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A ninth inning RBI double by Eugenio Suarez propelled Venezuela to a 3-2 win against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic Tuesday (March 17) night.
Suarez's double scored Javier Sanoja to break a 2-2 tie after the Americans tied the game with a two-run eighth inning rally. Andrés Machado earned the victory, recording two strikeouts and allowing one hit for two earned runs, pitching 1.1 innings, while Daniel Palencia earned the save, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
Venezuela went 6-1 in the World Baseball Classic, with its one loss coming against the Dominican Republic in Pool D play on March 11, earning victories against the Netherlands (6-1), Israel (11-3), Nicaragua (4-0) in group play before an 8-5 win against Japan in the quarterfinal and 4-2 win against Italy in the semifinal. Team USA faced a 2-0 deficit before rallying in the eighth when Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run to score Bobby Witt Jr.
The Americans' only previous loss came against Italy in Pool B play on March 10, having defeated Brazil, 15-5, on March 6; Great Britain, 9-1, in March 7; and Mexico, 5-3, before a 5-3 quarterfinal win against Canada and a 2-1 win against the Dominican Republic in the semifinal.