Former Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez claims accuser said she was almost an adult

GREENSBURG, Pa. — The defense attorney for former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez said during a court hearing on Friday that evidence will show that his client believed a female accuser was almost an adult when they had sex.

According to our partners at TribLive.com, a judge rejected the defense’s request to dismiss three sex-related charges against Vazquez. The 29-year-old remains in the Westmoreland County prison as he awaits trial on charges he had sex with a 13-year-old girl in Scottdale and exchanged sexually explicit pictures and messages with her.

>>>RELATED: Judge again denies bail for jailed Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez

Defense attorney Gary Gerson said there is evidence the teen girl reached out to Vazquez on Instagram and that she later misrepresented her age.

Investigators said Vazquez and the girl began a relationship in 2017 and that it continued until he was arrested in 2019.

He also faces charges in Florida and Missouri after police said he had a sexual relationship with the girl related to those states.

Nearly two dozen new counts filed against Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez Nearly two dozen new counts filed against Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez https://bit.ly/2OrGTOD Subscribe to WPXI: https://on.wpxi.com/YouTube Connect with WPXI online: https://www.wpxi.com/ Download our FREE apps: https://wpxiapps.com/

Cox Media Group