Briefs for print
In high school basketball
The Canon-McMillan boys basketball team was eager to make quick work of Baldwin in the only local game played Friday night.
Scoring 24 points in the first quarter, the Big Macs went on to defeat their Section 2-6A opponent, 59-43, in a game moved to an earlier time in the evening because of the impending inclement weather.
Jason Fowlkes led C-M (4-1, 10-1) to its sixth consecutive victory with a game-high 22 points. Ethan Beachy made five three-pointers en route to scoring 18 points. Drew Engel also finished in double figures with 11.
Baldwin (1-4, 5-7), losers of three straight, trailed 36-27 at halftime, then were outscored 12-6 in the third quarter.
The Highlanders were paced by Mike Goga’s 14 points.
Wild Things trade
for player
The Wild Things made their fourth transaction of the week, and third trade, acquiring infielder Carter McEachern from the Can-Am League’s Trois-Rivières Aigles (Three Rivers Eagles) for a player to be named.
McEachern played in 2017 for the Aigles after appearing in two games for the Winnipeg Golden Eyes of the American Association in 2016. Prior to turning pro, McEachern enjoyed success at Trinity University, where he and his teammates won the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship.
The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native had a career batting average of .328 at Trinity, while sporting a four-year OPS of .838. He hit six home runs, drove in 97 runs and struck out just 40 times in 576 plate appearances. Early in the 2016 season, Hero Sports named McEachern the best third baseman in Division III baseball. He is the second former Trinity Tiger to play professional baseball.
The versatility and offensive ability were attractive to the Wild Things’ front office, and the team is excited to have McEachern on board.
“Adding Carter should be quite impactful in 2018. As I have said in the past, the quality of your rookies greatly dictate your team success. Rookies who hit nearly .300 do not grow on trees,” said general manager Steven Zavacky. “We value Carter’s experience being a D-III National Champion in 2016 and believe he can contribute at a high level.”
Pirates agree with 3
Gerrit Cole remains a Pittsburgh Pirate. For now, at least.
The Pirates and their top starting pitcher avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year deal worth $6.75 million on Friday. Cole went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA while making a career-high 33 starts in 2017. He has one year of arbitration remaining and could command a hefty salary bump in 2019, one of the reasons the Pirates have explored trading him in recent weeks.
Pittsburgh also reached agreements with shortstop Jordy Mercer and reliever George Kontos. Mercer, who will make $6.75 million in 2018, hit .255 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs last season. Kontos, acquired from San Francisco at the trade deadline last July, will make $2.725 million.
Closer Felipe Rivero remains eligible for arbitration. He is asking for $2.9 million and the team is offering $2.4 million.
Lightning lose Hedman
The NHL-best Tampa Bay Lightning have lost All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman for three to six weeks with a lower-body injury.
Tests on Friday confirmed the severity of the injury, which looked like it might have been much worse when Hedman was helped from the ice following a knee-to-knee collision with Calgary’s Garnet Hathaway Thursday night.Hedmanwas hit on the side of his left knee and could not put any weight on his left skate as he headed to the bench late in the second period of a 5-1 loss to the Flames.
The Lightning, who have a league-best record of 31-10-3, don’t play again until hosting Las Vegas on Thursday.
Hedman, third in Norris Trophy balloting last season, has six goals and 27 assists in 44 games.