Apr 16, 2019 4 min read

Wild Things sign starting pitcher

With spring training less than two weeks away, the Washington Wild Things made an addition to their pitching staff Tuesday by signing righthander Spencer Moran, a veteran of five professional seasons.

The 6-6 Moran, from Mesa, Arizona, was drafted in the 11th round out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014. He played four seasons in the Rays’ system before being signed as a free agent by the Chicago White Sox. He spent one year in Chicago’s farm system.

Moran has made 39 career starts and has a 15-9 record with a 3.57 ERA.

“We were in an interesting spot this year losing some of the top arms in our rotation. Spencer was recommended our way and we are happy he chose Washington over others,” said Wild Things general manager Tony Buccilli. “I was really impressed by the self-awareness Spencer carries about his pitching and mentality on the mound. He clearly has the tools, makeup and size that affiliated clubs covet in starters. We believe there’s still a lot of upside to Spencer’s development by lengthening his outings and putting more responsibility on his plate.”

In another roster move, Washington put pitcher Dillon Sunnafrank on the inactive list.

The Wild Things behind the Frontier League season May 9 at River City. The home opener is May 17 against Lake Erie.

College baseball

Waynesburg scored six runs in the sixth inning to rally and defeat host Westminster 8-2 in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference game.

The Yellow Jackets (11-6, 17-14) trailed 2-1 in the sixth. Tyler Srbinovich drove in two runs, including the go-ahead run in the pivotal inning. Tyler Reis also drove in two runs and three Waynesburg pitchers combined to scatter nine hits. Colton Uzzell, who threw 2 1/3 innings of relief, was the winner.

College softball

Washington & Jefferson was swept in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference doubleheader by Geneva, 7-6 and 9-1, Tuesday.

W&J drops to 5-5 in PAC play and 14-16 overall. Geneva is 6-4, 14-14 overall.

Brooke McCleester and Addie Helffrich each drove in two runs for the Presidents in the opener. Helffrich also had a double.

Chargers go

powder blue

The Los Angeles Chargers’ Powder Blues are finally here to stay.

The Chargers will wear their historic powder-blue jerseys as their primary home uniforms in the upcoming season. The franchise announced the long-anticipated move Tuesday, acquiescing to years of fan demand for the eye-catching change.

After two decades out of circulation, the Chargers brought back the so-called Powder Blues as an alternate jersey in 1994. They’ve worn the light blue jerseys in just 36 games since, but their popularity has always outpaced their on-field usage, with fans buying the jerseys and urging the team to adopt the colors permanently.

In the majors

James Paxton struck out 12 in his first stab at baseball’s biggest rivalry, Red Sox ace Chris Sale found his fastball but not better results, and the New York Yankees three-hit Boston 8-0 on Tuesday night in the first game this season between the struggling AL East foes.

Paxton (2-2) pitched two-hit ball for eight innings, walking one and going to just two three-ball counts in a swift game that took only 2 hours, 23 minutes.

Mike Tauchman hit his first major league homer and drove in four runs, and Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres also went deep for the Yankees.

Sale (0-4) reached 97.5 mph – a positive sign for Boston after his velocity sagged this spring – but still got hit around, allowing four runs and seven hits over five innings.