2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers

There were four qualifying tournaments held in 2012 for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, with one team advancing from each pool to join the 12 squads that had qualified previously by winning at least one game in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Each of the pools included one team with previous experience in the WBC, but which failed to win a single game during the 2009 tournament. For roster information, see 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers (Rosters)

Qualifier 1

• September 19 to September 23 in Jupiter, FL USA (played at Roger Dean Stadium)
• Participating teams:  France,  Israel,  South Africa,  Spain

September 19

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Israel	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	2	7	10	1
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	3	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Eric Berger (1-0) Loss: Dylan Unsworth (0-1)
Home Runs
Israel: Nate Freiman in 1st inning, 2 RBI; Freiman in 9th inning, 2 RBI South Africa: None
Umpires
HP: Chris Segal (USA); 1B: Sean Barber (USA); 2B: Trevor Grieve (Canada); 3B: Jens Waider (Germany)
Time of Game: 3:16 Attendance: 1,581

Israel, despite never having played in a European Championship, was given a spot in the qualifiers. Stacking their roster with American Jewish players, they rolled past South Africa in their opener. 1B Nate Freiman started the scoring with a solo homer off 20-year-old Dylan Unsworth in the first. After that, Unsworth settled down, shutting out Israel for the next five innings. He was matched zero for zero, though, by Eric Berger, Brett Lorin and Josh Zeid. Jared Elario relieved Unsworth to open the 7th and Israel got an insurance run as 3B Josh Satin walked, advanced on a single by 2B Jack Marder and a bunt by C Charlie Cutler and scored on a wild pitch.

Cutler hit a 3-run double off Carl Michaels in the 8th to put Israel in front, 5-0. In the 9th, Freiman hit a two-out shot off Michaels for his second homer of the day. Backup LF Adam Greenberg walked, then DH Shawn Green got hit to left. An error on the play by Karl Weitz put the faux Israelis in front, 7-0.

After shutout work from Berger, Lorin, Zeid and David Kopp, Israel went with one of their three real Israelis, Shlomo Lipetz to try to finish it off in the bottom of the 9th. 3B Jonathan Phillips and 1B Shannon Ekermans drew back-to-back walks. After CF Brett Willemburg flew out, Lipetz also walked C Kyle Botha. American Jeff Kaplan replaced Lipetz but was also wild, walking Weitz to force in South Afria's first run. RF Alessio Angelucci hit into an error by SS Jake Lemmerman to make it 7-2, then DH Richard Holgate grounded in a run. Down by four with two aboard, South Africa's rally ended when SS Gift Ngoepe popped up to his counterpart, Lemmerman.

September 20

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2
Spain	2	3	2	0	0	0	0	1	X	8	16	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Nick Schumacher (1-0) Loss: Patrice Briones (0-1)
Home Runs
France: None Spain: Bárbaro Cañizares in 8th inning, 1 RBI
Umpires
HP: Quinn Wolcott (USA); 1B: Jairo Mendoza (Nicaragua); 2B: Sean Barber (USA); 3B: Trevor Grieve (Canada)
Time of Game: 2:51 Attendance: 975

Fresh off a Bronze Medal at the 2012 European Championship, Spain starts off with a bang, with 7 runs in the first 3 innings. CF Engel Beltre (3 for 5, 2 R, RBI, 3B) and 2B Paco Figueroa (3 for 4, 2 R, 2 RBI) lead a balanced offense, while Nick Schumacher, Remigio Leal and Jose Cruz team up on a shutout. Two of France's more experienced pitchers, starter Patrice Briones and reliever Mathieu Brelle-Andrade, who pitches the 3rd inning, give up the bulk of Spain's runs.

September 21

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Israel	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	4	7	1
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	8	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Justin Schumer (1-0) Loss: Richard Salazar (0-1) Save: Josh Zeid (1)
Home Runs
Israel: Nate Freiman in 6th inning, 2 RBI; Freiman in 8th inning, 2 RBI Spain: None
Umpires
HP: Sean Barber (USA); 1B: Chris Segal (USA); 2B: Jens Waider (Germany); 3B: Jairo Mendoza (Nicaragua)
Time of Game: 2:43 Attendance: 814

Israel continues its excellent performance with a 4-2 win over Spain that leads it directly into the group finals. Once again, the hero is 1B Nate Freiman, with another pair of two-run homers. The game is scoreless through 5 innings as the two starters, right-hander Justin Schumer for Israel and lefty Richard Salazar for Spain, are both very strong. In the 6th, Ben Guez leads off with a fly ball that is misplayed by CF Engel Beltre, putting him on third base. With one out, Freiman blasts a ball over the left-field fence for a 2-0 lead. The Spaniards get one of these runs back in the bottom of the inning when Paco Figueroa scores on a single by Rafael Alvarez coupled with CF Guez's error.

Israel adds two more runs in the 8th on Freiman's fourth homer of the tournament, once again with a runner on base, this shot coming off Ivan Granados. Spain scores once off reliever Josh Zeid in the bottom of the 9th. C Adrian Nieto doubles to lead off the inning and pinch-runner Juan Salazar comes in to score on a pair of ground outs, but it's too little, too late.

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
South Africa	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	3	5	5	1
France	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	11	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Dylan De Meyer (1-0) Loss: Pierrick Lemestre (0-1)
Home Runs
South Africa: None France: None
Umpires
HP: Trevor Grieve (Canada); 1B: Jairo Mendoza (Nicaragua); 2B: Quinn Wolcott (USA); 3B: Chris Segal (USA)
Time of Game: 3:57 Attendance: 922

• Game suspended by rain after 9 innings with score tied 2-2; resumed on September 22nd

The underdog French team entered the contest knowing it would likely be its only opportunity to win a game in the most prestigious baseball competition it had ever entered. On the mound was Franco-American Owen Ozanich, fresh off an outstanding season for the French champions Rouen Huskies. Facing him was Wade Mackey, with experience in the US minor leagues. The game began after a two-hour and 18-minute rain delay. France drew first blood when Maxime Lefevre was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the 1st and took second on CF Emmanuel Garcia's single. A fly out by Rene Leveret moved him to third and he scored on Sneideer Santos' ground-out. Carlos Hereaud then singled in Garcia, and France was up, 2-0. Ozanich kept the South Africans off the scoreboard for three innings, giving up three walks, but no hits. Veteran Mathieu Brelle-Andrade followed him on the mound, but after a scoreless 4th, he lost the plate in the 5th. Five walks, a sacrifice bunt, a fielder's choice, two pitching changes and a run-scoring balk by reliever Thomas Meley allowed the South Africans to tie the score without the benefit of a hit in an inning that was interrupted for 26 minutes by another rain shower.

