SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- It was a very good day for underdogs on the Isle of Enchantment.
Hours after Cuba scored a win over the favored Venezuelans, Jose Cruz Jr. drove in three runs and Carlos Beltran scored three more, as Puerto Rico eased past the Dominican Republic, 7-1, in front of 19,692 raucous fans at sold-out Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
"It\'s as exciting as anything I\'ve ever been a part of," said Cruz, who also finished 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs. "To do it on this stage is very satisfying. I was talking to my brother before the game, and I said, \'I don\'t care if I get a hit or not, I just want to win the game.\'"
That\'s all Puerto Rico has done in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The team is 4-0 overall after opening the second round with a win on Sunday, and will return Monday night to face a Venezuelan team reeling from a 7-2 loss to Cuba.
Cuba and Puerto Rico followed a similar formula: Keep it close against a former American League Cy Young Award winner, and then pull away from the relief corps for a stunningly easy win.
"I looked at the scoreboard at the end of the game, and I watched the whole ballgame and they just flat out outplayed us tonight," said Dominican manager Manny Acta, whose club is favored by many to win the tournament. "They outhit us, played better defense, and they outpitched us, too."
Puerto Rico fell behind, 1-0, against reigning AL Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon and the Dominicans, but scored a run in the fourth off Colon to tie the game, and then erupted for six runs -- only two of them earned -- in the sixth and seventh.
Cruz figured big in both rallies, hitting a two-run double off Damaso Marte in the sixth and an RBI single off Julian Tavarez in the seventh.
"We had great pitching, great hitting and great defense," said Javier Vazquez, who pitched five brilliant innings for Puerto Rico. "I think it was a teamwork win, and it was a great win for us."
Javy Lopez had three hits, including a double that plated Puerto Rico\'s first run, and he doubled and scored in the sixth on a two-run single by Cruz. An error by center fielder Willy Taveras allowed Cruz to advance to second on the play, and he later scored an unearned run on Alex Cintron\'s bunt single for a 4-1 lead.
All three of Puerto Rico\'s runs in the seventh were set up by a one-out error by Dominican Republic second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Jose Valentin followed Cruz\'s RBI single with a two-run hit that opened a 7-1 lead.
"I had the good fortune that the ground ball just missed Soriano\'s glove a couple times and we ended up winning," said Cruz, a Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder.
Vazquez limited the Dominican Republic\'s All-Star lineup to three hits, including a second-inning solo home run by third baseman Adrian Beltre, his fourth of the tournament. Vazquez, Jose Santiago, Kiko Calero and J.C. Romero combined to allow just six hits to a Dominican lineup that featured five Major League All-Stars.
In five innings of inspired work, Vazquez allowed a lone run on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out five, to the delight of local fans who started filing into the stadium two hours before the 9 p.m. local time start and endured a pregame rainstorm.
"I think the crowds help you to maintain the high level of intensity, at least I hope," said Jose Oquendo, Puerto Rico\'s manager. "But I think we played an aggressive game, and that will keep the intensity up."', tagline: 'Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com.', summary: null, article_photo: { caption: 'Carlos Beltran (left) celebrates with Javy Lopez after both crossed the plate.', credit: 'Al Bello/Getty Images', path: '/images/2006/03/12/QxGkD9R4.jpg' }, sub_headline: 'Cruz\'s three RBIs lead the way against powerhouse opponent', alt_headline: 'Puerto Rico pulls away from D.R.', related_links: null, headline: 'Puerto Rico pulls away from D.R.' }