HOUSTON — Team USA advanced out of pool play in the World Baseball Classic and will face Canada on Friday in the tournament’s quarterfinals, averting a disastrous flameout thanks to Italy’s

Pasquantino, the Kansas City Royals‘ slugging first baseman and one of the chief recruiters for the Italian team, made it moot. Entering the game hitless in 12 at-bats, he homered again in the sixth inning and blasted his third shot of the game over the right-field fence to stretch Italy’s lead to 8-1. Pasquantino never has hit three home runs in a major league game.

Italy tacked on one more run and celebrated as Team USA breathed a sigh of relief, still alive in a tournament it entered with more talent than any of its previous WBC incarnations. The Americans are expected to start San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb in the quarterfinals, and Canada plans to counter with Arizona right-hander Michael Soroka.

Canada clinched its spot in the quarterfinals with back-to-back wins against Puerto Rico and Cuba to ascend to the top of Pool A.