puerto rico tops netherlands in 11 innings, reaches world baseball conventional very last

united states of america nowadays sports activities’ bob nightengale gives a preview of the semifinal game, which takes vicinity tuesday night time at dodger stadium. usa today sports

la – breaking down monday’s semifinal sport of the world baseball classic between puerto rico and the netherlands.

puerto rico 4, netherlands three, 11 innings

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the game: puerto rico, the maximum dominant crew in this tournament, had all it can take care of with the netherlands earlier than surviving, 4-three, in eleven innings, wanting the tiebreaker guidelines to tug it out on eddie rosario’s sacrifice fly.

it’s first-rate the netherlands could hang around so long with powerful puerto rico, throwing six pitchers at the pr, preserving the sport tied at three-apiece.

they shut down puerto rico after t.j. rivera’s homer in the second inning, using five relievers – together with los angeles dodgers closer kenley jansen – after rick van den hurk lasted simply innings.

puerto rico survived the pinnacle half of the worldwide tiebreaker while curt smith gorunded into an inning-finishing, bases-loaded double play.

the netherlands wasn’t so lucky within the backside of hte eleventh.

the inning, which mechanically begins with runners on first and 2d and no outs, commenced while yadier molina bunted the runners over. javier baez became deliberately walked. and rosario finally ended the marathon on a sacrifice fly.

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nation of the wbc: puerto rico, which reached the championship sport in 2013 only to lose to the dominican republic, are back again, looking ahead to the winner of the us-japan sport. puerto rico has received all seven games of the tournament, blitzing the field, outscoring the competition, 55-18.

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pivot point: puerto rico captain molina’s leadoff bunt within the 11th inning, advancing the runners to 2d and 0.33. the netherlands deliberately walked baez, setting the level for rosario’s heroics.

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man of the instant: molina

the netherlands’ first four batters reached base, with wladimir balentien culminating the outburst what should have been a grand slam.

as an alternative, it was best a two-run homer, way to the defensive wizardry of molina.

andrelton simmons opened the game with a single, and xander bogaerts changed into hit with the aid of a pitch. yet, when jurickson profar tried to lay down a bunt and overlooked, molina popped up and threw to second base, nailing simmons.

profar observed with a unmarried to right, and proper fielder eddie rosario got here up with a perfect strike to the plate to hold bogaerts from scoring. but, whilst profar become celebrating his hit, wildly clapping his palms. molina, understanding profar wasn’t paying attention, fired to first. first baseman t.j. rivera slapped the tag, and profar was the second out.

baltentein followed with a domestic run, his wbc-leading fourth, however the scoreboard examine: netherlands 2, molina assists 2.

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manager’s unique: nobody were given more out of his team’s expertise this tournament than netherlands supervisor hensley meulens. they didn’t have the pitching, and a weak bottom of the order, however but gave puerto rico suits, just as they did all tournament.

meulens, the san francisco giants hitting train, commands high-quality recognize the instant he walks into the room, and his players performed with ardour the whole match.

clearly, after what he executed this match, he left little question he deserves robust consideration for a first-rate-league managerial establishing.

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what you neglected on tv: puerto rico application player kike hernandez, who’s combating for a job to make the dodgers’ establishing-day roster, opted as an alternative to play for his united states of america, even understanding it could hurt his big-league probabilities.

he didn’t play till coming into the sport as a pinch-runner monday night time, however as a substitute watched the game from the dugout, his body wrapped with the puerto rico flag.

“i have played in playoffs with the dodgers, and that i went for spring education with the opportunity that perhaps i’d [not] make it for the most important leagues because i’m right here,’’ hernandez said. “but i do not remorse it in any respect. because i have played two playoffs with the dodgers, and the revel in with this traditional does not compare with something that i have played inside the past.

