Mar 6, 2020 3 min read

Pirates win slugfest

Colin Moran hit one of Pittsburgh’s eight home runs in the Pirates’ 19-13 win over Toronto in a spring training game Friday in Dunedin, Fla.

Chris Archer started for the first time, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing a hit and a walk while striking out four.

Joe Musgrove followed Archer on the mound and gave up seven earned runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Joe Panik and Randal Grichuk homered for Toronto. Chase Anderson was tagged in his third start, yielding six runs on seven hits and a walk. Anderson has given up 11 runs in 5 2/3 innings for a 17.47 ERA this spring.

Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run off Anderson. Cole Tucker hit one out to the opposite field. Phillip Evans crushed a grand slam. Prospects Will Craig and Jared Oliva went deep, and minor league callup Bligh Madris also hit a home run.

Duquesne falls

Blake Francis had 21 points as Richmond topped Duquesne 73-62 on Friday night.

Grant Golden had 13 points for Richmond (14-4 Atlantic 10 Conference, 24-7), which earned its fourth straight victory. Nick Sherod added 13 points. Nathan Cayo had 11 points.

Tavian Dunn-Martin had 17 points for the Dukes (11-7, 21-9). Baylee Steele added 12 points. Michael Hughes had 10 points.

College softball

The Waynesburg University softball team won its opening game of the day and dropped the following two at the Fast Pitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Yellow Jackets defeated Hilbert, 1-0, behind a solid pitching performance from Emma Kubalak, who scattered eight hits and struck out five in the shutout victory. Waynesburg (1-3) scored an unearned run in the fourth inning that proved to be the difference.

Offense proved to be hard to come by for the Yellow Jackets the entire day, falling to Wilkes in the second game, 2-1, and losing to Wesley, 4-2, in the finale.

Waynesburg is scheduled to play three games today.

In the NBA

Bradley Beal scored 35 points and the Washington Wizards held off the Atlanta Hawks 118-112 on Friday night.

Beal was 13 of 21 from the field, going 7 of 10 from 3-point range. The Wizards were 15 of 31 on 3s.

Davis Bertans added 17 points, and Jerome Robinson had 14 for Washington. The Wizards began the night 4 1/2 games behind Orlando for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

No fans for D-III tournament game

In what was believed to be the first U.S. sports event held without fans because of the new coronavirus, Yeshiva University beat Worcester Polytechnic Institute in a Division III men’s basketball NCAA Tournament game Friday in an empty gym at Johns Hopkins University.

Players on each bench cheered and chanted “De-fense!” to make up for the lack of fans. The squeaking sound of sneakers and bouncing of the ball reverberated off the walls of the 1,100-seat Goldfarb Gymnasium that was otherwise so quiet that the in-game chatter could be heard several rows back.

“It was definitely a weird experience,” WPI forward Jake Wisniewski said. “All the emotions that are going on the court, everyone was able to hear it, which was weird. Usually, the crowd can kind of mask a lot of things that are being said on the court.”

As students walked by the athletics facility, there were police officers outside and signs on doors reading, “No spectators.” Music blared over the speakers inside.

Only players, coaches, referees, employees and media members were present, so the official attendance was 0.