HOUSTON (Mar. 8) \u2014 Italy<\/a> turned a series of Great Britain<\/a> miscues into a five\u2011run surge across the fourth and fifth innings, holding off a late push to secure a 7\u20134 victory Sunday in Pool B of the World Baseball Classic.<\/p>\n Great Britain took a 2\u20130 lead in the top of the first when, with runners on second and third and two outs, Italy starting pitcher Dylan DeLucia<\/a><\/strong> uncorked two wild pitches in a row. That lead held until the bottom of the third. Back-to-back solo homers from Andrew Fischer<\/a><\/strong> and J.J. d\u2019Orazio tied the game at two.<\/p>\n Great Britain self-destructed in the bottom of the fourth after a tough break. With a runner on third and two outs, Fischer smoked a one-hopper to first baseman B.J. Murray<\/a><\/strong>. Murray, falling backwards, got a glove on it but didn\u2019t hang on. Reliever Nick Wells<\/a><\/strong>, a lefty, could not get to the bag in time to take a throw from Murray, and everyone was safe. With the score now 3\u20132, d\u2019Orazio hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Shortstop Ian Lewis<\/a><\/strong> Jr. got to it but appeared to attempt to throw the ball before completing the act of fielding it. The resultant muff extended the inning and gave Lewis an error. A double to right and single to second brought in Murray and d\u2019Orazio, extending the Italian lead to 5\u20132.<\/p>\n More scoring came in the fifth. With one out and a runner on first, Sam Antonacci<\/a><\/strong> tripled to the right-field corner. An errant throw from second baseman Jazz Chisolm Jr.<\/strong><\/a> allowed Antonacci to score and gave Chisolm his team\u2019s second error of the game. These two runs made the score 7\u20132.<\/p>\n Great Britain rallied to within striking distance in the top of the eighth. An RBI single and a run-scoring wild pitch plated two runs to make the score 7\u20134. Italy left the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, bringing Greg Weissert<\/a><\/strong> in to pitch the ninth in a save situation. He ran into trouble on a walk, an infield single, a grounder to second, and an intentional walk. This brought up Harry Ford<\/a><\/strong> with the bases loaded and two outs. Ford stepped up with three of Great Britain\u2019s five home runs in the history of this tournament. But he did not add to the total, lining to the left fielder, who ran down the drive in the gap to seal the Italian victory.<\/p>\n Italy didn\u2019t need a barrage of extra\u2011base hits to build separation. They needed awareness. Yes, home runs tied the game, but awareness both put them in the lead and widened the gap. Seemingly every time Great Britain faltered defensively in the fourth and fifth, Italy turned it into runs. The one\u2011hopper that handcuffed Murray extended the fourth. They turned that into three runs. The miscue at short turned a routine grounder into an extension of their big inning. Antonacci\u2019s triple in the fifth became two runs when the throw from second went awry. It all gave Great Britain a steeper and longer hill to climb.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s pitchers bent early but never let Great Britain stack threats. After the first\u2011inning chaos, DeLucia and the relief corps limited traffic and forced Great Britain to chase isolated opportunities. Even in the eighth and ninth, when the game tightened, Italy avoided the sequence that would have flipped momentum. They issued walks and allowed contact, yes. But they still hung on long enough for the final out to find a glove.<\/p>\n The opening frame nearly derailed the afternoon. Starter Dylan DeLucia struggled with his command with runners on. Two wild pitches with two outs handed Great Britain an early advantage. Italy escaped without deeper damage, but the inning forced them into recovery mode before they had even taken a swing.<\/p>\n Great Britain did exactly what an underdog needs to do: score first. They applied pressure with two runners in scoring position and forced Italy into mistakes. The two wild pitches created a cushion and gave Great Britain an early foothold.<\/p>\n Even after the fourth and fifth unraveled, Great Britain refused to fade. They chipped away in the eighth, pushing two across. In the ninth, they brought the tying and go-ahead runs to the plate. The lineup stayed competitive, worked counts, and forced Italy\u2019s closer to work. The final out came on a barreled ball from Ford, a swing that carried the weight of the moment. Great Britain didn\u2019t fold, fighting until the last pitch.<\/p>\n The game turned during a stretch that combined misfortune with execution lapses. Murray nearly made a difficult play that would have ended the fourth. But the ball popped free, and with the pitcher unable to cover first quickly enough, the inning stayed alive. The next grounder produced an error at short, and Italy pounced. In the fifth, Antonacci\u2019s triple was damaging enough, but the errant throw added another run. Those two innings accounted for five Italian runs and forced Great Britain to climb out of a five-run hole.<\/p>\n Great Britain created chances but couldn\u2019t convert enough of them. They stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth, eighth, and ninth. In the ninth, they left the bases loaded. The swings were competitive and they had some loud contact, but the timely hit never arrived. Against a team that capitalized on seemingly every opening, those missed opportunities haunted them.<\/p>\n Gabriele Quattrini<\/a><\/strong> earned the win for Italy as Nick Wells took the loss for Great Britain. Both were in relief.<\/p>\n Italy is off Monday, but Great Britain is not. They will face Brazil<\/a> in a game that manager Brad Marcelino called a \u201cmust win.\u201d Depending on Brazil\u2019s result against Mexico<\/a> in the late game Sunday, fourth place in the group might be at stake. The top four in the group automatically qualify for the next iteration of the World Baseball Classic, so an auto-bid could be at stake. First pitch will be at 12 pm Central.<\/p>\nItaly \u2013 Great Britain Game Summary<\/h3>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Not\u2026Dead!\u201d<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for Italy<\/h3>\n
Capitalized on Opposing Mistakes<\/h4>\n
Did Not Allow Opponent to Build Innings<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for Italy<\/h3>\n
Command in the First Inning<\/h4>\n
What Went Right for Great Britain<\/h3>\n
Early Lead<\/h4>\n
Absorbed Blows and Made a Game Out of It<\/h4>\n
What Went Wrong for Great Britain<\/h3>\n
The Fourth and Fifth Innings<\/h4>\n
Runners Left in Scoring Position<\/h4>\n
Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n
Main Photo:<\/h4>\n