DiChiara Delivers Trash Pandas Walk-Off For 5-4 Win

With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, the Biloxi Shuckers elected to intentionally walk catcher Logan O’Hoppe to face Rocket City Trash Pandas first baseman Sonny DiChiara with the winning run on second base. The Alabama native made the Shuckers regret that decision, lining a walk-off single to right to give the Trash Pandas a 5-4 win in the opener of a six-game series at Toyota Field on Tuesday night.

The win improves the Trash Pandas overall record to 21 games over .500 at 71-50 and increases their record at home to a Southern League-leading 41-17, including 16-6 in the second half of the season.

An eventful first inning got started in the Shuckers’ favor, with Thomas Dillard’s two-run single to left against Rocket City starter Coleman Crow opening the scoring before catcher O’Hoppe caught Felix Valerio stealing to end the inning and limit the damage to two runs.

The Trash Pandas quickly responded against Biloxi starter T.J. Shook. Livan Soto and Zach Neto reached with one-out singles to put two on. Shook struck out O’Hoppe for out number two. DiChiara followed by lining a double into the left field corner, allowing both Soto and Neto to come home and tie the game 2-2 after one.

Crow responded in the second with a one, two, three inning to maintain the tie. With one out in the bottom half, Kevin Maitan crushed a solo home run 378 feet over the fence in right center, his seventh home run of the season and fourth in the month of August, to give the Trash Pandas a 3-2 lead.

Pitching with the lead from the third inning onward, Crow was dominant for the rest of his outing. He set the Shuckers down in order in the third and got inning-ending double plays to work around base runners in both the fourth and fifth innings.

Preston Palmeiro doubled the Rocket City lead with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Crow returned to the mound in the sixth and ended his night by striking out Garrett Whitley, stranding a runner on second.

Over six innings, Crow allowed two earned runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a quality outing.

Flame throwing reliever Ben Joyce was first out of the Rocket City bullpen in the seventh and retired the Shuckers in order, flashing a fastball that reached as fast as a season-high 103 miles per hour to record two strikeouts and a fly out to right.

In the eighth, Nick Jones quickly recorded the first two outs. The third wouldn’t come as easy. A walk and a single extended the inning. Cam Devanney then laced a double to the gap in right-center, allowing Yeison Coca to score the third Biloxi run and Corey Ray slid home to beat a close play at the plate, tying the game at 4-4 in the eighth.

With the help of a diving catch by Jeremiah Jackson in left field, Sean McLaughlin (W, 4-4) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to give the Trash Pandas a chance to walk off. They did just that after Soto started with a walk, advanced to second on a ground out, and came home on DiChiara’s single following the intentional walk to O’Hoppe.

As a team, the Trash Pandas drew 10 walks in the win, with Soto taking four and scoring three runs while also recording a hit while DiChiara reached base five times, going 3-for-3 with three RBI including his first professional walk-off and two walks in a breakthrough performance.

The Trash Pandas (71-50, 30-22 second half) continue their series with the Shuckers (57-61, 23-28 second half) on Wednesday night. First pitch at Toyota Field is set 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 also be televised on WAAY 31.6, This TV.

Wednesday is an IDEXX Labs Dog Day, where fans can bring their furry friends to Toyota Field and sit with them on the Budweiser Berm. A $1 donation per dog is requested, benefitting Rocket City Rescue.