Pirates Recap: Everyone Contributes in 5th, Game Ends in Tie

MLB spring training and regular season NFL games. Just a couple of examples of times a game can end in a tie.

That was the case for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who used a big fifth inning to tie the Detroit Tigers 8-8 in Bradenton on Friday night.

Pittsburgh sent 10 men to the plate in that fifth inning and just about everybody contributed. Jared Triolo opened the frame with a base hit and was followed by Tommy Pham, who walked. Bryan Reynolds then drove in Triolo to get the Pirates on the board.

After Reynolds, Oneil Cruz singled to right to tack on another run and give the Pirates runners on the corners with nobody out.

After Joey Bart reached on a free pass to load the bases, Andrew McCutchen drew a walk — his ninth of the spring — to force home another run. Nick Gonzales plated a pair with a base hit up the middle. The Pirates scored their sixth run of the fifth on an Isiah Kiner-Falefa base hit.

The Tigers had a 4-0 lead entering the fifth inning before falling behind 6-4. The reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh by scoring three runs off reliever Peter Strzelecki.

But the Pirates took the lead back in the bottom of the eighth. Ji Hwan Bae singled and promptly stole second base. He then scored on an Alika Williams single. After Williams swiped second, Matt Gorski drove him in with a base hit to center. Gorski is up to a team-leading 13 RBIs this spring.

The game ended in a tie after Ryan Borucki surrendered a solo homer to Ryan Kreidler in the top of the ninth and the Pirates failed to score in the bottom of the inning.

Notable Pirates’ Performances

• Nick Gonzales: 2 for 2, two RBIs, one walk
• Jared Triolo: 2 for 3, one run
• Andrew Heaney: 4.0 innings, five hits, four runs (two earned), no walks, four strikeouts
• Colin Holderman: 1.0 inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, two strikeouts
• Caleb Ferguson: 1.0 inning, no hits, no runs, no walks, two strikeouts

The Pirates (11-9) will be home again on Saturday afternoon to host the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 ET.