However, France's unheralded pitchers managed to keep South Africa hitless untill the 8th inning, when Karl Weitz squeaked out a two-out infield single off 18-year-old Leonel Cespedes, who pitched four scoreless innings. SS Gift Ngoepe, a veteran of the 2009 World Baseball Classic and of the US minor leagues, got a double off Cespedes in the 9th, but was stranded, one of 10 baserunners left on base by South Africa through the first 9 innings, as France's pitchers issued 10 walks while striking out as many. For its part, France managed 8 hits, including another double by Andy Paz, but was unable to add another run off Mackey and reliever Hein Robb, a Minnesota Twins farmhand who pitched 5 scoreless innings. France managed to place a number of runners on third base, but could not score again, coming closest when Leveret come in from third on a fly ball to left by Hereaud, only to see Santos tagged out at third just before Leveret crossed the plate. With the time approaching 1 AM, 9 innings had been played to a 2-2 score when another rain shower hit and officials elected to suspend the game until the next day.

When play resumed on September 22nd, Pierrick Lemestre was on the mound for France and another US minor leaguer, Dylan De Meyer, came out for South Africa. C Kyle Botha was caught stealing to end the top of the 10th, then France came within a whisker of winning the game. Leveret doubled with one out and De Meyer gave an intentional walk to pinch-hitter Florian Peyrichou; Hereaud singled to right, but the two runners advanced only a single base, French manager Jim Stoeckel having declined to use a pinch-runner for the slow-footed first baseman. De Meyer then recovered to strike out Frédéric Hanvi on a borderline pitch on a full count, and then Marc Ramirez in succession to escape the inning. It was now the South Africans' turn to threaten in the 11th, as Karl Weitz opened the inning by drawing a walk and Wesley Hoskins followed with a single. The French almost escaped when Alessio Angelucci bunted into a double play, Leveret catching his pop-up and doubling off a surprised Hoskins. Lemestre then walked Ngoepe intentionally, but Paul Bell doubled, scoring both runners. Jonathan Phillips followed with another single, and the South Africans were up by three. Reliever Thomas Langloys loaded the bases with another walk - France's 14th of the game - but got Shannon Ekermans to fly out. France put a pair of runners on in the bottom of the 11th, but could not score against De Meyer, and the game ended, 5-2, in South Africa's favor. It was South Africa's first-ever win in World Baseball Classic competition - they had lost all of their games in both the 2006 and 2009 tournaments, and their first contest in the qualifiers - but they would now need to face Spain only a few hours later. France was eliminated but could hold its head high, having held its own against two much more experienced squads.

September 22

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Spain	0	4	4	1	0	0	0	1	3	13	14	2
South Africa	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	2	5
Pitchers of Record
Win: Ricardo Hernández (1-0) Loss: Kieran Lovegrove (0-1)
Home Runs
Spain: None South Africa: None
Umpires
HP: Quinn Wolcott (USA); 1B: Sean Barber (USA); 2B: Jairo Mendoza (Nicaragua); 3B: Jens Waider (Germany)
Time of Game: 3:11 Attendance: 1,183

Spain advanced to the finals with a lopsided victory over a tired South African team, just coming off an exhausting win over France that had taken 11 innings over two days and countless rain delays to complete. The fresher Spaniards took early advantage of their opponents' wildness to score 4 runs in both the 2nd and 3rd innings, and never looked back. After a scoreless 1st inning, major league veteran Bárbaro Cañizares opened the second with a single and took second on an errant pick-off throw by South African starter Kieran Lovegrove. Yunesky Sanchez drew a walk and C Adrian Nieto bunted both over; Lovegrove then hit Gabe Suarez with a pitch, loading the bases. Yasser Gomez singled in two runs, Jesus Golindano was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and a walk to Engel Beltre brought in a third run, chasing Lovegrove. Reliever Jared Elario then plucked Paco Figueroa, and Spain had scored 4 runs on just two hits. It was more of the same in the 3rd, as Spain put two runners on with a walk and an error by 1B Shannon Ekermans, but their bats then took over, with a single, a triple by Golindano and a double by Figueroa accounting for 4 more runs.

Spanish starter Ricardo Hernández gave up only 2 hits in 5 innings of work and left with a 9-1 lead, the only South African run coming in the 4th, when Jonathan Phillips reached on an error by 3B Golindano and scored on Ekermans' double. South Africa added a pair of unearned runs in the 6th against reliever José Cruz. Phillips walked to start the inning, and Cruz threw away Brett Willemburg's short ground ball, allowing Phillips to score and putting Willemburg on third base, from which he scored on a ground ball. That was the last hurrah for the Africans; Spain scored once more in the 8th and three times in the 9th to make the final score 13-3 and set up a rematch with Israel in the pool finals. South Africa had only 2 hits on the day, and committed 5 errors, showing that they were still a ways behind the stronger teams int he group, not to mention the nations already qualified for the main draw of the WBC.

September 23

at Roger Dean Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Spain	0	0	1	3	1	0	1	1	0	2	9	15	0
Israel	2	0	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	7	7	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Iván Granados (1-0) Loss: Josh Zeid (0-1)
Home Runs
Spain: None Israel: None
Umpires
HP: Chris Segal (USA); 1B: Trevor Grieve (Canada); 2B: Jens Waider (Germany); 3B: Quinn Wolcott (USA)
Time of Game: 4:50 Attendance: 4,463

Spain defeated Israel in an extra-innings thriller in the Pool finals to win its first ever berth to the World Baseball Classic. The match-up featured Eric Gonzalez for Spain and Eric Berger for Israel, but neither would last long. Israel scored twice in the bottom of the 1st inning, but Spain cut that lead in half with a run in the top of the 3rd. Israel got that run back immediately, chasing Gonzalez in the process, but the Spaniards jumped on Berger in the next frame, scoring three runs to take a 4-3 lead. Berger was gone, having given up 4 runs on 8 hits in 3 1/3 innings. In the bottom of the 4th, the Israelis scored three runs of their own against Leslie Nacar, taking the lead once again, 6-4, a lead which the Spaniards cut down to a single run the next inning.

Israel nursed its 6-5 lead until the 7th, when Spain tied the game against Jeff Kaplan, and then took the lead with another run off David Kopp in the top of the 8th when Yunesky Sanchez drove in Paco Figueroa, triggering wild celebrations on the Spanish bench. The see-saw battle continued however, as Israeli CF Ben Guez doubled off Remigio Leal and scored on a passed ball by C Adrian Nieto in the bottom of the inning. The score was now tied at 7-all, and remained that way after neither team scored in the 9th. In the 10th, Spanish CF Engel Beltre walked against Josh Zeid and Figueroa was hit by a pitch. DH Rafael Alvarez bunted both into scoring position and Sanchez hit a single up the middle, scoring both runners. P Iván Granados then kept Israel from scoring in the bottom of the inning, completing an excellent relief stint which saw him keep the Israelis hitless over 2 2/3 innings. The game ended after almost 4 hours of play with Spain claiming the right to take part in the World Baseball Classic for the first time.

