Canada bat around in the eighth to earn opening game win over Colombia

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/toro-abraham/0KP6VUR2/"]Abraham Toro[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caissie-owen/CtHuQPY8/"]Owen Caissie[/a] starred with the bat, getting multiple hits in the game, whilst the latter hit the only home run of the contest.[/p][p]Starting pitcher Michael Soroka picked up the win, twirling three innings on one-run ball with two strikeouts and one walk.[/p][p]With the sun beating down in San Juan, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/8dIZ5DLr/"]Canada[/a] started their opener the better with left fielder Owen Caissie homering at the start of the second inning to start the scoring to drive in two runs.[/p][embed guid="c539c9d8-ae71-4835-9cd7-7d5bfb12d739" url="https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2030324088837669024" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/z5A5Ioq8/"]Colombia[/a] made an instant reply, with a single from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arroyo-michael/fRo8qH4B/"]Michael Arroyo[/a] which brought [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/polo-tito/CbRVGxE5/"]Tito Polo[/a] in from third base to halve the arrears.[/p][p]But a pitching change at the bottom of the inning proved costly for the Colombians, as Canada restored their two-run lead in the bottom of the third.[/p][p]Captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/naylor-josh/S0h9BoYL/"]Josh Naylor[/a] singled before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/o-neill-tyler/U7RkymsH/"]Tyler O'Neill[/a] followed to put men on first and second. A missed double play opportunity and then a hit by pitch led to the bases loaded, which piled the pressure on reliever [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-emerson/fDfjhFaS/"]Emerson Martinez[/a]. He walked Abraham Toro, allowing Naylor to stroll home.[/p][p]The bats were quiet for much of this Pool B, as was the atmosphere in a sparsely populated Hiram Bithorn Stadium, but that was no problem for Naylor, who added on a run in the seventh with a single to centre field to give Canada some more insurance.[/p][embed guid="c0009d5c-6156-4649-9541-2fd88669e3db" url="https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2030348035004277005" social-type="twitter" /][p]But, as ever in this World Baseball Classic, mistakes from pitchers are proving problematic. Canada's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ashman-micah/443b0Nio/"]Micah Ashamn[/a] hit Michael Arroyo with a pitch, which allowed Harold Ramirez to hit a double. Arroyo had an adventurous journey to home plate, stumbling in the final 90 feet and having to crawl to tag home.[/p][p]Colombia would bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the eighth, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cerantola-eric/AoYkPqmr/"]Eric Cerantola[/a] got the vital strikeout of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/urshela-giovanny/UZs3HCVF/"]Gio Urshela[/a] to limit the damage.[/p][p]That was as good as it got for the South Americans, as Canada put on a clinic of hitting to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/canada-8dIZ5DLr/colombia-z5A5Ioq8/?mid=z5XrHDsS"]put the game to bed[/a]. Toro, Bo Naylor and Caissie all hit singles, along with some walks, allowed the North Americans to add on four.[/p][p]Canada move to 1-0 with the win, whilst Colombia are 0-2 and sit bottom of Pool A.[/p][h2]Albies walks it off to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nicaragua/Ee99H5bE/"]Nicaragua[/a][/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/albies-ozzie/4Y95MeKQ/"]Ozzie Albies[/a] hit a sensational three-run home run to see the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/S4VCKAKf/"]Netherlands[/a] stun Nicaragua in Pool D as the European side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/netherlands-S4VCKAKf/nicaragua-Ee99H5bE/?mid=0Shtchjd"]won 4-3[/a] in Miami.[/p][embed guid="6b1beeec-aa2d-4063-8fe8-648ee216fbc0" url="https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2030371756872015961" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Atlanta Braves man was the hero for the Dutch, single-handedly scoring all four of their runs in the victory.[/p][p]He was hit by a pitch in the third inning to give his team the lead, before Nicaragua levelled through a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cuthbert-cheslor/d0SvaKqo/"]Chester Cuthbert[/a] walk and a two-run shot from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/downs-jeter/z7B3vzpe/"]Jeter[/a] Downs.[/p][p]But it would be Albies who would have the last word. After a single from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rafaela-ceddanne/YHOJiG2r/"]Ceddanne Rafaela[/a] and a double from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bogaerts-xander/dvVz3xj0/"]Xander Boegaerts[/a], the diminutive second baseman stepped up as the final out. On the first pitch he saw from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/obando-angel/YwUkrGQj/"]Angel Obando[/a], he drove it to deep right field, rounding the bases with a roar before celebrating with his teammates.[/p][embed guid="b3fd483e-87f4-4e67-b6dc-16c9d5c45bad" url="https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2030372566850732529" social-type="twitter" /][p]Elsewhere on Saturday, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/brazil-IqbFg267/italy-Y1YKIlk7/?mid=tpqI65Nh"]Italy beat Brazil 8-0[/a] in Pool B for their first win of the tournament, as left fielder Dante Nori had a day out with the bat, hitting two home runs in the blowout.[/p][embed guid="fb124064-b2f4-4fc4-a6fd-285782a47913" url="https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/2030383111033196701" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/baseball/world/world-baseball-classic/"]Follow the World Baseball Classic with Flashscore.[/a][/p]