There were more games played last night in the World Baseball Classic last night. Team Netherlands debuted against Puerto Rico and lost 8-3. The win by Puerto Rico puts them 2-0 in pool C with a game left against the Australians. Puerto Rico is very likely to advance to the next round. Carlos Beltran was the hitting star, knocking out three hits and a home run. Andruw Jones was 0 for 3 with a walk for the Netherlands.

Mexico pounded South Africa 10-4. Jorge Cantu and Vinny Castilla each collected three hits. Mexico and the United States are now tied at 1-1. This makes today's Canada-Mexico matchup very important. A Canadian win puts Canada in the next round. It also means that the US just needs to beat South Africa on Friday to advance. A Mexican win opens the possibility of a three way tie between the US, Mexico and Canada, and then the tie breakers come into play. If this happens, the number two tie-breaker, fewest runs allowed in head-to-head games between the teams comes into play. For the US, that's 8, for the Canadians so far 6 and the Mexicans it's 2. So if the Mexicans beat Canada, the US is rooting for them to score at least three runs.

Pool D played one more game last night, with Venezuela defeating Italy 6-0. The Venezuelan pitchers just dominated the game, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out twelve. The teams are now tied at 1-1, but Italy plays the Dominican Republic today at 1 PM EST, while Venezuela takes on the Australians at 8 PM EST. Those matchups favor Venezuela advancing.

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