Italy cruise past Mexico to top Pool B and send the United States through

[p]A night after the Italians delivered a stunning upset of the Americans to leave them on the brink of elimination, they overwhelmed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/ptt8Lj5l/"]Mexico[/a] to win Pool B with a 4-0 round-robin mark.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pasquantino-vinnie/tnCR4tAs/"]Vinnie Pasquantino[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/canada-8dIZ5DLr/cuba-2JHw5Xzk/?mid=OfyNXCHO"]blasted three solo home runs[/a] - the WBC's first three-homer effort - while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/berti-jon/Ykq0T2th/"]Jon Berti[/a] added another and the Italians ended Mexico's hopes and pushed the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/usa/dSweSEc8/"]USA[/a] into the quarter-finals.[/p][p]"[b]We're in a good spot. That was unbelievable,[/b]" Pasquantino said. "[b]I don't know what I'm feeling right now. We weren't supposed to win the pool, we thought we could and we did. It's pretty special[/b]."[/p][p]The Italian captain taunted the Americans, whose team of top Major League Baseball talent had to sweat out the Mexico-[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/Y1YKIlk7/"]Italy[/a] outcome. A Mexican victory with enough runs scored would have ousted the Americans on a tie-breaker.[/p][p]"[b]You're welcome USA,[/b]" Pasquantino said. "[b]We were thinking of you guys over at your hotel. Glad you guys could join us in the party[/b]."[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/8dIZ5DLr/"]Canada[/a] defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cuba/2JHw5Xzk/"]Cuba[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/canada-8dIZ5DLr/cuba-2JHw5Xzk/?mid=OfyNXCHO"]7-2 in Puerto Rico[/a] to eliminate their Caribbean rivals - never before ousted in WBC pool play - and capture the Pool A crown with the hosts also advancing.[/p][p]The Canadians will make their WBC quarter-finals debut against the United States on Friday in Houston while Italy will face [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/puerto-rico/v7R43VK7/"]Puerto Rico[/a] on Saturday.[/p][p]"[b]Whatever happens next, we're going to be ready for it,[/b]" said Pasquantino.[/p][p]Italy seized the lead on Pasquantino's solo homer in the second inning and Berti made it 2-0 with a solo homer in the fourth.[/p][p]The Italians grabbed a 3-0 edge in the fifth when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/humphrey-jacob/GA5o5Mdl/"]Jac Caglionone[/a] walked, stole second base, advanced to third on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/d-orazio-javier/dEzEcXWt/"]J.J. D'Orazio[/a]'s single and scored on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nori-dante/YczkxmTH/"]Dante Nori[/a]'s bunt single.[/p][embed guid="f757ffd9-43d8-408a-9a03-541a953f2d67" url="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/2031931850525196474?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]D'Orazio and Nori later scored on a single by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/marsee-jakob/vRqivvuC/"]Jakob Marsee[/a].[/p][p]"[b]Once we scored four runs, it was like we had better win this thing,[/b]" Pasquantino said.[/p][p]Pasquantino added another solo homer in the sixth and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/antonacci-samuel/pEaDFk7U/"]Sam Antonacci[/a] scored from first on a fielding error in the seventh.[/p][p]Mexico averted a shutout when a bases-loaded ground out by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thomas-alek/0AfFkex8/"]Alek Thomas[/a] scored [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/meneses-joey/rXIS5JBJ/"]Joey Meneses[/a].[/p][p]But Pasquantino, a third baseman for the MLB [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kansas-city-royals/IL2QbgJ4/"]Kansas City Royals[/a], smashed his third solo homer in the eighth.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dezenzo-zach/OtS3IeQR/"]Zach Dezenzo[/a] singled and scored in the eighth on an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fischer-andrew/bmE5uXDs/"]Andrew Fischer[/a] double for a 9-1 Italy edge.[/p][h2]Canada ousts Cuba[/h2][p]In Puerto Rico, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toro-abraham/0KP6VUR2/"]Abraham Toro[/a]'s homer gave Canada a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/naylor-bo/SldMq89g/"]Bo Naylor[/a] added a run-scoring double and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lopez-otto/SnTH2hrJ/"]Otto Lopez[/a] followed with a two-run single in the sixth for a 5-1 Canada edge and the Cubans never threatened from there.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/vuZGJUZ0/"]Japan[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/2XIeMWkr/"]South Korea[/a] advanced from Pool C in Tokyo while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/venezuela/AVsaRYCE/"]Venezuela[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dominican-republic/tAGs4ije/"]Dominican Republic[/a] qualified from Pool D in Miami.[/p][p]The Dominicans' [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/dominican-republic-tAGs4ije/venezuela-AVsaRYCE/?mid=4OLqVDdJ"]7-5 victory[/a] over Venezuela to capture the Pool D title set up the last quarter-final pairings with South Korea to meet the Dominican Republic on Friday and Japan to face Venezuela on Saturday.[/p][p]Those games will be in Miami, where semi-final games are set for Sunday and Monday ahead of Tuesday's championship clash.[/p]