United States beat Canada to set up Dominican Republic semi-final
The United States secured their place in the World Baseball Classic semi-finals with a 5-3 victory over Canada in Houston on Friday.
The hard-fought win sets up a highly anticipated Sunday-night clash against a formidable Dominican Republic side.
The Dominican team had earlier breezed past South Korea, invoking the mercy rule during a 10-0 victory in just seven innings.
Webb dominates before bullpen survives late scare
San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb provided a stellar foundation for the Americans by tossing four and two-thirds shutout innings.
Webb struck out five batters and limited the Canadian lineup to just four hits before departing to a standing ovation at Daikin Park.
A Kyle Schwarber groundout and a costly throwing error by Canadian third baseman Abraham Toro helped build an early advantage for Mark DeRosa’s side.
Brice Turang and Pete Crow-Armstrong extended the lead to 5-0 with run-scoring singles in the sixth inning.
Canada fight back but fall short
Canada responded immediately when Tyler Black delivered an RBI single off reliever Brad Keller.
The deficit was further reduced to two runs when Bo Naylor launched a two-run homer against left-hander Gabe Speier.
New York Yankees closer David Bednar navigated a tense seventh inning, escaping a jam with runners on second and third with nobody out.
Garrett Whitlock and Mason Miller then combined to secure the final six outs and seal progression for the United States.
Skenes prepares for star-studded Dominican test
Standout rookie Paul Skenes will take the mound for the USA in the semi-final with an expanded 95-pitch limit.
The American ace faces a daunting task against a Dominican offence that has already tied the tournament record with 14 home runs.
While the United States have occasionally struggled for offensive consistency during the tournament, their timely hitting proved just enough to advance.
