Italy beats Puerto Rico, advances to semis as dream WBC continues

Grab an espresso. Play some Bocelli. Team Italy's headed to the final four.

The Italians' Cinderella run in the World Baseball Classic continued Saturday with an 8-6 win over Puerto Rico at Daikin Park to clinch a berth in the WBC semifinals.

Italy now travels to Miami, where it will play the winner of the quarterfinal contest - either Venezuela or defending champion Japan - in the second semifinal Monday night.

"I don't know how many people would've picked the Dominican Republic, Japan, the United States, and Italy in the final four, but we're here now," first baseman and team captain Vinnie Pasquantino said postgame. "... This is incredible, man. What a group of guys."

Italy's offense once again started fast. After starter Sam Aldegheri, a Verona native, allowed a leadoff homer to Puerto Rico's Willi Castro, the Italian bats responded by plating four runs in the bottom of the first and another four in the fourth. Catcher J.J. D'Orazio drove in three, including what ended up as the winning runs on a two-RBI ground-rule double in the fourth.

Puerto Rico nearly erased a six-run deficit in the final two innings, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth and had the tying run up in the ninth. But closer Greg Weissert shut things down with 1 2/3 innings of relief to save what is now the biggest win in Italian baseball history.

Aldegheri allowed two runs over just 1 1/3 innings, but six relievers picked him up the rest of the way. Dylan DeLucia struck out three over four shutout innings in a bulk role, and Dan Altavila added a shutout frame of his own.

Every Italian hitter reached base at least once, and all but Sam Antonacci recorded a hit.

Italy's taken part in every WBC since the event began in 2006, but had never finished higher than seventh in the overall standings. That's all changed this year, as the Azzurri are 5-0 in the tournament after sweeping Pool A and then winning Saturday's quarterfinal.

Though the team is made up largely of Italian-Americans, its run has captured attention in Italy, a country that's produced just nine big-league players. Saturday's game was broadcast on Italian television in prime time, putting baseball on the biggest possible stage in the nation.

"Italy doesn't have the greatest development in baseball, and that's what we're trying to do right now," Pasquantino said, per ASAP Sports. "And if we continue to be successful with this - I mean, there was baseball being played at bistros and cafes in Italy tonight over there. That doesn't happen.

"So without the group that we have, it just doesn't happen. So we're getting eyeballs on the sport and we're bringing people together. And to me that's what the World Baseball Classic is about, is bringing people who wouldn't normally watch baseball, to get them to watch baseball."