World Baseball Classic: Italy doesn't stop anymore, beats Puerto Rico and is in semifinals

Italy&#8217s dream at the World Baseball Classic continues. At the end of a contest with lots of emotions, the Azzurri managed to impose themselves on Puerto Rico (8-6 the final), winning the pass to the semifinals. An extraordinary result, so much so that people are talking about “Cinderella story”. For Francisco Cervelli’s team, this is a real feat.

After a bad start, Italy scores four runs in the first inning. It scores four more in the fourth inning to take an 8-2 lead. It seems over but Puerto Rico gets back into the game in the final inning. The Puerto Ricans put four runs on the board in the eighth inning. It took Greg Weissert to find a way to block Puerto Rico’s comeback and bring home the win for the Azzurri.

“Imagine being here for the first time and making it to the semifinals” said Francisco Cervelli, a longtime major league catcher making his debut as Italy’s coach. “It&#8220s unbelievable. It’s amazing. This is one of the best chapters of my life”, his words reported by ESPN.

“Clearly the’goal is to win the tournament and try to be the best baseball team ever, but it&#8217s also about attracting attention and uniting people around the sport” the words of Vinnie Pasquantino, captain of the National Team.

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In the semifinals Italy will face Venezuela, which managed to win the match with Japan: 8-5 the final. The match is scheduled for the night between Monday and Tuesday. The Azzurri have no intention of settling. The goal is to continue the dream. It should be noted that, at the moment, Italy is undefeated at the World Baseball Classic. A confirmation of an extraordinary tournament by the Azzurri.