Jorge Cantu smacked a solo home run, part of a 3-for-4 performance that produced three runs and sparked Mexico past South Africa 10-4 in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday at the World Baseball Classic.
The victory kept the Mexicans, 2-0 losers to the United States in their opener, in contention for a second-round berth. They must win a key Thursday match-up against Canada, which upset the Americans 8-6 on Wednesday.
Sacrifices by Cantu, Ian Butcher and Luis A Garcia scored runs for Mexico on the way to a 5-0 lead after three innings.
South Africa, eliminated from title contention, answered on Jason Cook’s two-run triple and Kyle Botha’s RBI single in the fourth inning.
But Mexico responded with three runs in the fifth. Adrian Gonzales doubled in a run, Juan Castro grounded out to plate another run and Cantu singled in another. Cantu added a homer in the seventh to help Mexico pull away for good. — Sapa-AFP