Ninth Inning Homer Sinks Trash Pandas In 5-3 Loss

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas came back to tie the game late, but a ninth inning home run was the difference in a 5-3 loss to the Tennessee Smokies in the fifth game of their six-game series in front of a crowd of 6,150 on Saturday night at Toyota Field.

With the score tied 3-3 in the ninth, Rocket City turned to Aaron Hernandez out of the bullpen. He walked Bryce Ball with one out. Chase Strumpf followed with an opposite field two-run home run to right, restoring Tennessee’s lead at 5-3.

In the bottom of the inning, Smokies closer Danis Correa (S, 7) struck out the side, finishing the victory for the visitors to earn the save.

Making his Double-A debut for the Trash Pandas, Landon Marceaux was sharp to begin the night. A one-out walk in the first was quickly wiped away with an inning-ending double play from Alexander Canario. Marceaux set the Smokies down one, two, three in the second. But in the third, Luis Vazquez hit a solo home run to left-center, giving the Smokies the first run of the game. That would bring an early end to Marceaux’s night. Over 2.2 innings, the former LSU pitcher allowed one run on one hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Rocket City got the run back against Tennessee starter Ben Brown, also making his Double-A debut, in the bottom of the frame. Zach Humphreys reached with a two-out walk. A perfectly executed hit-and-run followed with Preston Palmeiro lining a single to left to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch from Brown allowed Humphreys to come home with the tying run. That would be the only run Brown gave up in his Smokies debut, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts over five innings.

In long relief for the Trash Pandas, Sean McLaughlin was superb, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings and striking out three to keep the game tied. Making his professional debut after being drafted by the Angels in the third round of the 2022 draft, Ben Joyce was called on for the sixth.

Displaying the triple digit fastball that made him a star at the University of Tennessee, Joyce allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning before getting Yonathan Perlaza to swing and miss on a slider for his first professional strikeout. Another single loaded the bases with one out. Joyce got the second out of the inning with a broken bat pop up from Alexander Canario. Tennessee then took the lead as Ball lined Joyce’s 101 mile per hour fastball to left for a two-run single. That 3-1 score would remain until the eighth.

There, the Trash Pandas patiently took three straight walks from reliever Ben Hecht to load the bases with one out. Ryan Aguilar then delivered with a clutch hit, a double down the left field line to tie the score 3-3.

However, the Smokies got the last hit of the night, winning in their final at-bat to take a 3-2 series lead with the finale set for Sunday.

Offensively, Palmeiro and Aguilar each recorded a pair of hits in the loss. As a team, the Trash Pandas were struck out 18 times, while the Rocket City pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts.

The Trash Pandas (57-44, 16-16 second half) wrap up their series with the Smokies (55-46, 18-14 second half) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Toyota Field is scheduled for 2:35 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. Following Sunday’s game, kids are invited to run the bases, presented by The Yard Milkshake Bar.