Team USA defeated Team Canada 5-3 on Friday night in the World Baseball Classic Quarterfinals at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. The win propels the USA into the semifinals in Miami on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Team USA got their offense going in the very first inning of this one. Off of Mike Soroka, Kyle Schwarber collected an RBI on a groundout and gave the Americans a 1-0 lead early.
Mark DeRosa turned to Logan Webb to make his second start of the tournament for the USA. Webb allowed two baserunners to reach, but worked his way out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
In the third, Team USA would add to the lead. Alex Bregman drove in a run with an infield single, and a Canadian error brought home a second on the same play. That gave the Americans a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, Team USA extended the lead once more. This time, Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong both contributed RBI singles to make it a 5-0 lead.
Team Canada would finally cut into the lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning. An RBI hit followed by a two-run homer from Bo Naylor made it 5-3 after six frames.
The 5-3 lead would hold down the stretch as David Bednar, Garrett Whitlock and Mason Miller all worked scoreless frames for the Americans. They held on with that lead and won 5-3.
BIG NUMBER: 2
Despite all their drama so far, Team USA sits two wins away from winning the WBC. They will need to beat two formidable opponents, but the opportunity exists, which seemed difficult at different times this tournament.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Logan Webb
Webb went four and two-thirds scoreless in this game. That effort saved the USA bullpen and allowed the Americans to save some of their best bullets for the semifinal round.
UP NEXT: Team USA will face the Dominican Republic in the semifinal in Miami on Sunday at 7:00 PM.