Field Level Media
16 Mar 2023, 11:25 GMT+10
PHOENIX -- Mike Trout had three hits and three RBIs Wednesday to lead Team USA to a 3-2 victory over Colombia and a spot in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.
The U.S. and Mexico each finished 3-1 in games played at Chase Field to take the top two spots in Pool C. Mexico earned the top seed in the quarterfinals from the pool because of its 11-5 win over the Americans on Sunday.
The U.S. will play Pool D winner Venezuela in the quarterfinals Saturday in Miami.
Trout finished 3-for-4 with a triple and two singles while driving in all of Team USA's runs.
In his three previous WBC games, Trout was 2-for-8 while batting at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts was 2-for-13.
They combined for more hits against Colombia than what they had in the first three games, going 5-for-8. Betts was 2-for-4 with two runs.
The rest of the U.S. batters were 2-for-23 in the game.
The Americans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning thanks to a two-out rally by a Betts single. The Dodgers outfielder moved to second base on a wild pitch by Santiago Florez before Trout singled to center field that scored Betts.
U.S. starter Merrill Kelly, pitching at his home field with the Arizona Diamondbacks, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning but again encountered problems in the third after allowing a leadoff double to Oscar Mercado.
Following a ground out that moved Mercado to third base, Gio Urshela hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Mercado.
Jorge Alfaro then reached on an infield single before Reynaldo Rodriguez belted a double off the center field wall, scoring Alfaro to give Colombia a 2-1 lead.
The U.S. rallied for two runs in the top fifth behind a two-run single by Trout off reliever Jasier Herrera, who was fifth of eight pitchers used by Colombia.
Herrera came in for Ruben Galindo, the losing pitcher who walked U.S. catcher Will Smith and gave up a single to Betts before Trout's two-run single.
Ryan Pressly pitched ninth inning for the save, striking out Jordan Diaz to end the game after Elias Diaz reached before him on an infield single.
Kendall Gravemen pitched a scoreless fourth inning for the win.
--Javier Morales, Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Jamaican Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Jamaican Times.
More InformationLONDON, U.K.: British oil giant Shell has denied reports that it is in talks to acquire rival oil company BP. The Wall Street Journal...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in positive territory to start the week Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he was halting trade discussions with Canada due to its decision...
LONDON, U.K.: A little-known investment fund based in the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the most prominent public backer of U.S....
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Across the U.S., a growing number of people are taking obesity treatment into their own hands — literally....
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Under pressure from European regulators, Apple has revamped its App Store policies in the EU, introducing...
]LONDON, U.K.: A World Health Organization (WHO) expert group investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic released its final...
DOVER, Delaware: California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal aim at Fox News, accusing the network of deliberately distorting...
FRANKFURT, Germany: Germany has become the latest country to challenge Chinese AI firm DeepSeek over its data practices, as pressure...
TORONTO, Canada: Harvard University and the University of Toronto have created a backup plan to ensure Harvard graduate students continue...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel's success in the war with Iran could open the door to...
NEW DELHI, India: India has decided not to allow a United Nations (UN) investigator to join the investigation into the recent Air India...