Spain could thank its bullpen for a clutch performance, as besides Granados, Eduardo Morlan pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up a single hit and no runs. Overall, Spain's pitchers issued 11 walks, and Israel's 7, while there were 7 hit batsmen altogether, including SS Jake Lemmerman of Israel who was plunked three times by three different pitchers. Sanchez and 3B Jesús Golindano both had 3 RBIs for Spain, while Sanchez collected 4 hits and LF Gabe Suarez had three more. For Israel, Guez's double was the only one of their 7 hits that went for extra bases. LF Cody Decker had a pair of RBI while the hero of the team's first two games, 1B Nate Freiman, went 1 for 3 with a pair of walks, scoring a run and driving in one to complete an excellent tournament.

Qualifier 2

• September 20 to September 24 in Regensburg, Bavaria Germany (played at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena)
• Participating teams:  Canada,  Czech Republic,  Germany,  United Kingdom

September 20

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United Kingdom	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	x	x	1	4	3
Canada	2	0	0	0	1	0	8	x	x	11	11	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Shawn Hill (1-0) Loss: Chris Reed (0-1) Save: Chris Kissock (1)
Home Runs
Great Britain: Albert Cartwright in 6th inning, 1 RBI Canada: Jimmy Van Ostrand in 7th inning, 2 RBI
Umpires
HP: Stephen Barga (USA); 1B: Will Little (USA); 2B: Liang-Kuei Hsieh (Taiwan); 3B: Marco Screti (Italy)
Time of Game: 2:28 Attendance: 3,704

The heavily-favored Canadian team took an early lead over Great Britain in the opener of the qualifying group, then went on to an emphatic 11-1 win with an 8-run outburst in the 7th inning that triggered the termination of the contest due to the mercy rule. In the 1st, with minor leaguer Chris Reed on the mound, Chris Robinson walked then advanced to third on 3B Michael Johnson's error on Tim Smith's single. Reed threw a wild pitch, and Smith scored on Jimmy Van Ostrand's ground-out to give Canada a 2-0 lead. Reed and the bullpen settled down until the 5th, when Canada scored a third run, off Michael Roth, when Adam Loewen doubled to score Van Ostrand.

Albert Cartwright gave the British team a measure of hope when he homered off Canada's starter, former major leaguer Shawn Hill, to lead off the 6th, cutting the lead to 3-1. Hill had to leave the game two outs later, having reached the 85-pitch pitch count limit. He had given up just that one run on 3 hits, and would earn the win; Chris Kissock replaced him and gave up only a single in an inning and a third. In the bottom of the 7th, Canada's offense got to work in earnest. Tyson Gillies doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Robinson's single; Van Ostrand then crushed a two-run homer off Roth. A three-run double by Skyler Stromsmoe, a walk to Jonathan Malo and a triple by Gilles gave Canada a 10-run lead, triggering the invocation of the mercy rule.

September 21

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Czech Republic	0	0	0	0	1	0	x	x	x	1	5	2
Germany	3	0	0	0	8	5	x	x	x	16	10	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Mike Bolsenbroek (1-0) Loss: Michal Sobotka (0-1)
Home Runs
Czech Republic: none Germany: Matt Weaver in 5th inning, 4 RBI
Umpires
HP: Ben May (USA); 1B: Michael Ulloa (Spain); 2B: Marco Screti (Italy); 3B: Will Little (USA)
Time of Game: 2:15 Attendance: 3,019

Germany handed the Czech Republic an old-fashioned beat-down in its opening game. Playing in front of a home crowd, the Germans jumped on Czech starter Michal Sobotka for three runs in the 1st inning. Leadoff hitter Eric Suttle hit a double to start things off and Matt Vance was hit by a pitch. Max Kepler tripled to drive in both runners, and Donald Lutz added a ground-out that scored Kepler. Sobotka settled down after that, retiring 12 of 13 batters at one point, but his teammates could not muster much offense off German starter Mike Bolsenbroek until the 5th, when Jakub Sladek drew a lead-off walk, stole second and reached third on a single by Martin Drong. He then scored an unearned run when 1B Lutz dropped Bolsenbroek's pick-off attempt.

However, the Germans would awake immediately thereafter. In the bottom of the 5th, Toby Gardenhire hit a lead-off double and scored on Vance's sacrifice bunt. Kepler hit a grounder that went through the legs of 1B Pavel Budsky for another run and Lutz walked to load the bases. Petr Minarik relieved Sobotka, but he poured gasoline on the flames, giving up a single to Aaron Altherr and walking Simon Gühring and Kai Gronauer. Matt Weaver then followed with a grand slam and Germnay was up, 11-1. After the Czechs went down without scoring in the top of the 6th, Germany added another 5 runs in the bottom of the frame to trigger the mercy rule. Substitutes Maximilian Boldt, Mike Larson and Jake Shaffer all drove in runs with singles, and Gühring drew a bases-loaded walk. When Radim Chroust hit Jendrick Speer with a pitch, a 16th run came across, the 15-run lead being enough to end the game on the spot.

September 22

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
United Kingdom	3	0	3	1	0	0	3	2	0	12	13	2
Czech Republic	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	5	10	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Jacob Esch (1-0) Loss: Jan Blažek (0-1)
Home Runs
Great Britain: Bradley Hubbert in 7th inning, 1 RBI Czech Republic: none
Umpires
HP: Marco Screti (Italy); 1B: Stephen Barga (USA); 2B: Liang-Kuei Hsieh (Taiwan); 3B: Ben May (USA)
Time of Game: 3:10 Attendance: 1,806

Great Britain eliminated the Czech Republic by taking early control of the game against starter Jan Blažek after a 45-minute rain delay at the outset. In the 1st inning, Blažek struggled with his control, giving up a couple of hits and hitting a batter before balking home a first run; Aeden McQueary singled home two more runs for a quick 3-0 lead. The Brits were at it again in the 3rd, as Bradley Hubbert walked and Chris Berset was hit by a pitch; Sam Wiley singled in a fourth run and McQueary doubled in another run to chase Blažek. A passed ball by C Petr Čech let in another run and Great Britain was in the driver's seat, leading 6-0.

