Venezuela rallies past Italy 4-2 with 3-run 7th and will face US for World Baseball Classic title

Venezuela surged into its first World Baseball Classic final, beating Italy 4-2 on Monday night in Miami behind a seventh-inning, two-out flurry: run-scoring singles from Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez. Down 2-0 in the fourth, Venezuela rallied again after a quarterfinal comeback over defending champion Japan, and a roaring, pro-Venezuelan sellout at loanDepot park carried the momentum. Daniel Palencia sealed it with three outs for the save. Venezuela will face the United States on Tuesday; a coin toss made the U.S. the home team. Italy, 5-0 entering, couldn’t hold its late lead.