MAIKEL GARCIA hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning for Team Venezuela, which advanced to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) championship game by beating Team Italy, 4-2, on Monday 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 United States beat the Dominican Republic, 2-1, on Sunday in the first semifinal.
Venezuela is seeking its first championship while the United States 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鈥橭razio 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.
Garcia delivered the go-ahead single to left, scoring Chourio, before Luis Arraez provided insurance by singling home Acuna.
Venezuela starting pitcher Keider Montero gave up the two runs in 1 1/3 innings. 鈥 Reuters
