Puerto Rico Tops Italy To Win Pool C

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Puerto Rico’s bid to return to the World Baseball Classic championship game is off to the right start.

Jose Berrios pitched five quality innings and Carlos Correa homered as Puerto Rico cruised past Italy 9-3 on Sunday in Jalisco, Mexico.

The victory wrapped up a 3-0 showing in Pool D play for Puerto Rico and sends it to the second round in San Diego, where it will be joined by Pool C champion Dominican Republic and two teams still to be determined.

Italy (1-2) struck first with home runs by John Andreoli and Drew Butera that gave the Italians a 3-1 lead going to the bottom of the second, but Puerto Rico responded with eight unanswered runs to run away with it. Carlos Beltran’s RBI double in the third gave Puerto Rico its first lead at 4-3, and Correa launched a three-run shot in the fourth the turn the close game into a rout.

Berrios settled down after allowing the early homers. He didn’t allow another hit after Butera’s second-inning blast and went five innings with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the victory.

Luis Lugo took the loss for Italy. He lasted 2.1 innings, gave up five hits and four runs (three earned), walked three and didn’t record a single strikeout.

Puerto Rico will open second-round play against the Dominican Republic in a rematch of the 2013 title game on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Italy awaits the final of the Mexico-Venezuela contest in the final Pool D game to learn its fate.