Buccos beat BoSox

(photo by John Lembo) Nate McLouth hit a two-run home in the seventh inning to lift the Pirates to a 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in front of 6,559 fans at McKechnie Field.
It was the fifth sellout this year at McKechnie and the fourth straight.
Matt Hague hit his third home run of the spring and former Tampa Bay Ray Juan Cruz pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save. Cruz, who has a 1.29 ERA this spring, is looking to make the Pirates (7-10) as a non-roster invitee.
STAR OF THE GAME: Hague, a career .302 hitter in 462 minor-league games, added a single Wednesday and is hitting .429 this spring.
PROSPECT OF THE GAME: Shortstop Josh Harrison added two more hits Wednesday and his now batting .529. The 24-year-old Harrison, who the Pirates acquired in a 2009 trade with the Chicago Cubs, made his major-league debut last year.
QUOTE OF THE GAME: “He’s got to slide earlier.” – manager Clint Hurdle on Harrison, who was tagged out twice after sliding past second base.
UP NEXT: The Pirates face an American League East team for the third straight day today when they host the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. It’s the same pitching matchup as last Saturday’s game – Jeff Karstens for the Pirates and James Shields for the Rays.