World Baseball Classic Qualifier: Day Two Recap

DAY TWO

9/23/2016

Friday's WBC qualifier games ranged from classic pitching duel to all out romp.  Israel was home team in the early game versus Brazil, while Pakistan played host to Great Britain in the nightcap.

GAME #3 FINAL

Brazil   0

Israel    1

Israel starter Corey Baker exited on the winning side of a 1-0 game after five strong innings of work, in which he allowed just one hit and three walks, and fanned five.  Baker faced 19 batters, and threw 85 pitches with 52 going for strikes.

Four members of the Israeli bullpen combined on the remaining four innings, allowing no runs, two hits and two walks, while fanning six.  Brad Goldberg pitched the ninth inning for the save.

Brazil, likewise pitched superbly.  Starter Bo Takahashi pitched well, allowing a lone run on just two hits and a walk, with five strikeouts over four innings of work.  The bullpen followed up with four scoreless innings of one hit baseball.

Israel scored the lone run of the game in the fourth inning.  Designated hitter Nate Freiman led off with a double, then advanced to third when Ike Davis reached on an E4.  With runners on the corners and no outs, third baseman Cody Decker's sacrifice fly to center soon plated Freiman.

The victory, Israel's second, punched their ticket to Sunday's final game.

GAME #4 FINAL

Great Britain 14

Pakistan          0

For a second time in this qualifier, new team on the block Pakistan bowed in abbreviated fashion.

On Friday, they managed a 4-0 deficit through the first four innings of play.  But Great Britain blew the doors open with six runs in the fifth, and another three runs in the sixth.  When they tacked on yet another run in the top of the seventh, play was called (mercy rule).

Pakistan previously suffered a seven inning 10-0 defeat in Thursday's opening game against Team Brasil.

Pakistan is eliminated after being outscored 24-0 in just 14 innings of play.  These games however, should rightfully be viewed as a small step for Team Pakistan, and one giant leap for Pakistani baseball.

To the victor ... the spoils.

Great Britain center fielder and lead-off hitter Champ Stuart went 3 for 4 with three RBI.  Second baseman Albert Cartwright was 2 for 2 with a walk, three runs scored, and two RBI.

Starter Greg Hendrix tossed the first four innings, allowing a hit, and fanning three.  Three relievers contributed an inning apiece in closing out Great Britain's first victory of the tourney.

SATURDAY

WBC Qualifier Semi-Final

Brazil

vs.

Great Britain

FROM

MCU PARK

Coney Island, Brooklyn