Great Britain booked their spot in the next edition of the World Baseball Classic on Monday with an 8-1 defeat over Brazil in Houston. Co-Captain Jazz Chisholm Jr drove in three runs and Ian Lewis Jr. homered in Great Britain’s second-ever Classic victory.
Brendan Beck got the start for GB, and spun a beauty, working the first four innings without allowing a run or hit. Brazil, meanwhile, match Beck with four scoreless frames of their own.
In the fifth, Brazil got on the board first. Gabriel Carmo doubled to left to score Gabriel Maceal, and GB trailed. That lasted until Ian Lewis Jr. stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the frame. He launched a ball to right for his first World Baseball Classic Home Run, and the game was tied. Harry Ford then go in on the action, with an RBI single, before Chisholm’s ground out scored Nate Eaton to give Great Britain a 3-1 lead.
GB would extend the lead in the 6th. Lweis’s ground out scored Ivan Johnson, and the 7th saw Johnson score again, this time on Matt Koperniak’s first RBI single at the classic.
GB tacked on a pair in the eight, with Jass Chisholm scoring Trayce Thompson and Wallace Clark with an RBI single.
Great Britain’s pitching, meanwhile, was impressive. Following Brendan Beck, Gary Gill Hill allowed a run, but from there it was all GB, with the staff combining for a one-hitter and racking up 11 strikeouts. Tristan Beck closed out his brother’s start, clinching GB’s spot in the next Classic.
The Great Britain Senior National Team will compete next at the Premier12 in China, with a date to be announced. Follow along with Great Britain Baseball at gb_baseball on Instagram and X, and on Tik Tok at gbbaseball.