Israel eliminated from WBC quarterfinals in 10-1 loss to Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic (3-0) eliminated Israel (1-2) from advancing to the next round of the World Baseball Classic, as a second-inning barrage proved too much to overcome.
After four walks scored the first Dominican run and loaded the bases, Fernando Tatís Jr. blasted a changeup to straightaway left field for a grand slam, giving DR a 5-0 lead.
Plátano Power struck again in the fourth, when Oneil Cruz crushed a solo shot to right center, to make it 6-0.
“The key is executing,” Israel manager Brad Ausmus said after the game. “The execution of the pitches to get them out is the most important part, and with a lot of them it’s very difficult because their weaknesses are small.”
Starting pitcher Brayan Bello completely stymied the Blue and White offense. In five innings, the right hander gave up only one hit and no walks while recording 7 strikeouts on 54 pitches.
That one hit was impactful, though. Leading off the fourth, Israel designated hitter Spencer Horwitz launched a 92.8 mile-per-hour fastball into the right-center field bullpen for a solo home run, cutting the deficit to 6-1. The dinger represents a small moral victory for Israel, as their first ever run against the self-styled Baseball Republic.
That would prove to be the only run for Team Israel, and the Dominican Republic continued padding its lead. In the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third, Tatis singled through the left side to bring home a pair. Los Dominicanos added another run in both the eighth and ninth to bring their final tally to 10.
Israel’s offense showed some life in the seventh inning. Leading off, second baseman Noah Mendlinger doubled on a sharp line drive to right field, and right fielder RJ Schreck added a walk. A groundout brought both players into scoring positions at second and third with two outs, but a flyout ended the rally.
With this loss, Israel was eliminated from advancing to the quarterfinals. The team will play its final game tomorrow at 7 PM EDT against the Netherlands (1-2).
Written by Israel Baseball News Staff, Chase Levitt
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