“to be on this traditional, there is no comparison with the enjoy of being within the important leagues. this has been at a one-of-a-kind degree. it’s an incomparable revel in to share this experience. up to now we are the finest talents that we have in puerto rico, and it is a first rate honor to be within the same sport with them.’’

south carolina’s gamers celebrated with train frank martin after defeating duke on sunday night time. credit score bob donnan/u.s. today sports activities, via reuters

south carolina’s gamers celebrated with train frank martin after defeating duke on sunday night time. credit score bob donnan/u.s. today sports activities, via reuters
duke, universally admired and despised, discovered itself engulfed with the aid of carolinas — north and south — at the bought-out bon secours well-being area in greenville, s.c., on sunday. cheers and jeers cascaded down on the blue devils as they fell to south carolina, 88-81, in a rare disappointed in this n.c.a.a. tournament.

the blue devils, the second one seed within the east vicinity, had a 30-23 lead at halftime after the 7th-seeded gamecocks neglected 20 of their closing 22 area intention attempts earlier than the ruin. but as cold because it was within the first half, south carolina was just as hot within the 2d.

after shooting simply 20 percentage within the first 1/2, the gamecocks shot higher than 70 percentage from the field in the second.

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villanova, kansas, north carolina and gonzaga are the top seeds inside the area.

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duke trailed by means of 10 with below 4 minutes closing. a 3-pointer by way of jayson tatum narrowed the deficit to 7, but south carolina endured to supply at the offensive stop, looking quicker, more potent and hungrier than the blue devils, the champions of the atlantic coast conference match.

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printable n.c.a.a. tournament bracket march 12, 2017

here’s what happened inside the n.c.a.a. event spherical of 32 march 19, 2017

7th-seeded michigan tops no. 2 seed louisville march 19, 2017
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duke’s main scorer, luke kennard, become in foul problem for maximum of the second one half, and his teammate grayson allen (18 points) struggled with his shot.

sindarius thornwell, who scored 29 factors in the gamecocks’ win over marquette on friday, become tremendous again, finishing with a sport-high 24 factors.

“whilst you shoot 7 for 35 in the first 1/2 and you’re down simply 7 factors, i let you know, it simply gives you self assurance,” thornwell stated. “it turned into our defense. it saved us in it. we idea we should win the sport popping out the second one half because of capturing so poorly the primary 1/2.”

with duke’s loss, there is now most effective one team left in the match from the a.c.c.: north carolina.

tar heels enthusiasts, who had watched their crew subdue arkansas inside the previous sport in greenville, stayed in the area to crew up with south carolina partisans and pour full-throated hostility on the blue devils, north carolina’s archrival. the gamecocks’ campus is just 104 miles from the bon secours well being area.

“you could tell they fed off the gang,” duke’s matt jones said. “it’s far a luxurious to have.”

the gamecocks, who earlier than this yr had now not received an n.c.a.a. match sport in forty four years, have now won two in a row and are on their manner to madison square garden for the round of 16.

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edrice adebayo blocking a 3-factor shot try through wichita state’s landry shamet at the final buzzer to maintain a win with the aid of 2d-seeded kentucky. credit andy lyons/getty pics
the buzzer-beating play that stored kentucky on sunday won’t warrant a spot in march lore. but the thrill of a blocked shot with the aid of the freshman edrice adebayo — and the skill required to execute it — nearly made up for what had been, to that factor, three and a half of days of university basketball with a conspicuous scarcity of memorable endings.

the use of his 7-foot-1-inch wingspan on the perimeter, adebayo, referred to as bam, preserved second-seeded kentucky’s season with a block on wichita nation protect landry shamet’s remaining-2d 3-factor attempt. the wildcats escaped, sixty five-sixty two, in indianapolis in a rematch with the tenth-seeded shockers, who had also made kentucky fight hard for a win inside the round of 32 in 2014.

it become one among numerous tight video games on sunday, whilst another no. 1 seed, north carolina within the south location, almost fell to a 10-loss arkansas team.

despite the fact that neither recreation featured a buzzer-beater or a late sport-prevailing shot, as a minimum they were nail-biters. via the first forty two games of the match, there were best six video games determined via 3 points or fewer, as compared with 23 with a margin of 10 factors or greater.

the tar heels trailed no. eight-seeded arkansas, sixty five-60, with underneath 3 minutes final, but fought off the razorbacks to win, 72-65, in greenville, s.c.