Miami Marlins farmhand Jacob Esch started for Great Britain, giving up 5 hits and walking none in 6 innings. He did give up a pair of runs in the bottom of the 3rd, when the Czechs strung together three consecutive two-out hits, a single by Jakub Hajtmar, a double by Mike Cervenak and another single by Jakub Malik. Hubbert drove in Albert Cartwright in the 4th for another British run, and when Esch left after 6, his team was up 7-2. They added three more runs in the 7th as Hubbert hit a solo homer off Marek Minařík and pinch-hitter Matt Roxburgh knocked in a run with a double. Trailing 10-2, the Czechs showed some life, taking advantage of an error by 2B Richard Klijn and a passed ball by C Berset to score a couple of runs charged to reliever Paul Waterman. In the 8th, Great Britain scored twice and the Czechs once, making the final score 12-5. The Czechs were eliminated, while the Brits moved on; SS Cartwright was 3 for 5, LF Hubbert 2 for 3 with 3 runs and as many RBI, and 1B McQueary 2 for 5 with 3 RBI to lead the offense.

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Canada	3	0	1	0	0	0	5	2	5	16	21	1
Germany	0	3	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	7	12	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Sheldon McDonald (1-0) Loss: Luke Sommer (0-1)
Home Runs
Canada: Jimmy Van Ostrand in 1st inning, 3 RBI; in 3rd inning, 1 RBI; Tyson Gillies in 7th inning, 0 RBI; Jordan Lennerton in 8th inning, 1 RBI; Rene Tosoni in 9th inning, 4 RBI Germany: none
Umpires
HP: Will Little (USA); 1B: Ben May (USA); 2B: Michael Ulloa (Spain); 3B: Liang-Kuei Hsieh (Taiwan)
Time of Game: 4:00 Attendance: 4,085

The battle of first-game winners turned to Canada's clear advantage, although it was close for a while. The Canadians jumped on young German starter Alex Burgos, who walked the game's first two batters, and then allowed a three-run homer to Jimmy Van Ostrand. But Germany came back quickly , with a three-run inning of its own in the 2nd against starter James Avery. Van Ostrand hit another homer in the 3rd, but Germany came right back as Donald Lutz led off the bottom of an inning with a double and scored on a sacrifice and a groundout. The score remained tied at 4-4 until the 7th, as relievers Jamie Richmond for Canada and Luke Sommer for Germany both pitched well. But Tyson Gillies took Sommer deep with one out in the 7th, the first of 7 straight hits, as relievers Justin Kuehn and Will Ohman got rocked. Tim Smith hit a triple during the string, and Canada was up 9-4 when they made their third out.

Germany got a couple of runs back in the bottom of the 7th, but Canada got these back immediately, as Jordan Lennerton hit a solo homer. In the 9th, Rene Tosoni hit a grand slam off Markus Solbach as Canada continued to pull away. A German run in the bottom of the 9th made the final score 16-7. The Canadians headed to the finals, with Von Ostrand having gone 4 for 6 with 3 runs and 5 RBI, and Gillies, Adam Loewen and Shawn Bowman having three hits each. Reliever Sheldon McDonald received credit for the win as the Canucks used 6 pitchers, while Sommer was charged with the loss in spite of having been the Germans' best hurler.

September 23

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Germany	3	2	0	0	4	1	6	x	x	16	13	2
United Kingdom	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	x	x	1	2	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Enorbel Márquez (1-0) Loss: Kyle Wilson (0-1)
Home Runs
Germany: Aaron Altherr in 5th inning, 2 RBI; Matt Weaver in 7th inning, 3 RBI Great Britain: None
Umpires
HP: Stephen Barga (USA); 1B: Ben May (USA); 2B: Michael Ulloa (Spain); 3B: Liang-Kuei Hsieh (Taiwan)
Time of Game: 2:35 Attendance: 1,452

Germany thoroughly outplayed Great Britain to reach the pool finals. Pitcher Enorbel Márquez was absolutely dominant, allowing a single baserunner through his first 6 innings, that resulting from a 4th inning error by 1B Donald Lutz that allowed Steven Bumbry to reach first base. In the meantime, Germany relentlessly pounded a group of British pitchers who were simply not up to the task. Starter Kyle Wilson set the tone, allowing all three batters he faced to reach base without the benefit of a hit. When his first pitch to clean-up hitter Lutz was another ball, his 13th in 17 pitches, manager Sam Dempster yanked him in favor of Greg Hendrix. He gave up a single to Lutz and a pair of sacrifice flies, giving the Germans an early 3-0 lead. Max Kepler then hit a two-run single in the 2nd to make it 5-0.

The Germans broke the game open in the 5th when Lutz reached on an error and Aaron Altherr followed with a homer off Daniel Cooper. 2B Toby Gardenhire drove in a couple more runs with a double and it was now 9-0. After another run in the 6th, Germany exploded for 6 more runs in the 7th, taking advantage of the wildness of P Estevenson Encarnacion who plucked three batters to load the bases; Mike Larson hit a two-run single, C Kai Gronauer drove in another run, and Matt Weaver capped the outburst with a three-run homer against David Rees to make it 16-0. The only suspense remaining at that point was whether Márquez would be able to complete a no-hitter. SS Albert Cartwright ended that speculation by leading off with a clean single to left and two batters later Bradley Hubbert drove him in with another single to break the shutout. Márquez retired C Chris Berset and reached his pitch count limit of 85 against DH Matt Roxburgh, but he flied out to end the game.

September 24

at Armin Wolf Baseball Arena
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Germany	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	x	1	3	3
Canada	4	3	0	1	0	0	0	3	x	11	12	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Andrew Albers (1-0) Loss: Andre Hughes (0-1)
Home Runs
Germany: Aaron Altherr in 5th inning, 1 RBI Canada: Chris Robinson in 1st inning, 2 RBI; Adam Loewen in 2nd inning, 2 RBI; Jimmy Van Ostrand in 4th inning, 1 RBI
Umpires
HP: Ben May (USA); 1B: Will Little (USA); 2B: Michael Ulloa (Spain); 3B: Marco Screti (Italy)
Time of Game: 2:33 Attendance: 2,720

Canada completed a flawless tournament by crushing Germany, 11-1, in a one-way game in the finals. Lefthander Andrew Albers, chosen by manager Ernie Whitt over veteran Mike Johnson, was dominant, retiring the first 9 batters he faced on his way to giving up a mere two hits and no walks in 6 innings. Backed up by a solid defense, led by SS Jonathan Malo and RF Adam Loewen, he never gave the Germans a chance to develop anything at the plate. His opponent, Andre Hughes, was chosen because of his experience in international competition and with the hope that, as a lefthander, he could counter the lefty-heavy Canadian line-up. It did not work at all. Hughes walked CF Tyson Gillies to start the game, gave up a homer to right to the next batter, C Chris Robinson, then walked Canada's next two hitters, DH Tim Smith and 1B Jimmy Van Ostrand. Both came in to score, and Canada was off to an early 4-0 lead. After two outs in the 2nd, Smith and Van Ostrand hit back-to-back doubles to chase Hughes, then Loewen greeted reliever Eugen Heilmann with an opposite-field homer on his first pitch, and the game was for all intents and purposes over.

