Trash Pandas Come Back With 5-4 Walk Off Win

When the Rocket City Trash Pandas needed a clutch moment at the plate, Mac McCroskey used his eyes to power the home team to victory, taking a walk-off walk in the bottom of the tenth to cap a thrilling 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons on Friday night at Toyota Field.

Tied at four going to the tenth inning, the Trash Pandas turned to Kelvin Caceres to begin extra innings. A wild pitch moved automatic runner Jose Rodriguez to third with one out. Bryan Ramos then hit a ground ball to third base, where Trash Pandas third baseman Jose Gomez fielded and threw to catcher Tyler Payne, who tagged Rodriguez out to keep the score tied. Caceres (W, 5-1) ended the inning with a strikeout of Wilfred Veras to keep the score tied.

Payne started the bottom of the inning with a single to put runners on first and third. Bryce Teodosio then walked to load the bases. McCroskey worked the count full before taking Jared Kelley’s (L, 0-2) seventh pitch high for ball four, giving the Trash Pandas the victory on a walk-off walk. The walk-off is the first of McCroskey’s professional career and the seventh for the Trash Pandas this season.

The game didn’t begin as well as it ended for Rocket City. For the fourth consecutive game, the Barons were the ones to open the scoring. Singles from Tim Elko and Alsander Womack put runners on the corners with one out against Trash Pandas righty Brett Kerry. Luis Mieses lifted a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Elko to score the first run of the night.

Rocket City quickly got the run back in the third off Barons starter Matt Thompson. Kyren Paris kept the inning alive with a two-out walk and promptly stole second. Gabe Matthews followed with an RBI single to right to right, plating Paris to even the score at one.

The Barons restored the lead in the fourth. With runners on the corners and one out, Mieses hit his second sacrifice fly of the game, this time to center, to score Elko with the go-ahead run. Yoelqui Cespedes then gave the Barons their biggest lead of the night with a two-run homer to left, his eighth of the season, to make it 4-1 Barons.

Kerry pitched a scoreless top of the sixth to end his night. In a quality start, Kerry allowed four runs, one earned, on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. The Rocket City offense made sure their starter didn’t suffer the loss. Thompson departed after five innings for the Barons, giving up one run on two hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Kenyon Yovan was first out of the Trash Pandas bullpen and set the Barons down in order. In the bottom of the frame, the Rocket City offense went to work against Barons reliever Chase Plymell.

D’Shawn Knowles began the inning with a single, Paris reached on catcher’s interference, and a double steal put the runners at second and third with two outs. With Tucker Flint at the plate, Barons catcher Edgar Quero attempted to pick off Knowles from third. But his throw was off the mark and went into left field, allowing Knowles to score. Flint walked to keep the inning going. Payne laced a single to left to score Paris and make it 4-3. Teodosio also walked to load the bases with two outs. Birmingham turned to Haylen Green out of the bullpen. His 1-2 pitch to McCroskey deflected off Quero’s glove for a passed ball, giving Flint the opportunity he needed to score the tying run.

New Trash Pandas reliever Jack Dashwood pitched a clean top of the eighth and Green did the same in the bottom half. The pair of lefties matched each other again in a scoreless ninth, sending the game to extra innings, where the Trash Pandas emerged victorious.

Offensively, Payne went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Trash Pandas while McCroskey went 0-for-2, taking three walks and driving in the winning run in the tenth. Knowles went 2-for-4 with a run and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot while Paris extended his on-base streak to 26 games, going 0-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs.

The Trash Pandas (53-64, 22-26 second half) continue the series with the Barons (44-74, 19-30 second half) on Saturday night. First pitch at Toyota Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will be broadcast locally on WAAY 31.6, This TV. Following the game, a dazzling fireworks show will light up the sky above Toyota Field, presented by Boeing.