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Puerto Rico pulls away from D.R. Cruz's three RBIs lead the way against powerhouse opponent

Monday, 13 March 2006 3:00:00 PM
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
• Box score

Ivan Rodriguez is pumped after his first-inning double vs. the Dominican Republic.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- It was a good day for underdogs on the Isle of Enchantment. Hours after Cuba scored a win over the favored Venezuelans, Jose Cruz Jr. drove in three runs and Carlos Beltran scored three more, as Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic, 7-1, in front of 19,692 raucous fans at sold-out Hiram Bithorn Stadium. Cuba and Puerto Rico followed a similar formula: Keep it close against a former American League Cy Young Award winner, and then pull away from the relief corps for a stunningly easy win in the second round of the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico fell behind, 1-0, against reigning AL Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon and the Dominicans, but scored a run in the fourth off Colon to tie the game, and then erupted for six runs -- only two of them earned -- in the sixth and seventh. Cruz figured big in both rallies, hitting a two-run double off Damaso Marte in the sixth and an RBI single off Julian Tavarez in the seventh.

Javy Lopez had three hits, including a double that plated Puerto Rico's first run, and he doubled and scored in the sixth on a two-run single by Cruz. An error by center fielder Willy Taveras allowed Cruz to advance to second on the play, and he later scored an unearned run on Alex Cintron's bunt single for a 4-1 lead.

All three of Puerto Rico's runs in the seventh were set up by a one-out error by Dominican Republic second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Jose Valentin followed Cruz's RBI single with a two-run hit that opened a 7-1 lead.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Javier Vazquez started for Puerto Rico and limited the Dominican Republic's All-Star lineup to three hits, including a second-inning solo home run by third baseman Adrian Beltre, his fourth of the tournament.

In five innings of inspired work, Vazquez allowed a lone run on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out five, to the delight of local fans who started filing into the stadium two hours before the 9 p.m. local time start and endured a pregame rainstorm.

Puerto Rico improved to 4-0 overall in the Classic, and will face Venezuela on Monday night.