PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates needed production from their best prospects and they got exactly that in their most recent Spring Training game.

The Pirates outlasted the Detroit Tigers in a 5-3 win at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., thanks to some important hits from their best young talent.

Pittsburgh finally ends their surprising three-game losing streak, as they lost both games in the split squad day on March 6, 9-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin and then 14-10 to the Philadelphia Philies at LECOM Park in Bradenton, plus a 3-2 defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals at home on March 5.

The Pirates improve to 10-5 in the Grapefruit League and the Tigers fall to 3-7, tied for the least wins.

How the Pirates Got the Victory

The Pirates got going in the top of the second inning, as left fielder Jhostynxon Garcia singled and then center fielder Dominic Fletcher got hit by a pitch, before right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez singled to score both runners and made it to second base on the error.

Designated hitter Termarr Johnson made it his second straight day with an RBI-single, scoring Valdez and putting the Pirates up 3-0.

Pirates left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco made his second Grapefruit League start and threw two scoreless innings before struggling in the third inning.

Barco loaded the bases and then gave up a ground-rule double and a ground out, scoring all three runners to tie the game up at 3-3.

Both teams struggled to score runs before the Pirates got things going in the top of the sixth inning, with catcher Henry Davis walking and then first baseman Enmanuel Valdez singling, putting runners on the corners.

Garcia grounded into a double play, but scored Davis and put Pittsburgh up 4-3 over Detroit.

The Pirates loaded the bases after this, but third baseman Duce Gorson popped out and they held onto their one-run game.

Mitch Jebb led off the top of the eighth inning with a triple and Yordanny De Los Santos would single soon after to bring him home and double the Pirates lead at 5-3.

De Los Santos, a minor leaguer, has had a great showing in the Grapefruit League for the Pirates, slashing .556/.600/1.667 and an OPS of 2.267 in six games, with a league-high eight RBI and also three home runs.

Pirates Get Good Pitching to Take Down the Tigers

Right-handed relief pitcher Michael Walsh, a ninth round pick out of Yale in 2022, threw a scoreless fourth inning and then fellow right-handed relief pitcher Justin Lawrence continued his solid spring with a scoreless fifth inning

The Pirates then went with right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington in the sixth inning and he would put on his best showing of the Grapefruit League, throwing four scoreless innings to get the save.

Harrington hardly faced any trouble in his outing, with just two hits and a walk allowed, with two strikeouts, getting a number of groundballs and mixing up his vast arsenal of pitches.

This isn’t the first time Harrington got a four-inning save, doing so last year in his PNC Park debut in an 8-4 victory. Harrington became the first Pirates pitcher that earned a four-inning save since Jason Christiansen did so in a 5-1 win over the Montreal Expos on July 17, 1998.

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The first round of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) boys basketball Division II and IV state tournaments is complete. 

Both divisions began their respective playoffs on Friday with the second round of each division continuing Monday. 

Many stories emerged from Friday night’s slate of games, but two Division II coaches’ career win milestones highlighted the madness. 

Scot Wenzel And Bryan Moretti Now Have 500 Wins Between Them

Two teams from the Central Connecticut Conference, Newington and Hall had special moments for each of their head coaches. 

Over in Newington, the No. 6 Nor’Easters hosted and defeated Conard, 65-43. The win was also head coach Scot Wenzel’s 300th career win. He has oached the Nor’Easters from 2003–2017 and 2022-present. 

“It means that I’ve coached a lot of really good players,” said Wenzel following the accomplishment. “I’m fortunate to make connections with them on the court and also off the court, and glad I still have connections with a lot of those guys now. They all hold a special place in my heart.”

Another milestone looms for Newington in its Monday second-round matchup against Hillhouse, as senior Josiah Sims is eight rebounds away from his 1,000th career rebound. The talented senior already reached 1,000 career points earlier this season. 

In the area and just one town over, Hall head coach Bryan Moretti notched the 200th win of his career in a close 49-46 victory over the visiting Cheney Tech Chargers. Moretti is in his 23rd season as the Titans’ head coach, coaching them since the 2003 season. 

Hall will host No. 9 Fairfield Ludlowe in the second round of the tournament on Monday. 

