S. Korea to meet Venezuela in WBC semifinals

SAN DIEGO, March 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will face off against Venezuela in
the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic, set to take place in Los Angeles on
Saturday, after losing its second round match against Japan 2-6 in San Diego
Thursday.
With the defeat in the fourth match against its archrival in this year's WBC,
South Korea took the runner-up spot in Pool One, heading for a semifinal match
with Pool Two winner Venezuela.
Japan, the winner of Pool One, is poised for a showdown with the United States,
the runner-up of Pool Two, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday.
South Korea allowed 15 hits and six runs with three errors to Japan in the game
at San Diego's Petco Park.
After South Korean infielder Lee Bum-ho slammed a tying home run in the bottom of
the seventh inning, Japan earned three runs on pinch hitter Michihiro Ogasawara's
one-run single and outfielder Akinori Iwamura's two-run hit with Korea's error in
the top of the eighth. The score extended to 5-2.
In the top of the ninth, Japan added one more run on Ichiro Suzuki's double and
Norichika Aoki's single, finishing the game 6-2.
Cleveland Indian Choo Shin-soo, only Major Leaguer in the Korean squad, hit a
ground ball into a double play at his pinch hitter chance in the bottom of the
seventh. Choo is hitting 1-for-9, or.111, for the tournament.
The final will be held on Monday in LA.
brk@yna.co.kr
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