Panama City. A surprising Brazil makes it all the way to the final of the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Panama City with a 7-1 win against Colombia. Both teams get 11 hits in the game and both team waste a lot of opportunities. Colombia scores only one run (in the fifth, against reliever Yoshimura) and suffers the first loss of the tournament.
Brazil gets the go ahead run in the fourth, against reliever Mendoza, on a base hit by Felipe Burin.
Colombia, after going scoreless against starter Nakaoshi, ties the game on a base hit by Jolbert Cabrera, that scores Renteria (in the line up as the DH) from second.
Brasil gets ahead again in the bottom half of the frame with Leonardo Reginatto, who gets on base with a one out double and scores on Cleveland Indians’ Yan Gomes single.
Brasil doesn’t need to look back, as they score their third run in the sixth and open the score with a 3 run seventh, highlighted by another RBI single by Gomes and an RBI double by Burin. The third run of the at bat comes on a wild pitch.
Reginatto bats in the seventh run in the bottom of the eigth.
Brazil cruises to the Monday night final, while Colombia will play on Sunday the winner of Saturday’s elimination game between Panama and Nicaragua to secure a spot in the championship game.
