Zobrist leads U.S. to 7-2 win

Salem's Ben Zobrist went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBIs to help Team USA end a two-game skid and clinch a spot in the medal round of the World Cup with a 7-3 win over Czech Republic on Monday afternoon in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

With the U.S. leading, 2-0, in the top of the third, Zobrist singled, stole second and scored on a base hit by Josh Phelps (Triple-A Durham). After Czech Republic cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth, the 24-year-old shortstop walked and scored as part of a two-run fifth. He capped his day with a two-run double in the sixth, extending the lead to 7-2.

The two-hit game was the third straight for Zobrist, a 2004 sixth-round pick of the Houston Astros. He has hit safely in all seven tournament games and leads the team in average (.400), runs (eight), walks (nine), on-base percentage (.559) and steals (three).

Team USA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Durham's Jeff Deardorff and an RBI single from Brant Ust of the Class A Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Starter Jared Wells (Double-A Mobile BayBears) wasn't nearly as dominant as he was last week against Spain, but still recorded the win. The 6-foot-4 right-hander uncharacteristically struggled with his control, walking six, but managed to limit the Czechs to just two runs on two hits over five innings, while striking out five.

Wells gave up just one unearned run on four hits and a walk while fanning nine in his first outing and is now 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in the tournament.

Tucson's Mark Freed earned a save by tossing the final four innings. He allowed one run on three hits, but was also wild, walking four and uncorking a wild pitch.

Petr Minarik worked a perfect first inning for Czech Republic, but Radek Prochazka (0-2) came on to yield three runs on three hits and three walks in the next three innings and was saddled with the loss.

The Unites States failed to hit a home run for the first time in the tournament, but the offensive attack ramained well-balanced, as every starter except Dee Brown (Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs) collected a hit. Brown walked twice and scored a run. Mike Cervenak (Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies) extended his hitting streak to seven games with a double in the top of the fifth.

The Americans have five hitters above .300 for the tournament and are hitting .310 as a team through the first seven games.

Team USA remains in fourth place in the Pool B standings and concludes pool play Tuesday with a 9 a.m. ET game against Chinese Taipei in Haarlem, Netherlands.