The South Koreans are the top-ranked team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation tournament in Sonora, but lost their opener against Nicaragua yesterday.

Things looked to be going pear-shaped at the Estadio Sonora again as the Dutch raced into a 4-0 lead, and it was 7-2 in their favour with only half of a regulation inning left.

But South Korea scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh - Lim Jong-chan the hero as he drove in three with a bases-loaded triple and then scored as the tying run on a sacrifice fly - to take the game to extra innings.

A Dutch error in the bottom of the eighth allowed Jung Mink-yu to score and give South Korea the win.

Venezuela beat Colombia 3-2 and Panama overcame Nicaragua 13-6 in the day's other Group B games.

Panama needed extra innings to separate from Nicaragua, but scored seven runs in a monster eighth to earn the win.

Venezuela are now top of the pile as the only team to have won both their games.

In Group A, hosts Mexico bounced back from an opening-day loss, seeing off Cuba 5-0.

The Dominican Republic began their campaign with an 8-4 win against Germany and Chinese Taipei beat the Czech Republic 4-1.

The Taiwanese, with two wins from two, are in pole position in Group A.

The top three finishers from each group will advance to the super round, which is set to be played from September 29 to October 1.