We’re in for a pretty entertaining World Baseball Classic if the first qualifying round game was any sign of things to come. WBC 2023 officially kicked off on Friday when Spain defeated South Africa, 5-4, at the Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany.
justin connell, a 23-year-old outfielder in the Nationals system, led Spain’s offense by going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. He opened the scoring when he took a fastball from South African right-hander Justin Erasmus and tore it well past the left-field wall to lead off the bottom of the fourth. He added an RBI double in the seventh.
South Africa, the lowest-ranked club to participate in the Regensburg Qualifier, erased a 2-0 deficit in the top of the seventh thanks to an RBI groundout by second baseman Victor Ngoepe and a run-scoring single from third. guard Jonathan Phillips. But Spain responded immediately with three runs in the bottom half of the frame.
That rally began with a one-out walk by shortstop Noelvi Marte,the No. 18 prospect in the MLB, who scored the go-ahead run on Jesús Ustariz’s triple. Designated hitter Chris Kwitzer followed with an opposite-field double, setting the stage for Connell’s third hit of the day.
Former reliever for the Astros and Blue Jays,rhiner cross, doubled up, but didn’t break serve in the ninth inning. After giving up a two-run double to Tyler Smith, Cruz scored the save by retiring the next two batters with an infield out and a strikeout.
Spain will continue their run through the six-team Regensburg Qualifier when they take on the Czech Republic on Saturday at 7 am ET. Meanwhile, South Africa will compete for their tournament life in the double-elimination tournament on Sunday at 1pm against Great Britain, France or Germany, depending on the other results on Friday and Saturday.
