Miami — Salvador Pérez homered, doubled twice, singled and had five RBIs as Venezuela held off Puerto Rico 9-6 on Sunday night and improved to 2-0 in Pool D.
Venezuela struck quickly with a four-run first against Puerto Rico starter José Berrios. Pérez hit an RBI single and Anthony Santander followed with his second homer of the tournament, a three-run drive that cleared the wall in right.
Pérez made it 7-0 with a three-run shot off reliever Fernando Cruz in the second.
Venezuela starter Pablo López was the beneficiary of the early run support. López struck out six, while limiting Puerto Rico to one run and two hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Eddie Rosario homered for Puerto Rico, which is 1-1.
Down 9-1, Puerto Rico tried to rally with a four-run sixth against reliever Andres Machado.
MJ Melendez’s RBI double in the eighth got Puerto Rico within three before Silvino Bracho relieved Jhoulys Chacin and retired Javier Baez on a pop out and Rosario on a double-play grounder. Bracho then pitched a perfect ninth for the save.
Israel overcame a 1-0 deficit with a three-run eighth inning to defeat Nicaragua, which dropped its second game of WBC pool play.
Garrett Stubbles hit a bases loaded, go-ahead double in the eighth that scored Spencer Horwitz and Noah Mendlinger to make it 3-1. Horwitz tied it earlier in the inning with an RBI single.
Stubbs had two of Israel’s seven hits.
Winner Richard Bleier had two strikeouts in one relief inning.
Nicaragua took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Steven Leyton’s double scored Sandy Bermudez.
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