BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) – Boston’s Curt Schilling pitched three perfect innings Saturday before beaning Chris Duffy in the head to start the fourth in a 10-7 loss Saturday to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Duffy left the game and was taken to a hospital, where tests showed he had a mild concussion.

In Schilling’s first outing of the spring against major league hitters, he gave up four runs in the fourth inning, squandering a 4-0 lead. In all, Schilling allowed four hits in four innings with no walks and five strikeouts.

“I felt good,” said Schilling, who returned from ankle surgery in 2004 to help the Red Sox win their first World Series title in 86 years. “I know I gave up four runs, but I feel like I did some good things.”

It was the second time in four days a Pirates’ player was hit in the head by a pitch. First baseman Sean Casey was hit by the Cincinnati Reds’ Michael Gosling on Wednesday and returned to the lineup Saturday.

Schilling has been working on pitching inside this spring – he also hit Red Sox minor-leaguer Jeff Natali in the head in his previous outing – but felt Duffy could have avoided the pitch.

“The bottom line is that ball should not have hit him,” Schilling said. “You’ve got to be able to get out of the way of that pitch.

“I’m not trying to hit anybody in the head. Everybody I’ve ever played with and teams I’ve played against know that I play the game on the field the way it’s supposed to be played.”

Pirates manager Jim Tracy also felt Schilling did not hit Duffy intentionally. However, Tracy also felt Duffy was not in the wrong.

“The pitch was up and in,” Tracy said. “In that case, you just try to make sure the pitch hits more helmet than face.”

Freddy Sanchez had two hits and three RBIs for Pittsburgh, including a two-run double to the right-center field gap that capped a three-run sixth inning off Jon Lester (0-1) and put the Pirates ahead for good, 8-7.

Jose Castillo added a pair of RBI singles for Pittsburgh and Carlos Maldanado hit his second homer of the spring, a solo shot off Lester in the seventh that made it 9-7.

J.T. Snow, Dustan Mohr and Alejando Machado had two hits each for Boston. Mohr hit a solo home run, his second, off Matt Capps in the fifth inning to put Boston ahead 5-4.

while Snow hit an RBI double in the first and a run-scoring single in the second.

Mike Johnston (1-0) got the win despite giving two runs in the top of the sixth, his lone inning of work. Britt Reames pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save.

Pittsburgh starter Ryan Vogelsong allowed four runs and six hits in three innings.