TUCSON, Ariz. – On the second day of the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, 2,193 fans gathered under breezy 56-degree conditions on Monday afternoon in the Valley of the Sun and witnessed Brazil getting to .500 with their 9-7 win over Germany at the Kino Sports Complex at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Germany dropped to 1-1 on Monday afternoon and Brazil improved to 1-1 in the second and final 2025 WBCQ in Tucson
This was the first time that Germany and Brazil faced off in an international senior event on Monday afternoon during the 2025 WBCQ in Tucson.
Brazil’s pitching staff threw nine innings, allowing seven hits, five earned runs, 11 walks, and 10 strikeouts.
“Were not exactly happy with the bullpen today, there were a lot of walks, but the group came together and at the end we had this good result along with making adjustments to the next game,” Brazil manager Daniel Yuichi Matsumoto said during the postgame.
Germany’s pitching logged nine innings, allowing nine hits, nine earned runs, four walks, and seven strikeouts during Monday’s loss.
Germany stranded five runners in the first two innings before a 17-minute sprinkler delay halted play at the start of the third. The delay occurred along the first base foul line, with the four umpires and the grounds crew working alongside Major League Baseball and World Baseball Classic Inc. officials to resolve the issue.
Germany’s starting pitcher, Tommy Sommer, entered the third inning with 25 pitches for 16 strikes after retiring the first six batters he faced, including two strikeouts.
Following the delay, Sommer quickly retired the side in order, forcing Gabriel Carmo and Gabriel Maciel into groundouts to shortstop Alex Schmidt before striking out Vitor Ito to end the inning.
Germany manager Jendrick Speer turned to his bullpen to start the fourth, bringing in reliever Jaden Agassi to replace Sommer.
Sommer completed three scoreless innings, facing nine batters, striking out three, and throwing 39 pitches, 25 for strikes.
Lucas Ramirez recorded the team’s first hit with a ground ball single to right field, advancing Gabriel Gomes to third with no outs.
With Leonardo Reginatto batting next, Gomes scored on a wild pitch with Agassi failing to cover home, allowing the ball to bounce in front of catcher Vincent Ahrens, and giving Brazil a 1-0 lead.
With 1 out, Lucas Rojo doubled off the wall in center, driving in Ramirez to extend the lead to 2-0.
LUCAS ROJO AMPLIA A VANTAGEM DO BRASIL COM UMA REBATIDA DUPLA! ????????????????????????
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— BMA – Beisebol Mundo Afora ???? (@beisebolmafora) March 3, 2025
The next batter, Victor Mascai crushed a two-run single to right, scoring Dante Bichette Jr. and Rojo to stamp a 4-0 lead.
Victor Mascai drives in two runs for Brazil and they're up 4-0 in the 4th inning. #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/MXpj07LsjW
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 3, 2025
“After last nights’ game we got together and discussed how to make the adjustments against Germany and I think we’re getting a good rhythm on how we can click together coming into Wednesday, to face China’s pitching staff,” Mascai said during the post game.
Speer turned to his bullpen again, bringing in Jordan Martinson to replace Agassi.
Agassi exited after ⅔ of an inning, allowing three hits, four earned runs, and two walks.
In the bottom of the fourth, Matsumoto made a move, calling on reliever Oscar Nakaoshi with two outs to replace starter Enzo Yusuke Sawayama.
Sawayama threw 3 ⅔ innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, four walks, and six strikeouts, while creasing 73 pitches, 38 for strikes.
Germany finally broke through in the fourth when Lou Helmig drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in Donald Lutz to put Germany on the board at 4-1.
In the fifth, Germany capitalized on another bases-loaded walk, this time by Alexander Schmidt, bringing home Simon Baumgardt to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Brazil answered in the sixth. Mascai grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, but Bichette scored from third to restore the three-run lead.
Ramirez kept Brazil’s bats rolling in the seventh, pounding an opposite field RBI double into left field, scoring Gomes to extend the lead to 6-2.
Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, drives in a run for Team Brazil ????#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/T1epfYmjh6
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 3, 2025
“I felt we came out aggressive today and we played hard today alongside coming out hustling. It felt great to put the barrel on the baseball there and to help the offense out, and coming out on the left side of the win column,” Ramirez said during the postgame.
The next batter, Leonardo Reginatto smacked an RBI ground ball double to right field, scoring Ramirez to staple a 7-2 lead.
Germany creeped back in the seventh inning as Lutz drove an RBI double into left, scoring Tristian Russell to make it 7-3.
Vincent Aherns grounded to Rojo, scoring Yannic Walther and trimming the deficit to 7-4.
Alex Schimdt, rounding out the lineup, lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Lutzand tightening the score to 7-5.
Brazil would answer in the eighth. Gabriel Maciel reached on a fielder’s choice, with Lutz firing to Schmidt in an unsuccessful attempt to cut down Daniel Yonemura, who slid headfirst safely ahead of the tag to pin, 8-5 Brazil.