game reports said. The championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and Fox News reported that Nolan McLean is expected to start for the Americans.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
