Spain – South Africa 5-4 (Box score)
In a meeting between previous World Baseball Classic participants Spain had the better ending with a 5-4 victory in a nail biter. Justin Connell led the way by hitting a long solo home run and driving in another run with a double. Jesus Ustariz hit a RBI triple for Spain. South Africa tied the game at 2-2 in the seventh and then cut the deficit to 4-5 with a two-run double by Tyler Smith in the ninth. But a popup and a strikeout ended their rally.
France – Great Britain 4-14 (Box score)
Following the official opening ceremony which saw a dance performance and a traditional Bavarian marching band, Great Britain overcame an early 0-1 deficit to beat France 14-4 in the evening game. Four-run rallies in the seventh and eighth inning blew the score wide open in a contest, which was close in the beginning. Catcher Victor Acuna and Harrison Ford hit home runs for their respective teams. Anfernee Seymour had three RBI for the British squad.
All information and live streaming for the World Baseball Classic is available through www.worldbaseballclassic.com.
Photo by Michael Schöberl
