Itoman – Italy continued its strong run in the qualification round for 7th to 12th place at the U18 Baseball World Cup, beating China 6-3.

The Azzurri jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning: Pavarani opened with a single, and after two groundouts, walks to Bicchiarelli and Garavaglia loaded the bases. Di Persia then cleared them with a three-run double. China cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth with Zhao’s leadoff triple followed by Zheng’s RBI single.

Italy responded quickly, extending the gap with a two-run single from Pavarani and another RBI single from Suarez to make it 6-1. In the sixth, China threatened again, loading the bases with two outs. Larice came in to relieve an excellent Muscio, but Liu drove in two runs with a single to close the gap to 6-3 before Zhang was retired for the third out.

China mounted one last push in the ninth: Larice hit three batters, two of them consecutively, loading the bases with only one out. But the Italian defense held firm, and Chen’s fly ball ended the game.

“We went back to doing what we know best,” said team captain Di Persia after the game. “We were more focused at the plate and started putting more balls in play. I really wanted to contribute today, and that bases-clearing double gave us the early lead we needed.”

Italy will play its final World Cup game tomorrow against Australia, scheduled for 3:30 a.m. CET.