Venezuela Beat Italy To Set Up WBC Final Against US

Maikel Garcia hit a tie-breaking ‌single in the seventh inning for Venezuela, which advanced to the ⁠World Baseball Classic (WBC) ⁠championship game by beating Italy 4-2 on Monday night in Miami.

Venezuela, which pieced together four straight two-out hits in a three-run seventh, will ⁠play the United States for the title on Tuesday night in Miami.

The US beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 on Sunday in the first semifinal.

Venezuela is ⁠seeking its first championship, while the US is aiming for its second crown. Both teams went 3-1 in pool play before winning their first two games in the knockout rounds.

The loss was the first of the WBC for Italy, which ‌made a Cinderella run to the semifinals by going 4-0 in pool B play before beating Puerto Rico 8-6 in a quarterfinal at Houston on Saturday.

Italy, which took a 2-0 lead in the second when JJ D’Orazio drew a bases-loaded walk, and Dante Nori hit into a run-scoring groundout, was eight outs away from another upset when Venezuela rallied against losing pitcher ⁠Michael Lorenzen.

Gleyber Torres worked a leadoff walk in the seventh, ⁠before Lorenzen whiffed Wilyer Abreu and William Contreras. Venezuela pulled off a hit-and-run in which Jackson Chourio singled pinch runner Andres Gimenez to third.

Ronald Acuna Jr followed with a grounder to the third ⁠base side of short, where Sam Antonacci picked the ball cleanly but bounced the throw to first, as Acuna arrived ⁠safely, and Gimenez scored.