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There were several openings in the Minnesota Twins' depleted bullpen this spring, and Dusty Hughes grabbed one. The Tupelo native and former Delta State standout will fill a lefty setup role for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson, the former Jackson Mets pair who do such a fine job with this club. Hughes, who pitched in the exhibition in Atlanta on Tuesday night (1 IP, 2 H, 0 R), was claimed by the Twins in the off-season from Kansas City, for whom he posted a 3.83 ERA in 2010. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Hughes, drafted in 2003 by the Royals, took six years (and a Tommy John operation) to get to the big leagues. He may have found a role — and a team — that gives him staying power.
P.S. Former Mississippi Braves left-hander Scott Diamond did not make the Twins' 25-man roster as a Rule 5 pick but was secured in a trade with Atlanta on Tuesday. The Braves got 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander Billy Bullock, who posted 27 saves at two levels in 2010. Bullock, out of Florida, looks like a good bet to make the M-Braves' roster. ... In an action-packed junior college doubleheader in Poplarville on Tuesday night, Pearl River won the opener 17-15 on Matthew Magee's walk-off grand slam and Mississippi Gulf Coast rode six shutout innings from reliever Gavin Culpepper to a 5-2 win in Game 2. Gulf Coast still leads the MACJC South with a 6-2 record. East Mississippi, which has won seven of eight games overall, is 6-2 in North, in a virtual tie with Holmes (5-1). EMCC is in its first season under Chris Rose, the former Meridian CC coach.