Trash Pandas Erupt To Beat Barons In Finale 9-7
The Rocket City Trash Pandas used a pair of three-run home runs, timely hitting, and clutch relief pitching form the bullpen to defeat the Birmingham Barons 9-7 in the finale of a six-game series at Toyota Field on Sunday afternoon. For the first time all series, the Trash Pandas were
The Rocket City Trash Pandas used a pair of three-run home runs, timely hitting, and clutch relief pitching form the bullpen to defeat the Birmingham Barons 9-7 in the finale of a six-game series at Toyota Field on Sunday afternoon.
For the first time all series, the Trash Pandas were the ones to open the scoring. Facing Birmingham southpaw Jake Eder, Rocket City attacked from the start. D’Shawn Knowles reached with a walk and Kyren Paris singled to put two on with one out. Tucker Flint followed with a towering 397-foot three-run homer down the right field line for his 11th home run of the season and seventh against Birmingham.
Rocket City added on in the second as Mac McCroskey singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and was driven home on an RBI single to center from Knowles, who promptly stole second. Paris then crushed a double off the wall in right to score Knowles for a 5-0 Trash Pandas lead.
The Barons began the comeback with Jose Rodriguez’s solo home run off starter Jake Lee in the top of the third, the 17th home run of the season for Rodriguez to get the visitors on the board. Lee departed after 2.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts. Nick Jones was first out of the Trash Pandas bullpen and pitched 1.1 scoreless frames to hold the lead.
In the fifth, the Barons looked to turn the game around against reliever Jack Dashwood. With two outs, Colson Montgomery lined a two-run homer, his second of the season, over the fence in center to cut the Rocket City lead in half at 5-3. Dashwood (W, 2-0) then fielded a soft ground ball back to the mound form Alsander Womack. But his throw was off the mark for an error, extending the inning. Wilfred Veras walked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Tim Elko turned the game around with a three-run homer to right to give the Barons their first lead at 6-5.
The lead wouldn’t last long for the visitors. Sonny DiChiara started the bottom of the fifth with a single against Barons reliever Jared Kelley. Tyler Payne doubled into right to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Two hitters later, Bryce Teodosio connected on a three-run homer 366 feet over the left field wall, his seventh homer of the season, to put the Trash Pandas back in front 8-6.
Pitching with the lead, new Trash Pandas reliever John Swanda fired a clean sixth but allowed a run in the seventh on Veras’ RBI double. Elko was hit by a pitch to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Kelvin Caceres escaped the jam by striking out Terrell Tatum to hold the lead.
Caceres continued with a one, two, three top of the eighth. Rocket City added a key insurance run on Paris’ two-out RBI double to center to plate McCroskey, who began the inning with a single.
Closer Kenyon Yovan (S, 10) gave up a leadoff single in the ninth before inducing a double play from Montgomery and a pop out from Womack to finish the win and earn his team-leading 10th save of the season.
All nine Rocket City starters recorded at least one hit. Paris went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI. Flint and Teodosio each drove in three with their homers while McCroskey went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
The Trash Pandas (54-65, 23-27 second half) hit the road to begin a series with the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park on Tuesday night. The Trash Pandas and Braves will resume a suspended game from August 13 at 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday and complete it to nine innings, with a seven-inning game to follow. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.