Rocket City Takes Game 1 of the Series

By Jeff Allison

A two-run home run in the first inning gave the Rocket City Trash Pandas a 3-2 win over the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field on Tuesday night. Starting pitcher Drew Thorpe (4-1) gave up the early home run but settled in the game the rest of the way.

Thorpe pitched 6.0 innings and allowed three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and seven strikeouts for his first loss of the season. Thorpe is still one of the leaders in ERA as it moved from 0.75 to 1.20 for the season.

Rocket City scored first in the game when designated hitter Eric Wagaman homered to right field, and the Trash Pandas took an early 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Bryan Ramos led off with a double to left field but was doubled off on a sharp line drive to second base.

In the top of the seventh inning, Sam Brown doubled to left field and advanced to third on a fly ball to right field with one out. A sacrifice fly by shortstop Kyren Paris scores Brown. With the run, the Trash Pandas take a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Barons got the offense going when Edgar Quero doubled down the right field line. Wilfred Veras singled to center to put runners on the corners. With two outs, Duke Ellis singles to left, scoring Quero and Veras to cut the Trash Pandas lead to 3-2. Ellis gets his 17th stolen base of the season but is stranded at second base to end the inning.

The Barons couldn't get anything going the rest of the game, as the Trash Pandas took game one of the six-game series.