Spain Beats Italy 5-2 to Reach the Premier12 for the First Time

BARCELONA, Spain — Spain beat Italy 5-2 Saturday night to finish group play 2-0 and clinch a berth in the 2027 Premier12, the first in the program’s history.

Italy and Germany are both 1-1 and meet Sunday morning with the final spot on the line — win and you’re in, no tiebreakers.

Colombia is 0-2 and eliminated.

How to watch

Spain vs. Italy, Premier12 Barcelona Qualifier
Saturday, Oct. 10, 19:00 local / 1 p.m. ET
Camp Municipal de Beisbol Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Barcelona

Free on the WBSC YouTube channel outside Spain and Italy.
DAZN carries it for subscribers in Spain and internationally, except in Italy.
RAI Sport carries Italy’s games on digital terrestrial in Italy.
Viva Nicaragua carries the tournament in Nicaragua.
Also on GameTime, the WBSC’s subscription platform, with a tournament pass at $14.99.

Tyler Maun and Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline have the English-language call.

The standings

Spain 1-0
Italy 1-0
Germany 1-1
Colombia 0-2

The top two advance to the 2027 Premier12.

What they said

Matteo Bocchi, who started Italy’s win over Colombia: “I think it was commanding the zone in the first few innings, attacking the zone and trusting my defense.”

On the eighth-inning rally: “That was the game changer for us. I don’t think we played well in the first few innings — we tried to have too many big swings. Then we came back to our baseball, and that’s our baseball, and we flipped the game.”

On Giaconino Lasaracina, who drove in Italy’s first run: “It’s always great to have talent on the team. Talent can solve games at any time. If Nino didn’t get that hit and didn’t get us on the board early, the game could have gone different.”

On catcher Alberto Mineo: “He controls the game. He’s the captain, he’s a veteran, he’s experienced. Having him behind the plate gives the whole defense a lot of help.”

On manager Francisco Cervelli: “We’ve had different coaches in the past, but Francisco came in and he brought his own baseball. He changed the way we play the game as a national team, and it’s working really well. We all play together and we’re having fun.”

Alberto Mineo, Italy’s captain, on facing Spain: “The biggest thing for us is just staying focused on our game and playing until the end.”

Quotes gathered by WBN’s Matt Tallarini in Barcelona.

Spain

World No. 26, the host, and chasing a first Premier12 appearance.

Spain beat Germany 3-2 in ten innings Friday, winning on a wild pitch after Omar Hernández tied it with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth.

Marvin Benard manages. Adam Jones, the five-time All-Star who spent eleven seasons in Baltimore, is on the staff, as is Hensley Meulens, the former Giants hitting coach who managed the Netherlands to the World Baseball Classic semifinals in 2013 and 2017.

Omar Hernández is the captain, a Cuban-born catcher developed in Spain and now in the Kansas City system.

Frank Hernández went 3-for-4 Friday. Luis Guillorme went 3-for-5 and scored twice, including the winning run.

Elián Leyva threw 6 1/3 innings. Rubén Menes, a Cardinals prospect born in Matanzas, struck out six over 2 2/3. Junior Bonilla got the win.

Pablo Guillén has not pitched yet. He won the 2023 European Championship final and threw six shutout innings at the 2025 World Baseball Classic qualifier.

Full recap of Spain’s win here.

Italy

World No. 14, and the only team in the field with Premier12 experience.

Italy beat Colombia 4-3 Friday, scoring three in the eighth. Gabriele Angioi doubled home the go-ahead run with two outs.

Francisco Cervelli manages. The Azzurri reached the World Baseball Classic semifinals in March.

Giaconino Lasaracina went 1-for-1 with three walks Friday and drove in the first run of the tournament. He and Giacomo Taschin, both in Toronto’s system, are believed to be the first Italian battery in minor league history.

Bocchi threw 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Ettore Giulianelli got the win and Claudio Scotti the save.

Taschin has not pitched yet.

Full recap of Italy’s win here.

What’s at stake

The top two advance to the 2027 Premier12, which awards two places in the 2028 Olympic tournament at Dodger Stadium — one to the highest-placed Asian team, one to the highest-placed team from Europe or Oceania.

Three of the six Olympic spots are filled: the United States as host, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic through the World Baseball Classic.

Full tournament guide here.

Sunday

Italy vs. Germany — 6 a.m. ET. Niklas Rimmel starts for Germany.
Spain vs. Colombia — 1 p.m. ET.

World Baseball Network is in Barcelona all weekend.