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Italy secured the top spot in Pool B of the World Baseball Classic in Houston on Wednesday night, defeating Mexico 9–1 to finish the opening round undefeated at 4–0. The loss eliminates Mexico and punches the U.S. ticket to the quarterfinals.
Italy utilized power hitting and strong pitching to stifle Mexico, highlighted by a historic performance from Vinnie Pasquantino, who set an all-time World Baseball Classic record by slugging three home runs.
Italy enters the quarterfinals as the top seed, facing Puerto Rico on Saturday. The U.S.faces a high-stakes quarterfinal game against Canada on Friday.
