Colombia hits just enough to end Classic with win over Panama

Through the first three games of World Baseball Classic play, Colombia was desperate for a big hit.

In their fourth and final game of this year’s tournament, Reynaldo Rodriguez supplied one.

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Rodriguez ripped a two-run single as a part of a four-run sixth inning that propelled Colombia to a 4-3 victory over Panama at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Monday afternoon. The Colombians avoided a winless Classic and eliminated Panama from WBC contention in the process.

Colombia’s lineup struggled through the first three games of pool play, scoring a total of six runs while going just 2-for-28 with runners in scoring position. To start, Monday’s game unfolded similarly: Colombia and Panama were scoreless through five innings, with lefty Adrian Almeida and 39-year-old WBC lifer Paolo Espino trading zeroes.

It was a particularly impactful performance from Espino, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his final professional appearance. Espino, who pitched for Panama in the 2006 WBC as a 19-year-old, announced earlier this week that he is retiring from baseball following the Classic.

With Espino out of the game, the floodgates opened in the top of the sixth. Colombia loaded the bases with nobody out via two walks and a single. Looking to break the deadlock, designated hitter Jordan Diaz lofted a fly ball to left field that was just deep enough to score Michael Arroyo, who scampered home ahead of an off-line throw from Luis Castillo.

Then the 39-year-old Rodriguez -- playing in his third Classic -- came through with Colombia’s biggest hit of the tournament. Rodriguez scorched a single through the five hole that left the bat at 101.3 mph and scored a pair. One batter later, Daniel Vellojin tacked on another run with a bloop single that evaded shortstop José Caballero, capping a breakthrough four-run frame.

Needing a win to stay alive, Panama could not recapture its magic from the night prior, when it engineered a stirring come-from-behind victory over Canada. Its late comeback, which included a two-run eighth inning that ended with the go-ahead run stranded at second base, fell just short.

Panama and Colombia each finished pool play with a 1-3 record, though it’s still unknown which team will be relegated from Pool A. That’s because Canada (1-1) could still wind up with a 1-3 record in pool play. In the event of a two-way tie-break, Panama would be relegated to the qualifiers because of its head-to-head record against Colombia. But, in a potential three-way tie-break, further run-quotient tie-breakers would be used.