north carolina changed into purported to be too prompted with the aid of a remaining-second loss to villanova inside the 2016 countrywide championship sport to get disenchanted this early inside the event, however arkansas became a good deal extra than an earnest underdog. the razorbacks have been demons defensively and held carolina to 38.1 percent taking pictures.

with arkansas down with the aid of 65-sixty two with approximately 15 seconds to play, the freshman anton beard took a three-point attempt from the proper wing to attempt to even the rating. it clanged off the back rim.

north carolina led by means of 17 inside the first half of earlier than arkansas rallied behind its protection.

joel berry ii, carolina’s 2d-main scorer, did now not exercise saturday and confirmed the lingering consequences of an ankle damage. he made just 2 of 13 discipline intention tries.

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the a.c.c. had the maximum groups within the match of any conference, with 9, however eight are actually gone.

fans in sacramento got to look a decent game among oregon, the no. three seed within the midwest, and 11th-seeded rhode island. the sport went down to the very last minute, but huge three-tips by means of the oregon sophomore tyler dorsey saved the geese just out in front for a seventy five-72 win. rhode island’s e. c. matthews had a hazard to tie the game within the final seconds with a 3, however it became properly defended via jordan bell and sailed long.

another no. 11 seed, southern california, went right down to the cord with out a. three baylor. but the trojans, who had come back from double-digit deficits of their first two wins, couldn’t pull off the disappointed, falling, 82-78.

on sunday, the shockers trailed at halftime and confronted a five-point deficit with and a half minutes final. but kentucky’s youthful lineup did no longer crack.

“we idea we’d come returned and win the sport,” wichita coach gregg marshall stated. “we thought we have been the better crew.”

in a fierce protective matchup, not one however two blocked pictures put kentucky over the top. another wildcats freshman, malik monk, swatted away a 3-point attempt by markis mcduffie with about 10 seconds remaining.

“he pump-faked, and that i knew he had to shoot it,” adebayo said. “so i just went up and attempted to dam it.”

the wildcats, within the south area, became the second one no. 2 seed to boost to the round of sixteen, along with arizona, which beat saint mary’s on saturday.

a third, louisville, will not be part of them.

whilst louisville teach rick pitino compared the shooting potential of seventh-seeded michigan wolverines to that of the golden state warriors, michigan teach john beilein knew exactly what pitino turned into doing.

“that is the part earlier than they kick your butt,” beilein said. “they are trying to butter you up a bit bit.”

the psychological video games were one a part of pitino’s plan to defeat the wolverines, one of the most up to date teams inside the united states, with a six-sport prevailing streak. some other become suffocating michigan’s torrid perimeter shooters.

an eight-0 louisville run broke a tie earlier than halftime in indianapolis, but the wolverines did not panic.

“a group that isn’t as experienced, that doesn’t have the poise we have, might come lower back and attempt to win it all proper away,” beilein stated. “we won every 4-minute length till we got ahead.”

at the give up, as louisville stored charging again, the wolverines calmly handled the total-courtroom pressure and relied on certainly one of their upperclassmen, junior d. j. wilson, to supply at the unfastened-throw line. wilson, a 6-10 forward, went four for four at the line inside the final seconds to make sure a 73-sixty nine michigan win. this midwest game, like other video games before it, might encompass no buzzer-beaters.

in tulsa, okla., when ninth-seeded michigan kingdom reduce kansas’s lead to 54-fifty three with about 12 mins final, the spectators buckled up for an interesting finish. it in no way materialized.

the jayhawks, seeded no. 1 within the midwest, outscored the spartans by means of 36-17 the relaxation of the way to win without problems, ninety-70. there was no preventing kansas within the open floor. the sport have become a spotlight reel of alley-oops and dunks.

foul problem for michigan country’s nick ward, and a banged-up miles bridges, intended the spartans have been no longer the same as they were on friday, after they beat the college of miami, which became one seed better.

ray glier reported from greenville, s.c., and zach schonbrun from new york.

a model of this article seems in print on march 20, 2017, on web page d1 of the ny version with the headline: blue devils denied. order reprintscontemporary paper