Italy's Black Horse eliminates Puerto Rico, advances to Classic semifinals with unbeaten record

The start time of the World Baseball Classic game between Italy and Puerto Rico at Houston's Minute Maid Park today allowed Italians to gather in the evening, not only discussing football over espresso and digestifs, but also tuning in to this baseball team that is winning their affection and attention. Despite some tension in the eighth inning, the final outcome was still wonderful.

Italy defeated Puerto Rico 8-6 in the quarterfinals, scoring heavily early and holding off a late rally from their opponent. Cheers from the Italian peninsula could almost be heard, as Italy's strong performance in this Classic has brought baseball into the spotlight.

Captain Vinnie Pasquantino and his teammates, mostly of Italian-American descent, have not only stunned the baseball world but also made their ancestors proud. They will head to Miami to face the winner of the Japan vs Venezuela game in Tuesday's semifinals.

This is the furthest Italy has ever advanced in the Classic, and this powerful Italian-American squad has become a hot topic in baseball.

After winning all four games in the group stage, Italy was nominally the home team in the quarterfinals, but faced a loud, predominantly Puerto Rican fan base. The sounds of Puerto Rican fans and percussion instruments filled the stadium. When Willi Castro homered in the first inning, sending the ball beyond the Crawford Boxes, Puerto Rican players poured out of the visitor's dugout, and joyful waves of noise echoed under Minute Maid Park's steel roof.

However, Italy's bats once again proved their firepower should not be underestimated.

Italy responded swiftly and fiercely in the bottom half of the inning. Pasquantino, Dominic Canzone, and Jac Caglianone hit consecutive singles, each driving in a run, forcing starter Seth Lugo to exit after securing only one out. A fly-ball sacrifice by J.J. D'Orazio capped the four-run inning, and this was not Italy's last scoring opportunity.

Although Puerto Rico loaded the bases in the second inning against Sam Aldegheri, they only managed to squeeze in one run via a Martín Maldonado hit-by-pitch. This gave Italy a chance to extend their lead in the fourth inning.

After Pasquantino drew a walk and stole a base—a rare feat—he ignited a rally with two outs. Italy loaded the bases against Luis Quiñones, bringing up Andrew Fischer, a Brewers rookie born in New Jersey with a Frank Sinatra tattoo on his arm.

Fischer did it his way, hitting a deep fly ball to right field where a fan reached out and caught it before the wall. An interference call awarded Fischer a double, bringing in two runs. D'Orazio immediately followed with a ground-rule double down the right-field line, adding two more runs to extend the lead to 8-2.

Puerto Rico made Italy sweat in the eighth inning. Against Matt Festa, they loaded the bases with no outs. Before the inning ended, Puerto Rico scored four runs without even a long hit. Reliever Joe La Sorsa hit a batter and threw a wild pitch, and as the score narrowed to 6-8, the crowd and Puerto Rico began to stir.

But it was too late; Italy's early-established lead was enough to hold on until the end. Manager Francisco Cervelli had previously noted that Houston's early start time allowed Italian sports fans to plan their evening around this game. He called it "Italian Baseball Night."

What a wonderful night it was.

As the darling of this tournament, Italy's members have been brewing celebratory coffee, pinching fingers, loudly playing Bocelli's music, wearing Armani, and kissing cheeks. But most importantly, they have been dominating opponents in the World Baseball Classic, racing into the semifinals and winning the affection of baseball's newest fans.