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| Juan Soto / Photo: Getty Images |
On March 9th (local time), the Dominican Republic crushed the Netherlands 12-1 in their second Pool D game of the 2026 WBC first round at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. The game ended after seven innings due to the mercy rule.
With this win, the Dominican Republic improved to 2-0, putting them in a strong position to advance to the quarterfinals. The top two teams from Pool D will face the top two from Pool C, which includes South Korea, in the next round.
Dominican starter Luis Severino turned in an impressive performance, allowing just one run on three hits (including a home run) while striking out five over four innings to earn the victory.
The Dominican offense exploded with a barrage of home runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a two-run shot in the third inning, followed by Junior Caminero's three-run blast and Austin Wells' two-run homer in the fifth to break the game open.
Juan Soto put the exclamation point on the win with a two-run homer in the seventh, triggering the mercy rule.
In the same pool, Israel notched their first tournament win with a 5-0 shutout of Nicaragua.
Israel, now 1-1 in the tournament, took an early lead in the second inning. They added to their advantage in the fifth when Harrison Bader's single to right field drove in a run with one out and runners on first and third.
Later in the inning, Jack Levens delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded to extend the lead to 4-0. Cole Carrigg's RBI single capped off the scoring in Israel's 5-0 victory.
Starter Dean Kremer was dominant for Israel, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits, walking one, and striking out four.
In Pool B action, Mexico demolished Brazil in a lopsided 16-0 rout.
The win gave Mexico its second straight victory, creating a three-way tie atop Pool B with the United States and Italy. Brazil's third consecutive loss eliminated them from the tournament.
Mexico's starting pitcher Taijuan Walker was stellar, throwing 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two walks. Catcher Alejandro Kirk led the offensive onslaught with a multi-hit game that included a home run and four RBIs. Jarren Duran also contributed significantly with multiple hits, including a homer, and three RBIs.
In another Pool B matchup, Italy defeated Great Britain 7-4.
Italy's second consecutive win propelled them into a share of first place in Pool B, while Great Britain fell to 0-3 and joined Brazil in elimination.
Over in Pool A, Panama earned their first win by edging Canada 4-3, while Cuba topped Colombia 7-4 to secure their second straight victory and move into a tie for first place with Puerto Rico.
[By ESPN Staff Writer]
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