Over In Division IV, St. Paul’s Sean McMahon Had A Career Game 

In the Division IV State Tournament, St. Paul senior Sean McMahon scored a career-high 46 points in his team’s 75-50 first-round win over No. 22 Suffield. 

McMahon scored 10+ points in three out of four quarters and had 23 points in each half. 

The senior who had the hot hand let his shots come naturally and felt confident about them.  

“When the first couple fall, you want to get a couple more up and see if those fall, but I’m not going to go out there and force it,” McMahon told the Bristol Press. “I just let the game come to me.”

St. Paul will face No. 6 Windham Tech on the road Monday in the second round on March 9. 

Six years ago, reports about a new coronavirus outbreak on the other side of the globe had been percolating through the news for several months. And then, right about this time, as the winter morphed into spring, the COVID-19 pandemic hit here in Maine. If you were paying attention up to that point, those halcyon days we called normal life were officially over in an unprecedented way. 

There was stress and anxiety enough to go around, and the only thing certain in those early days of the rapidly spreading virus was more uncertainty. “Social distancing,” “self-quarantine,” “shelter-in-place,” and “flattening the curve” became part of our daily lexicon. Fortunately, many Mainers were able to find a measure of solace by escaping into the outdoors, something that was thankfully encouraged by our government leaders.  

A statement from Gov. Janet Mills declared: “[…] the great outdoors is still open. Please enjoy it safely.” And from Judy Camuso, Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife commissioner: “During these times, getting outside and enjoying the outdoors is a wonderful way to recharge, while maintain social distancing practices.” I was walking my neighborhood trails daily to keep from going completely stir crazy, so this was easy advice to follow. 

People from the urban centers around the state took flight, as did many from the heavily populated regions outside of Maine; all were seeking the wide open spaces, the fresh air, clear skies and healthy sunshine as far from the city as possible. And just like that, the Acadia National Park trailheads here on Mount Desert Island were overflowing. In March, no less. You may have experienced the same where you live. 

Too much of a good thing is often, well, too much. My wife and I decided this might be a good opportunity to explore further Down East, beyond Acadia, where there were plenty of trails that few people know about, many we had never even hiked ourselves. And so, trying to make the best of a terrible situation, that’s exactly what we did for many weeks to come, hiking pretty much everything in the region. 

Down East Maine encompasses all of Hancock and Washington counties, an area of 4,409 square miles area ranging from Penobscot Bay to the Saint Croix River on the border with New Brunswick. Across this sparsely populated region, at least 10 land trusts have protected lands, and built and maintained trails, in addition to the swaths of state and federal properties that are also available for public recreation. 

The Crabtree Neck Land Trust oversees 400 acres in Hancock, and there we found six preserves featuring some 14 miles of hiking. We enjoyed this close-to-home-but-never-been adventure so much that we hiked everything over a couple days. The out-and-back on the Old Pond Railway Trail was by far our favorite, but we also really liked the Ice Pond Preserve and the Carter Beach Corridor. 

Scattered over the Down East region are 21 Maine Coast Heritage Trust preserves, most sporting hiking trails. Among these many beauties are two standouts, in my humble opinion, and both are in Lubec. The rugged environs of Boot Head were all about rocky headlands, peat bogs and cobble beaches, while Hamilton Cove was home to all that, plus precipitous cliffs. At each, we reveled in huge views over the Grand Manan Channel. 

The hike at Schoodic Bog in Sullivan is a Frenchman Bay Conservancy project that circumnavigates the scenic wetland with fine views of Schoodic Mountain en route. At Ingersoll Point in South Addison, we enjoyed hiking to Carrying Place Cove and Wohoa Bay, thanks to the Downeast Coastal Conservancy. And among the Blue Hill Heritage Trust’s extensive inventory was the sweet figure-eight hike along Patten Stream in Surry. 

The COVID pandemic wreaked havoc on every aspect of our society, but if there’s a bright spot to recall from that dark period, it may be the unexpected chance many of us had to recreate in the great outdoors. The wonders my wife and I discovered as we wandered about Down East during those unsettling times remain today, and I invite you to visit and experience some of this amazing beauty for yourself this spring. Enjoy, and leave no trace. 

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is a Triple Crown hiker, freelance writer and author of three hiking guides. Connect with Carey on Facebook and Instagram and at [email protected].