Venezuela defeats Italy, sets up WBC final against US | Baseball News
Venezuela Advances to World Baseball Classic Final with Win Over Italy
Venezuela has reached its first World Baseball Classic (WBC) final, defeating Italy 4-2 in a semifinal match on Monday in Miami. The Venezuelan team will face the United States, which eliminated the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the first semifinal.
In the decisive seventh inning, Maikel Garcia delivered a tie-breaking single, leading Venezuela to a three-run rally fueled by four consecutive two-out hits. The matchup will occur on Tuesday night in Miami, where Venezuela seeks its first WBC championship while the U.S. aims for its second title.
Italy, which had been undefeated in the tournament, taking a 4-0 record in pool play and defeating Puerto Rico 8-6 in the quarterfinals, fell short despite an early 2-0 lead. The team scored its initial runs in the second inning when JJ D’Orazio drew a bases-loaded walk and Dante Nori hit a groundout, allowing a run to score.
As the game progressed, Venezuelan pitcher Michael Lorenzen faced challenges in the seventh inning. Gleyber Torres started with a leadoff walk, and following a strikeout of Wilyer Abreu, Jackson Chourio executed a hit-and-run, bringing pinch runner Andres Gimenez to third base. Ronald Acuña Jr.’s grounder to third resulted in a throwing error, allowing Gimenez to score.
Garcia’s critical single to left field scored Chourio, and Luis Arraez added an insurance run with a single that brought Acuña home.
The win was credited to Angel Zerpa, who secured the final two outs of the sixth inning. Eduard Bazardo and Andres Machado contributed by each pitching a flawless inning, while Daniel Palencia closed the game with a perfect ninth, recording two strikeouts.
Keider Montero started for Venezuela, conceding two runs over 1.1 innings. Both Garcia and Torres recorded two hits each, providing a significant offensive contribution.
Italy’s Aaron Nola allowed one run over four innings in a solid performance, while Zach Dezenzo recorded two hits for the Italian squad.