With Albers mowing down the Germans systematically, and Canada adding another run in the 4th on Van Ostrand's fourth homer of the tournament, it was only a question of when the mercy rule would kick in. The Germans showed a bit of life in the middle innings, when LF Eric Suttle got his team's first hit on a dribbler down the third base line in the 4th, and RF Aaron Altherr hit a solo homer to the deepest part of the ballpark the following inning. For the second time in facing the Canucks, Luke Sommer proved to be Germany's most efficient hurler, giving up a single run - Van Ostrand's homer - in 3 1/3 innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Canada got to work again in order to end the game early, victimizing a string a string of relievers seeing their only action of the tournament to score the three runs required to trigger the mercy rule. 3B Shawn Bowman doubled in a couple of runs off Martin Dewald, then scored the game-ending run when 2B Toby Gardenhire relayed wildly after catching Rene Tosoni's shallow fly ball.

Canada outscored its opponents 38-9 in the three games in order to punch its ticket back to the World Baseball Classic. Team Canada was clearly the class of the pool, and while the Germans showed that they were a couple of notches above the other two European contenders, their pitchers were never able to contain the Canadians' bats over the two games between them, ensuring that their dream of acceding baseball's biggest international showcase would have to wait some more.

Qualifier 3

• November 15 to November 18 in Taipei Taiwan (played at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium)
• Participating teams:  Chinese Taipei,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  Thailand

November 15

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Philippines	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	3	0	8	12	1
Thailand	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	7	7
Pitchers of Record
Win: Jon-Jon Robles (1-0) Loss: Kamolphan Kanjanavisut (0-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: D.J. Reyburn (USA); 1B: Kouichi Tanba (Japan); 2B: Mark Ripperger (USA); 3B: David Kulhanek (Czech Republic)
Time of Game: 3:10 Attendance: 923

The Philippines easily dispatched one of their closer talent rivals historically, with a combination of offense, pitching and bad Thai defense.

Thailand struck first, in the bottom of the first off Jon-Jon Robles. RF Nathan Lorentz led off with a single and an error on the play by SS Ryan Pineda put him on second. Robles retired 2B Apichat Ngamying, then walked DH Johnny Damon and threw a wild pitch. CF Joseph Daru singled in Lorentz for a quick 1-0 lead. After that, Robles calmed down and would allow no runs before leaving in the 5th.

The Philippines went ahead in the 4th. DH Andres Vazquez drew a walk from Thai national team veteran hurler Kamolphan Kanjanavisut and 3B Fernando Laurel singled. RF Alec Rosales doubled in a run. After a balk by Kanjanavisut that scored Laurel, CF Devon Ramirez singled in another run. In the 5th, Laurel doubled in Vazquez (who reached on an error by 3B Somsak Sarnwit) and they kept padding their lead until they finished with the 8-2 final score.

Both Pineda and Laurel had 3 hits for the victors, while Thailand had as many errors as hits, with two miscues apiece by Sarnwit and SS Adichat Wongvichit.

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	6	1
Chinese Taipei	0	0	1	1	8	0	-	-	-	10	11	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Yao-Lin Wang (1-0) Loss: Lincoln Holdzkom (0-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: John Tumpane (USA); 1B: Mark Ripperger (Japan); 2B: David Kulhanek (Czech Republic); 3B: Su-Won Choi (South Korea)
Time of Game: 2:29 Attendance: 9,788

The hosts kicked off with an easy mercy rule rout, as Yao-Lin Wang, Chin-Chih Huang, Ta-Yuan Kuan, Kai-Wen Cheng and Sung-Wei Tseng team up on a 6-hit shutout, fanning nine, with no New Zealander getting more than one hit. American minor league veteran Lincoln Holdzkom shut down Taiwan for two innings but then allowed a run in the third when he plunked 3B Yung-Chi Chen, who came around on a hit by RF Chien-Ming Chang after two bunts; Chang would finish with a 3-hit game.

In the fourth, star 1B Cheng-Min Peng was hit by a pitch as well, stole second, advanced on a throwing error by C Beau Bishop and came home on a single by LF Szu-Chi Chou. The next inning, they completed the scoring with a 8-run frame, off Landon Adelman, Joseph Boyce and Wayde Bremner. Yung-Chi Chen had the biggest of the many hits, a bases-clearing double.

November 16

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New Zealand	1	4	1	1	2	1	1	1	-	12	14	0
Thailand	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	-	2	4	4
Pitchers of Record
Win: Makauley Fox (1-0) Loss: Nattapong Meeboonrod (0-1)
Home Runs
New Zealand: Boss Moanaroa in 8th inning, 1 RBI
Umpires
HP: Kouichi Tanba (Japan); 1B: Su-Won Choi (South Korea); 2B: D.J. Reyburn (USA); 3B: John Tumpane (USA)
Time of Game: 3:05 Attendance: 1,160

New Zealand scored in every inning to stay alive while eliminating Thailand, which again struggled on all ends of the ball. New Zealand 2B Alan Schoenberger led off the game with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out hit by 1B Boss Moanaroa off Nattapong Meeboonrod. In the second, LF Moko Moanaroa hit a leadoff single. CF Max Brown hit into an error by 3B Nattapong Sampahangsit. Schoenberger then cracked a 2-run double and 3B Daniel Lamb-Hunt added a run-scoring single. After a pick-off, Meeboonrod hit two batters, walked one and gave up a single to DH Daniel Devonshire that made it 5-0. New Zealand never looked back.

Schoenberger finished 3 for 4 with 2 walks, 4 runs and 2 RBI, while SS Scott Campbell was 2 for 4 with two runs and 3 RBI and Boss Moanaroa added a solo homer in the 8th to end the scoring. Makauley Fox allowed one run in five for the win. 1B Johnny Damon had two of Thailand's four hits and scored one of their two runs.

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Chinese Taipei	0	0	3	0	8	0	5	-	-	16	14	1
Philippines	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	0	1	5
Pitchers of Record
Win: Yu-Ching Lin (1-0) Loss: Ryuya Ogawa (0-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: Mark Ripperger (USA); 1B: David Kulhanek (Czech Republic) ; 2B: Su-Won Choi (South Korea); 3B: D.J. Reyburn (USA)
Time of Game: 2:51 Attendance: 10,911

The home crowd had a lot to cheer about, as Taiwan nearly no-hit the Philippines squad in a 16-0 rout.

