HOUSTON (Mar. 7) \u2014 A fifth-inning surge rallied the United States<\/a> to a decisive 9\u20131 victory over Great Britain<\/a> in Pool B of the World Baseball Classic Saturday night at Daikin Park. Kyle Schwarber<\/a><\/strong> sent a towering blast to the upper deck in right to break a 1\u20131 tie and give the United States the lead for good.<\/p>\n Great Britain took a 1\u20130 lead when Nate Eaton<\/a><\/strong> launched the first pitch of the game for a homer, victimizing Tarik Skubal<\/a><\/strong>. Eaton initially had a double; however, replay showed that the ball struck the rail above the yellow line in left-center. In the bottom of the second, Will Smith<\/a><\/strong> ripped a liner to right that appeared destined to tie the game. But Trayce Thompson<\/a><\/strong>, sprinting full speed, made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Smith as he crashed into the padding. Thompson\u2019s highlight\u2011reel play drew a loud ovation from the crowd.<\/p>\n The United States extended the inning with back-to-back two-out singles. Ernie Clement<\/a><\/strong> ripped a hot grounder toward the hole on the left side, a ball that once again looked destined to tie the game. But third baseman Ivan Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, diving to his left, gloved it and fired to first to nab the hustling Clement on a close play.<\/p>\n The score held into the bottom of the fifth, long enough that comparisons to the \u201cUSA 1, England 0\u201d shocker from Belo Horizonte at the 1950 FIFA World Cup were starting to feel uncomfortably plausible. Non\u2011soccer writers were finally figuring out how to spell \u201cJoe Gaetjens\u201d when a wild pitch from Great Britain reliever Andre Scrubb<\/a><\/strong> allowed Clement to score the tying run from third. Two pitches later, Kyle Schwarber launched a hanging cutter into the upper deck for a moonshot of a two\u2011run homer. The United States jumped ahead 3\u20131, and whatever hopes the small visiting\u2011fan contingent had of a Great Britain upset evaporated on contact. Later in that same half-inning, two more runs came across on a two-out bases-loaded double by Gunnar Henderson<\/a><\/strong>. This made the score 5\u20131.<\/p>\n More scoring came in the bottom of the sixth. The first run came on a sacrifice fly to right by Alex Bregman<\/a><\/strong>. A single by Aaron Judge<\/a><\/strong> to left \u2014 one hit so hard that it knocked a score panel out of the manual scoreboard inside the high wall \u2014 brought in a second run. The third run came in on another sacrifice fly, this time by Will Smith. This ended the sixth with the score 8\u20131. It became 9\u20131 in the bottom of the seventh on another Bregman sac fly, ending the scoring.<\/p>\n Once the United States finally broke through in the fifth, the entire offensive tone of the night shifted. The tying run came not on a big swing but on a mistake \u2014 a wild pitch that allowed Clement to score from third. Clement himself reached on an error. The Schwarber blast came two pitches later. Gunnar Henderson\u2019s bases\u2011loaded double later in the inning widened the gap and effectively put the game out of reach.<\/p>\n Tarik Skubal\u2019s night opened with a shock when Nate Eaton ambushed the first pitch for a homer, but the pitching staff stabilized from that point forward. Great Britain never mounted another sustained threat, and the score remained 1\u20130 until the fifth. Once the United States surged ahead, the relief unit protected the lead without turbulence.<\/p>\n Eaton\u2019s leadoff blast created an immediate deficit and forced the United States to chase the game for four innings. It didn\u2019t derail the United States, but it created early tension and kept the crowd uneasy until the fifth\u2011inning surge.<\/p>\n Before the offense broke through, the United States had multiple scoring chances erased by Great Britain\u2019s defense. Will Smith\u2019s liner to right in the second appeared destined to tie the game, but Trayce Thompson made a full\u2011speed leap at the wall and hauled it in as he crashed into the padding. Moments later, Ernie Clement\u2019s sharp grounder toward the hole looked like another RBI, but Ivan Johnson\u2019s diving stop and strong throw cut him down. Those missed opportunities kept the United States scoreless until the fifth.<\/p>\n Great Britain opened the game with intent. Eaton\u2019s first\u2011pitch homer set an immediate tone and energized the visiting supporters. That swing gave Great Britain an early spark and briefly created the possibility of a tense, low\u2011scoring battle.<\/p>\n Two defensive gems kept Great Britain in the game far longer than the final score suggests. Thompson\u2019s robbery of Will Smith was one of the standout plays of the entire tournament thus far. Johnson\u2019s diving stop to end the second inning was almost as impressive. Those plays prevented early United States runs and maintained the 1\u20130 Great Britain lead through four innings.<\/p>\n Starting pitcher Tyler Viza<\/a><\/strong> tossed three scoreless innings, yielding two hits in the second before Johnson\u2019s slick play. But once Viza left the game, Great Britain had trouble keeping the United States hitters from doing damage.<\/p>\nUnited States \u2013 Great Britain Game Summary<\/h3>\n
Not So Fast\u2026<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for the United States<\/h3>\n
One Crack Opened the Floodgates<\/h4>\n
After the First Batter, All Was Calm<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for the United States<\/h3>\n
Fell Behind on the Very First Pitch<\/h4>\n
Runners Left in Scoring Position<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for Great Britain<\/h3>\n
Aggressive from the Get-go<\/h4>\n
Highlight-reel Defense<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for Great Britain<\/h3>\n
Relief Corps Couldn\u2019t Finish the Job<\/h4>\n
Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n