TORONTO (AP) – Henry Blanco homered and made a key throw in the ninth inning as Venezuela beat the United States 5-3 on Wednesday night to win Group C at the World Baseball Classic.

Gregor Blanco added three hits for Venezuela, which avenged a 15-6 loss to the Americans on Sunday night. Both teams are headed to the second round of the tournament in Miami, where the U.S. will open against Group D winner Puerto Rico (3-0) on Saturday night.

Venezuela will face a surprising Netherlands team earlier in the day.

Chris Iannetta hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning but Team USA couldn’t finish the comeback in the ninth.

Jimmy Rollins walked and Derek Jeter reached on a one-out error by third baseman Luis Maza. With cleanup hitter Kevin Youkilis at the plate, the United States tried a double steal and Blanco’s strong throw cut down Jeter – the trail runner – at second base. Francisco Rodriguez wrapped up the save by striking out Youkilis.

Victor Zambrano allowed one run and three hits in 3 2-3 innings to earn the win before a crowd of 12,358. He walked two and struck out one.

Puerto Rico 5, Netherlands 0

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Alex Rios hit an RBI triple and Puerto Rico beat the Netherlands 5-0 to finish undefeated in the first round of the World Baseball Classic.

Next up, an enticing matchup with the United States.

Carlos Beltran, Ivan Rodriguez and Geovany Soto each drove in a run for Puerto Rico (3-0), which won Group D and will face the U.S. in their second-round opener Saturday night in Miami.

It was the second win for Puerto Rico over a scrappy Dutch squad, which earlier eliminated the star-laden Dominican Republic.

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