SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 11 (UPI) -- Jonathan Sanchez and seven relievers combined on a shutout Wednesday, bringing Puerto Rico a 5-0 decision over the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.
Both teams advanced out of Pool D and will return to action in Miami Saturday.
The Netherlands survived the tournament's first double-elimination round by shocking the Dominican Republic twice in less than a week.
Wednesday's game merely determined the teams' initial opponents in the second round. Puerto Rico will meet the United States, which suffered a 5-3 loss to Venezuela in its placement game Wednesday. The Netherlands will take on Venezuela to open the second round.
Sanchez allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four over four innings. Alex Rios tripled, walked twice, scored and drove in a run for Puerto Rico.