HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 21 (acn) Puerto Rico became the first finalist of the 4th World Baseball Classic (WBC) when beating 4-3 the Netherlands in a hard-fought match on the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The decision came in the eleventh inning through the use of the IBAF or Schiller rule and after four hours and 27 minutes, time in which the runners-up in the 2013 edition got their ticket to the final.
Closer Edwin Diaz earned the win in a game in which the Puerto Ricans batted 12 hits and their rivals 11; while Lock Van Mil took the loss.
The Netherlands went ahead in the very first inning through a 2-run home run by Wladimir Balentien -his fourth in the contest-.
Puerto Ricans leveled the score in the bottom of that same inning thanks to Carlos Correa's 2-run homerun; and in the second frame they took the lead 3-2 through a solo homer to the account of T. J Rivera.
The Dutch managed to match in the fifth inning through an RBI-double by Shawn Zarraga, and the score remained tied 3-3 until the bottom of the 11th when Eddie Rosario hit a sacri-fly to centerfield which took his team to the final for second consecutive edition of the WBC.
Thus, Puerto Rico remains unbeaten in the event and will face in the final the winner of the US-Japan match, agreed for today at 9 pm.
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