The last split squad games of the spring resulted in a sweep for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They topped the Minnesota Twins 4-2 thanks to a pair of blasts from Francisco Cervelli. They also got a 6-5 walk-off win in Bradenton over the Philadelphia Phillies when Sebastian Valle doubled in Jordy Mercer.

Cervelli tagged Kyle Gibson for two solo home runs in the game in Fort Myers. The first was on a changeup that stayed up in the zone. Both were inside pitches that Cervelli was ready for and mashed for his first two homers of the spring. 

The Pirates loaded the bases in the second, and Gibson walked Gerrit Cole to push over a run. Cole went five innings on the mound, his longest outing of the spring. Cole gave up two runs on four hits. 

Meanwhile at McKechnie Field, Valle's double capped off a comeback for the Pirates. The Phillies jumped out to a 3-0 lead after Brian Bogusevic and Cody Asche homered off of Vance Worley.  

Phillies pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez kept the Pirates off the board until Starling Marte and Pedro Alvarez hit back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the fourth. Alvarez also added a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Alvarez scored the tying run in the bottom of the eighth after starting catcher Tony Sanchez doubled. 

After the game, manager Clint Hurdle said that due to the injury to Chris Stewart, Sanchez will make the Big League roster. Alvarez, Mercer, Marte and Steve Lombardozzi all had multi-hit games to help the team get 15 in the hits column. The losing pitcher was former Pirates' reliever, Jeanmar Gomez

The Pirates host the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. 

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About the author
Doug Smith
Doug has a communications background that started with a local weekly newspaper as a high school junior. He has experience in both print and digital as a freelance writer. Doug has covered baseball, soccer, golf, tennis and hockey for three different blog networks. His last print assignment was as a Features editor for a regional newspaper in northwest PA. His personal interests include soccer, especially MLS and the German Bundesliga. He also likes to play tennis in his spare time. He appreciate your readership and welcomes any and all comments. Thank you.