Yu-Ching Lin (4 IP), Yu-Kang Fu (1 IP), Yao-Hsun Yang (1 IP) and Yi-Hao Lin (1 IP) combined on the gem, with the lone hit coming from SS Ryan Pineda, a 4th-inning double. In the meantime, the Taiwan hitters went to town off the Philippines staff. Ryuya Ogawa, a Japanese-Filipino hurler with NPB experience, got the start and did the best job, allowing 3 runs in 4 innings whereas his bullpen gave up 13 runs in 3 innings.

Taiwan got going off Ogawa in the 3rd. CF Chih-Yao Chan had a one-out single. Ogawa got RF Chien-Ming Chang, but had trouble with the heart of the order. 1B Cheng-Ming Peng drew a walk, SS Chih-Sheng Lin singled and LF Ssu-Chi Chou walked as well to make it 1-0. 3B Yung-Chi Chen then hit a 2-run single for a 3-0 lead. After Ogawa left, Taiwan had a huge 8-run 5th, with four walks, 3 doubles, a single and 3 errors during a span in which they only had one batter retired.

Peng finished 3 for 4 with two walks, 3 runs and a RBI, DH Yi-Chuan Lin was 2 for 5 with 5 RBI and Choi drew four walks to lead a 14-hit, 12-walk offensive. For the Philippines, both Pineda and 1B Leighton Pangilinan had two errors.

November 17

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New Zealand	0	0	3	0	3	1	3	0	0	10	12	3
Philippines	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	6	9	7
Pitchers of Record
Win: John Holdzkom (1-0) Loss: Charlie Labrador (0-1) Save: Lincoln Holdzkom (1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: John Tumpane (USA); 1B: Mark Ripperger (USA) ; 2B: Su-won Choi (South Korea); 3B: Kouichi Tanba (Japan)
Time of Game: 3:03 Attendance: 503

New Zealand got revenge for their game one loss to the Philippines, eliminating the latter country.

The Philippines got on the board first. 1B Leighton Pangilinan led off the bottom of the second with a double off Andrew Marck, and 3B Fernando Laurel walked. John Holdzkom replaced Marck and made an error on a grounder by DH Alec Rosales to make it 1-0, but struck out the next three batters in turn.

In the third, New Zealand went ahead for good. LF Moko Moanaroa hit into an error by Pangilinan. CF Max Brown singled off Charlie Labrador, then 2B Alan Schoenberger laid down a bunt single to load the bases. RF Tim Auty hit into a 2-run error by SS Ryan Pineda then SS Scott Campbell added a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead. They padded their lead in the 5th. Auty led off with a single, Labrador plunked Campbell and then threw a wild pitch. 1B Boss Moanaroa singled in both runners but was thrown out trying for second, by Jonash Ponce. 3B Daniel Lamb-Hunt started another rally with a single. After an out, C Beau Bishop walked and Moko Moanaro hit into another Pangilinan error to make it 6-1.

For the Philippines, Pangilinan's 3 errors and Pineda's 2 led a defensive disaster. For New Zealand, Lamb-Hunt finished 3 for 5 and Campbell drove in 3 runs. Jamie Wilson turned in solid relief (1 R in 4 2/3 IP) after replacing John Holdzkom, while John's brother Lincoln Holdzkom worked the final 1 2/3 IP for the save. Nick Dawson was charged with four of the Philippines' six runs but all were unearned.

November 18

at XinZhuang Baseball Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1
Chinese Taipei	0	1	0	6	0	0	2	0	-	9	8	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Yao-Hsun Yang (1-0) Loss: John Holdzkom (1-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: D.J. Reyburn (USA); 1B: John Tumpane (USA) ; 2B: Kouichi Tanba (Japan); 3B: Mark Ripperger (USA)
Time of Game: 3:31 Attendance: 8,163

Taiwan finished dominating their pool with another shutout win. In the bottom of the second, the hosts got a quick run off John Holdzkom. SS Chih-Sheng Lin singled and stole second, LF Szu-Chi Chou walked and 3B Yung-Chi Chen was plunked to load the bases. DH Yi-Chuan Lin hit into a run-scoring double play. In the 4th, they put it away. Chih-Sheng Lin again got it going, this time with a double and a steal. Chou grounded out, but Chen singled in Lin. Chen stole second and advanced on a wild pitch. Yi-Chuan Lin drew Holdzkom's 3rd walk and Andrew Marck relieved him. 2B Yen-Wen Kuo greeted the reliever with a run-scoring single to right for a 3-0 lead. C Chih-Kang Kao walked, as did PH Kuo-Hui Kao to make it 4-0. RF Chien-Ming Chang cleared the bases with a double. Riki Paewai relieved Marck at that point. Taiwan ended the scoring in the 7th off Lincoln Holdzkom. Yi-Chuan Lin doubled. With two away, backup CF Cheng-Wei Chang walked, then Chien-Ming Chang singled; an error by RF Tim Auty on the play made it 9-0.

Qualifier 4

• November 15 to November 19 in Panamá Panamá (played at Rod Carew Stadium)
• Participating teams:  Brazil,  Colombia,  Nicaragua,  Panama

November 15

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brazil	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	10	2
Panama	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	6	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Ernesto Noris (1-0) Loss: Ernesto Silva (0-1) Save: Thyago Vieira (1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: Toby Basner (USA); 1B: Domingo Polanco (Dominican Republic) ; 2B: Angel Campos (USA); 3B: Jair Fernandez (Mexico)
Time of Game: 3:23 Attendance: 13,728

Playing for the first time since the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup, Brazil had a dramatic return to their international stage with an upset of host Panama to open the Pool.

Panama looked sharper in the first couple of innings. Andre Rienzo, a Brazilian with AAA experience, began the game by walking LF Isaias Velasquez. 1B Daniel Matsumoto made an error on a pick-off attempt by Rienzo, then C Carlos Ruiz drew a walk. Rienzo threw a wild pitch to put men on the corners against 1B Carlos Lee, the all-time home run leader for players born in Panama with 358. Lee failed to deliver, hitting into a double play. In the 2nd, CF Rubén Rivera singled and Matsumoto again made an error on a pick-off. 2B Jose Macias singled in Rivera, but Rienzo escaped further damage when RF Concepción Rodríguez lined into a double play with two on and one out.

