Baseball World Cup Round 3, Chieti:
Canada – Venezuela 9-2
VEN 000 000 200 2 6 1 CAN 041 102 01X 9 12 0
Canada crushed Venezuela 9-2 in front of 300 people in Chieti, but still will miss out on a chance to play in the championship game on Sunday, as Team USA improved to 5-0. However the maple leafs are now the front runners to make it to the bronze medal game out of Pool G with a 3-2 record.
Canada used a fielder’s choice, an infield single, a hit batter and a walk to plate four runs in the second and to take a fast lead. Shawn Bowman and pitcher-turned-outfielder Adam Loewen later added solo homeruns to extend the gap. Rene Tosoni continued his strong performance with two hits, two runs and two RBI. Venezuela only managed two runs on a homerun by Rene Reyes in the top of the seventh.
Matt Kniginyzky (W 2-0) gave up only four hits and a walk in six scoreless innings to pick up his second win in the tournament. He struck out three and threw 46 of his 71 pitches for strikes. Orlando Perdomo (L 1-1) surrendered two hits, four runs and three bb in 1 2/3 innings.
Canada will play against the Netherlands on Thursday. Venezuela hopes for their first win in round three against Australia.