Colombia shuts out Netherlands, earns second win

After having suffered a tight, tense loss to rival Venezuela by one run on Friday, Colombia made sure everything was working for its third game of the U-23 World Cup.

Boosted by a seven-run top of the fourth inning, world No. 15 Colombia rolled over No. 8 the Netherlands in a run-rule victory, cruising to a 10-0 win in six innings on Saturday afternoon in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

Colombia’s offense got on the board in the third inning when leadoff man Gustavo Campero -- on the way to a four-hit game -- doubled to right-center with one out, stole second, and scored on Jordan Diaz’s groundout to third.

One inning later, the floodgates opened. Colombia sent 11 men to the plate and scored seven of them with the big blow in the inning coming courtesy of Jesus Marriaga’s two-run homer to right field. In addition to Marriaga, Brayan Buelvas, Rafael Romero, Campero and Diaz all drove in runs in the inning, and Leandro Emiliani reached twice, singling to open the frame and walking again later as the 10^th man to the dish.

The world No. 15 put the game away in the sixth. After Campero singled up the middle for his fourth hit to lead off the inning, Marriaga was hit by a pitch two batters later, and the pair advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch thrown by Netherlands reliever Jasper Elfrink. Emiliani then singled through the right side of the infield to plate his team’s ninth and tenth runs.

In the bottom of the sixth, Colombia starter Luis Moreno finished off a masterful complete game, retiring the side in order. In his six innings, Moreno scattered three singles and racked up seven strikeouts without issuing a walk, throwing 46 of his 64 pitches for strikes.

On Sunday, the Netherlands is back in action against Panama at 10:30 while Colombia will square off with Nicaragua from 15:00 at Estadio Sonora in Hermosillo.