Brazil went ahead in the top of the 3rd, against another AAA hurler, Paolo Espino. CF Paulo Orlando hit a one-out triple and then scored on a single to center by 3B Leonardo Reginatto. C Yan Gomes singled to put men on the corners, but DH Reinaldo Sato, the cleanup man, struck out. Angel Cuan relieved to face Matsumoto, who grounded back to Cuan. Cuan threw to Lee, who made an error to let Reginatto score the go-ahead run.

Panama tied it in the bottom of the inning. Velazquez singled off Rienzo, then stole second with one out. After a wild pitch by Rienzo, Ruiz hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-2. In the 4th, Panama got two men into scoring position against Rienzo. Cuban league veteran Ernesto Noris Chacon relieved and retired Velazquez on a grounder to escape the jam; it was the only batter Noris faced but he would wind up with the win.

In the 5th, Reginatto drew a leadoff walk from Ernesto Silva. Gomes singled, then Sato bunted both runners over. Veteran major leaguer Ramiro Mendoza relieved Cuan, becoming the fourth Panamanian hurler. He struck out Matsumoto, but LF JC Muniz singled home Reginatto for a 3-2 lead, giving Brazil its final margin of victory. They almost got a second run on the play, but Gomes was thrown out trying to score.

Murilo Gouvea relieved for Brazil in the bottom of the 5th and did a splendid job, with 3 1/3 shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks while fanning three. Gouvea tired in the bottom of the 8th, though, allowing hits to Ruiz and Lee with one out. Collegian Kesley Kondo relieved Gouvea and retired two former big leaguers in Rivera and Macias to end the rally. In the bottom of the 9th, Thyago Vieira got the save for Brazil, allowing only a walk to PH Jeffer Patiño to seal the upset.

November 16

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Nicaragua	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	8	1
Colombia	0	5	0	1	0	0	0	2	-	8	9	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Sugar Ray Marimon (1-0) Loss: Erasmo Ramirez (0-1)
Home Runs
Nicaragua: Cheslor Cuthbert in 4th inning, 1 RBI Colombia: Giovanny Urshela in 4th inning, 1 RBI; Steve Brown in 8th inning, 2 RBI
Umpires
HP: Clint Fagan (USA); 1B: Cesar Valdes (Cuba); 2B: Toby Basner (USA); 3B: Domingo Polanco (Dominican Republic)
Time of Game: 3:31 Attendance: 3,621

In a seeming mismatch, AA hurler Sugar Ray Marimon outdueled major leaguer Erasmo Ramirez as Colombia pulled off a big win in their opener. Ramirez didn't even make it through the 2nd, victim of pitch count issues; in particular SS Edgar Renteria stretched his 1st-inning at-bat against Ramirez to 15 pitches before getting a single. In the 2nd inning inning, RF Diover Avila drew a leadoff walk. With one out, 3B Giovanny Urshela singled and CF Steve Brown singled as well for a 1-0 lead. Ramirez plunked 1B Reynaldo Rodriguez to load the bases. SS Renteria hit into a run-scoring force out. 2B Donovan Solano tripled in two runs and an error on the play by 2B Ronald Garth allowed Solano to score as well for a 5-0 lead. Colombia never had to look back.

Marimon, pitching five innings, allowed only a homer to 3B Cheslor Cuthbert in the 4th and three other hits while walking none. He was followed by four relievers who each tossed shutout ball. Colombia, meanwhile, tacked on some insurance runs on a solo homer by Urshela off Gustavo Martinez in the 4th and a two-run jack by Brown against Uber Paz in the 8th.

November 17

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Colombia	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	11	0
Brazil	0	0	0	1	1	1	3	1	-	7	11	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Carlos Yoshimura (1-0) Loss: Cristian Mendoza (0-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: Angel Campos (USA); 1B: Jair Fernandez (Mexico); 2B: Clint Fagan (USA); 3B: Cesar Valdes (Cuba)
Time of Game: 3:33 Attendance: 2,952

Brazil kept on rolling, locking up a spot in the final of the pool with a romp past Colombia.

Colombia was hampered early when starter Marwin Vega had to leave after one batter due to a leg injury. Ivan Julio relieved and worked shutout ball for 2 2/3 IP. In the bottom of the 4th, Brazil got on the board against a third Colombian hurler, Cristian Mendoza. DH Reinaldo Sato led off with a single and was balked over. After two outs, 2B Felipe Burin singled Sato in.

Colombia, meanwhile, was managing little against Oscar Nakaoshi, as the little lefty shut them out for the first four innings. In the 5th, Carlos Yoshimura replaced Nakaoshi and Colombia pieced together their only run. DH Edgar Renteria singled and advanced on a grounder by 2B Donovan Solano (the only time Solano was retired in four at-bats). LF Jolbert Cabrera singled in Renteria to tie it. After Yoshimura left, college pitcher Gabriel Asakura tossed 2 2/3 shutout innings, striking out 5. Rafael Moreno and 16-year-old Daniel Missaki each pitched 2/3 of a shutout inning to wrap it up.

In the bottom of the 5th, Brazil took the lead for good. With two away, 3B Leonardo Reginatto doubled off Mendoza, then C Yan Gomes singled for a 2-1 lead. In the 6th, 1B Daniel Matsumoto drew a leadoff walk for Brazil against reliever Rivar Angulo. Dayan Diaz relieved and issued a walk to RF JC Muniz. Burin bunted the runners over, then backup LF Tiago Magalhães hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1. That run was a perfect example of Brazil's outstanding fundamental play and execution throughout the game - and the tournament, a tribute to its coaching staff led by manager Barry Larkin.

In the 7th, Brazil made a two-run game into a five-run one, pulling away. CF Paulo Orlando was hit by a pitch from Diaz, then was bunted over by Reginatto. Gomes was intentionally walked, but the move backfired when Sato delivered an RBI single. Dewen Perez relieved and got Matsumoto to hit into a force out, but Muniz doubled in a run and a wild pitch by Perez made it 6-1. The scoring ended in the 8th when Magalhães doubled and scored on a two-out single by Reginatto, Reginatto's third hit of the contest.

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Nicaragua	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2	12	2
Panama	1	1	0	2	0	0	1	1	-	6	9	1
Pitchers of Record
Win: Gilberto Méndez (1-0) Loss: Edgar Ramirez (0-1)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: Toby Basner (USA); 1B: Clint Fagan (USA); 2B: Domingo Polanco (Dominican Republic) 3B: Jair Fernandez (Mexico)
Time of Game: 3:46 Attendance: 8,531

The hosts got back on track with a win against their longtime Central American rivals, eliminating Nicaragua while evading elimination.

