Canada broke out for three runs in the top of the first inning and never trailed to earn a 6-2 win over Puerto Rico and the bronze medal at the Baseball World Cup.

First baseman Jimmy Van Ostrand homered and drove in three runs in the victory Saturday at Grosseto, Italy.

"They never quit," said Canada manager Ernie Whitt. "They deserve all the credit. With 2½-, three-hour bus trips every day, it was just a grind. But no one complained and they came out and played hard."

Cuba and the U.S. will play in the tournament final Sunday, after which all of the medals will be handed out.

Jamie Richmond was the starting pitcher for Canada, leaving after four innings with a 3-2 lead.

"It always helps when you start with a three-run lead," said the Mississauga, Ont., native. "I knew the offence would come through and our defence has been awesome all tournament, so I felt really comfortable out there."

Great relief pitching

Puerto Rico never got closer, thanks to outstanding relief from Dustin Molleken, Trystan Magnuson and Jimmy Henderson.

Adam Stern led off with a hit for the Canadians and scored on third baseman Shawn Bowman's double. Van Ostrand hit a sacrifice fly for another run, with designated hitter Tim Smith adding an RBI single.

After walking a batter in the second, Richmond made his only mistake, a pitch that Jose Valentin deposited for a two-run homer.

The score stayed the same until the eighth, when Jonathan Malo tripled to bring Adam Loewen across for a 4-2 lead.

Van Ostrand homered to right in the ninth with Rene Tosoni on base to widen the gap.

"This is something we've been doing all tournament. We've playing well and getting leads late, and we've done a really good job at finishing games," said Van Ostrand, from Richmond, B.C.. "It just goes to show that we just keep on battling and we play the whole game."

After allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, Henderson got the next three in a row to give Whitt's squad the big win.

The third-place finish at the World Cup is the highest placing for a senior Canadian baseball team since a bronze-medal performance at the 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg.

With files from The Canadian Press