Home Runs Pace Rocket City Attack in 9-6 Win

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee – The Rocket City Trash Pandas blasted a season-high four home runs, led by a career night from David Calabrese, to back a solid start from Sam Bachman in a 9-6 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Friday night at AT&T Field.

Calabrese had a monster night at the plate, hitting a home run in both the second and fourth inning for his first career multi-home run game, driving in four to lead the Trash Pandas to their second straight victory.

The Lookouts opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, with Jacob Hurtubise coming home on Alex McGarry’s sacrifice fly to put Bachman in an early hole.

Rocket City quickly erased the deficit with a rally in the top of the second. Jeremiah Jackson reached with a one-out single and Jose Gomez walked to put two on with one out. Calabrese put the Trash Pandas ahead with his first home run of the night, a line drive three-run blast to right for a 3-1 Rocket City lead.

Two hitters later, Aaron Whitefield was hit by a pitch to keep the inning alive. Orlando Martinez followed with a towering 418-foot home run to right that nearly left AT&T Field entirely, hitting the back wall behind the bleachers for his second home run of the season and a 5-1 Rocket City advantage. Chattanooga got one back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI ground out from Allan Cerda to make it a three-run game.

Calabrese struck for the second time with one out in the top of the fourth, crushing Chattanooga starter Sam Benschoter’s 3-1 pitch 418 feet over the wall in right-center for a solo home run, his third of the season and a 6-2 lead. Rece Hinds’ RBI ground out in the bottom of the inning brought the score to 6-3 after four.

Martinez led off the fifth with a single. Two hitters later, Kyren Paris got in on the home run onslaught with a 420 foot two-run home run to center, his team-leading fourth of the season to extend the lead to 8-3.

Bachman pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his career, exiting with one out and runners on first and second. Jose Soriano entered and promptly gave up an RBI single to Hurtubise to make it an 8-4 game. But the righty struck out a pair to end the inning and limit the damage.

In his longest start as a professional, Bachman (W, 3-1) pitched 6.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts to earn his team-leading third run of the season.

Jackson led off the eighth with a double and scored on a wild pitch to make it a 9-4 game. In the bottom of the inning, the Lookouts loaded the bases the bases with two outs against Ivan Armstrong. The Rocket City righty left the runners on base with a strikeout of Hurtubise to maintain the five-run lead.

Armstrong returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and gave up two runs without recording an out. Ben Joyce (S, 4) was called on with two on and nobody out and quickly retired the next three hitters, striking out Hinds and Cerda to finish the victory and earn the save, his fourth of the season.

Calabrese led the way offensively, going 3-for-4 with the pair of home runs, a double, and four RBI. Martinez and Paris each recorded a couple of hits and a two-run homer in the victory while Jackson also went 2-for-4, scoring twice.

The Trash Pandas (10-8) and Lookouts (9-9) continue their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch of Game 1 at AT&T Field is scheduled for 4:15 p.m., with the second game to follow shortly after the conclusion of the first. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.