Venezuela to the Final, eliminated Cinderella Italy in the World Classic

With a three-run rally in the seventh inning, Venezuela came back against Italy and will fight for the title against the United States in the World Classic Final

MIAMI — Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel García and Luis Arráez connected simple producers racing with two outs in a rally in the seventh inning which led to Venezuela to win 4-2 to Italy Monday night already advance to your first game of championship of the World Baseball Classicl.

Venezuela rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the fourth inning after rallying from a three-run deficit to beat the defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal game and reached the final for the first time, after losing to South Korea in their only previous semi-final appearance in 2009.

will face USA for the title on Tuesday night and looks likely to open with Eduardo Rodriguez against American Nolan McLean. Because both teams are 5-1, a coin toss was held earlier Monday to determine the home team, and the United States won.

Italy, the first European nation to reach a WBC semifinal, was 5-0 in the tournament and attracted attention with a ritual of post-home run espresso drinking and victory celebrations with Italian wine.

But a team with three Italian-born players, a handful of major leaguers and many minor leaguers couldn’t hold a lead in the final innings against a batting order that got three consecutive RBIs from All-Stars, while a packed, pro-Venezuela crowd roared at loanDepot Park.

Italy took the lead in the second when Keider Montero drove in a run by issuing three consecutive walks, the last to JJ D’Orazio. Dante Nori hit a run-scoring force out off Ricardo Sánchez, the first of six relievers who combined to complete a five-hit game.

Eugenio Suárez’s fourth-inning home run off Aaron Nola started the comeback, and winner Ángel Zerpa got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when he launched a sinker into the outside corner past Sam Antonacci.

Gleyber Torres walked leading off the seventh off the beaten Michael Lorenzen, and Jackson Chourio’s two-out single put runners on the corners.

Acuña Jr. rolled into the shortstop gap and beat Antonacci’s throw from the outfield grass, as pinch-runner Andrés Giménez scored. García hit a 2-0 fastball to left field, driving in Chourio with the go-ahead run, and Arráez forced Lorenzen out of the game when he singled on a full-count fastball.

Daniel Palencia got three outs for the save, striking out Antonacci to end the game.