Nicaragua got hits throughout the game but stranded 11 runners in the loss. Panama's Eliecer Navarro allowed two hits in the 1st but escaped damage, setting the tone for the game. In the bottom of the inning, LF Isaias Velasquez drew a leadoff walk from Edgar Ramirez and SS Rubén Tejada hit an RBI double to make it 1-0. In the bottom of the 2nd, 3B Ángel Chávez singled and RF Concepción Rodríguez walked. 2B Jeffer Patiño bunted into a run-scoring error by pitcher Ramirez for a 2-0 edge.

In the 3rd, Navarro allowed two more singles, but SS Everth Cabrera was gunned down stealing by C Carlos Ruiz. Navarro allowed two more hits in the 4th and was yanked with two outs in favor of longtime Panamanian national team pitcher Gilberto Méndez, who got C Janior Montes to escape that jam. In the bottom of the 4th, Panama doubled their lead. Rodríguez hit a one-out single and an error by 3B Cheslor Cuthbert. Patiño followed with a sacrifice fly. Velasquez singled, chasing Ramirez in favor of Berman Espinosa, but Tejada greeted him with a second RBI double to make it 4-0.

Nicaragua finally scored in the 6th. With one out, Cuthbert doubled off Méndez. An out later, RF Douglas Morales doubled in Cuthbert to close it to 4-1. Euclides Bethancourt relieved Méndez. In the 7th, Cabrera and LF Jilton Calderón both singled off Bethancourt. Manuel Corpas relieved and hit CF Dwight Britton. 1B Ofilio Castro hit into an error by Chávez and Nicaragua moved within a run, 4-2, but would get no closer.

In the bottom of the 7th, Panama built their lead back up against J.C. Ramirez. With one out, backup CF Luis Castillo walked. An out later, Chávez was intentionally walked. Rodríguez singled in Castillo for a 5-2 score. In the 8th, Tejada got things going with his third double of the day, this one off Jhonny Polanco. After two outs, Castillo singled him in to wrap up the scoring.

November 18

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Panama	0	5	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	9	11	1
Colombia	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	3	0	7	8	0
Pitchers of Record
Win: Ramiro Mendoza (1-0) Loss: Karl Triana (0-1)
Home Runs
Panama: Carlos Lee in 2nd inning, 2 RBI; Rubén Rivera in 7th inning, 1 RBI
Umpires
HP: Clint Fagan (USA); 1B: Angel Campos (USA); 2B: Jair Fernandez (Mexico) 3B: Cesar Valdés (Cuba)
Time of Game: 3:30 Attendance: 5,317

Panama advanced to the finals by knocking out Colombia. 3B Ángel Chávez began the big five-run second inning with a single off Karl Triana and RF Concepción Rodríguez followed suit. Ronald Ramirez replaced Triana. After a sacrifice bunt by 2B Jeffer Patiño, LF Isaias Velasquez smacked a two-run triple. SS Rubén Tejada bunted a single to score Velasquez. C Carlos Ruiz struck out, but 1B Carlos Lee delivered a two-run homer for a 5-0 edge. Colombia would score 7 runs after that, but never get particularly close. The game was marred by two ejections; Clint Fagan tossed Colombian manager Eduardo Perez over a brushback pitch from Yesid Salazar early in the 7th. Later in the 7th, Fagan ejected Panamanian reliever Ramiro Mendoza for plunking Steve Brown.

November 19

at Rod Carew Stadium
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Panama	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Brazil	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	-	1	10	2
Pitchers of Record
Win: Rafael Fernándes (1-0) Loss: Angel Cuan (0-1) Save: Thyago Vieira (2)
Home Runs
None
Umpires
HP: Angel Campos (USA); 1B: Toby Basner (USA); 2B: Cesar Valdés (Cuba) 3B: Domingo Polanco (Dominican Republic)
Time of Game: 2:38 Attendance: 10,368

Brazil finished its stunning 3-0 run in the pool with a 1-0 shutout win of the hosts. The exciting pitching duel started off with efforts from Panama's Angel Cuan and Brazil's Rafael Fernándes, who had pitched in Nippon Pro Baseball in 2012. Both hurlers allowed a meaningless single in the first. CF Rubén Rivera led off the second with a single but was erased on a double play; 1B Daniel Matsumoto had a hit in the bottom of the second but was stranded.

In the 3rd, both teams put up their best effort. LF Isaias Velasquez had a two-out walk for Panama. SS Rubén Tejada hit a grounder to 18-year-old 2B Lucas Rojo, who made an error. Velasquez tried to score on the play, but was out at home. In the bottom of the frame, CF Paulo Orlando and 3B Leonardo Reginatto had back-to-back one-out singles. C Yan Gomes singled home Orlando. DH Reinaldo Sato singled as well, but Cuan struck out the next two batters to escape further harm.

Neither team reached base in the 4th. In the 5th, Orlando and Reginatto again had back-to-back singles (Reginatto's third hit), chasing Cuan in favor of Ramiro Mendoza, who got out of that jam. An Orlando error in the 6th let Tejada reach, but Panama failed to take advantage. Brazil got two more hits in the bottom of the inning but again stranded runners, their last serious threat.

Murilo Gouvea relieved Fernándes in the 7th and tossed two 1-2-3 innings. He walked Velasquez to open the 9th and Tejada bunted him over. Thyago Vieira was summoned to close it, but C Carlos Ruiz singled, Panama's first hit in 7 innings. That brought up two big league veterans, 1B Carlos Lee and Rivera. The young Vieira did not flinch from the challenge, fanning Lee as PR Jahdiel Santamaria stole second and then whiffing Rivera as well to complete the upset.

Statistical Leaders

Batting

• Average: Mike Cervenak, Czech Republic .714
• Slugging: Jimmy Van Ostrand, Canada 1.538
• OBP: Cervenak, .750
• OPS: Van Ostrand, 2138
• Runs: Van Ostrand, 9
• Hits: 7 tied with 8
• Home Runs: Nate Freiman, Israel & Van Ostrand, 4
• RBI: Van Ostrand, 10
• Walks: Ssu-Chi Chou, Taiwan & Gift Ngoepe, South Africa 6
• Steals: Alan Schoenberger, New Zealand 5

Pitching

• Wins: 24 tied with 1
• Losses: 24 tied with 1
• Saves: Thyago Vieira, Brazil 2
• Games Pitched: 5 tied with 3
• Starts: Eric Berger, Israel 2
• Complete Games: Enorbel Marquez, Germany 1
• Innings Pitched: Ramiro Mendoza, Panama 8 2/3
• Earned Runs Allowed: Kieran Lovegrove, South Africa 7
• Strikeouts: Marquez, 8
• Walks: Siraphop Nadee, Thailand & Andre Rienzo, Brazil 5
• ERA: Mendoza, 0.00

Related Sites

• Article from mlb.com