Dominguez powers U.S. to baseball final

Chatsworth High senior third baseman Matt Dominguez hit a three-run home run for the second game in a row Monday to propel the USA Baseball Junior National Team to an 8-2 victory over Mexico, securing a berth in Wednesday’s gold medal game of the International Baseball Federation AAA World Junior Baseball Championships in Cuba.
The U.S., which has won five consecutive games since opening the tournament with back-to-back losses, will play for the title against the winner of Tuesday’s semifinal between Canada and Korea.
Dominguez’s home run in the first inning put the U.S. ahead for good against Mexico. He had two hits in the game, giving him four hits and six RBIs in the past two games. Fellow Chatsworth standout Mike Moustakas scored two runs.
“We were going to score a lot of runs so I just started things … it was just a matter of time,� Dominguez said. “After starting the tournament 0-2, we got a little anxious about making the gold-medal game. But we defeated two pretty good teams in the past two days to get here. I am looking forward to the game. I think it will be exciting.�
Dominguez and Moustakas were pivotal in a 4-0 quarterfinal upset of Cuba. Dominguez broke a scoreless tie with a three-run homer in the seventh inning. Moustakas, playing left field, robbed Cuba of a potential two-run home run by leaping high above the outfield wall to snag a drive in the third inning. He also went 3 for 4 and scored two runs.