Trash Pandas Battle Back For 4-3 Win

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas fought to take the lead in their final turn at the plate in a tightly-played matchup, then held it in the ninth to defeat the Tennessee Smokies 4-3 in the finale of their six-game series at Toyota Field on Sunday afternoon.

The win gives the Trash Pandas a split of the six-game series and keeps them undefeated through nine series at Toyota Field in 2022, winning seven and splitting two to give them a stellar home record of 35-16

The afternoon began in an inauspicious fashion for the Trash Pandas, as Yonathan Perlaza took Mason Erla’s second pitch over the right-center field fence for a leadoff home run, his 19th of the season and second leadoff shot in this series. Tennessee added on another run in the second when Andy Weber tripled into the right field corner and scored on Jake Washer’s single.

That would be all that Erla surrendered for the afternoon. A double play erased a leadoff single in the fourth, and Erla struck out two to keep the Smokies off the board in the fifth.

The game turned in the bottom of the fifth. Starter Jordan Wicks had struck out seven over four scoreless innings. Against reliever Max Bain, the Rocket City offense finally broke through. Jose Gomez crushed the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left for a solo homer, his fifth of the season. Later in the inning, Livan Soto connected on a solo home run of his own, 375 feet over the fence in left for his fourth big fly of the season to tie the game 2-2.

Erla ended his afternoon on the mound by retiring the Smokies one, two, three in the sixth. Over six innings, he allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in a quality outing.

In the bottom of the inning, back-to-back walks to Ryan Aguilar and Sonny DiChiara put two on with nobody out. Following a double play, Tennessee turned to Bailey Horn from the bullpen. Torii Hunter Jr. greeted him with a ground rule double to left-center, plating Aguilar with the go-ahead run.

Luke Murphy held the lead with a scoreless seventh. But in the eighth, Luis Vazquez singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Yonathan Perlaza followed with a ground ball that was misplayed by Gomez at third for an error, allowing Vazquez to come home and score the tying run against Trash Pandas reliever Kolton Ingram.

The Trash Pandas patiently responded in the bottom of the frame. Aguilar reached with a one-out walk. DiChiara and Jeremiah Jackson each followed with walks to load the bases with one out. Hunter Jr. then drove in the go-ahead run for the second time in three innings, taking a four-pitch walk to plate Aguilar for a 4-3 Rocket City lead.

In the ninth, closer Eric Torres (S, 13) got through the frame one, two, three, inducing a fly out from Chase Strumpf, getting Weber to ground out on a fantastic play by Soto at second, and striking out Jake Washer to finish the victory and earn the save. The save is Torres’ Southern League-leading 13th of the season.

Ingram (W, 4-2) picked up the win, his fourth of the season, despite giving up the run in the eighth inning. At the plate, Hunter Jr. led the way by going 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Soto went 2-for-4 with the home run at the top of the lienup, Aguilar was 1-for-3 with a run and two walks, and DiChiara went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks in the win. As a team, Rocket City took seven walks at the plate.

The Trash Pandas (58-44, 17-16 second half) hit the road to battle the Biloxi Shuckers for the first time this season, with a six-game series beginning on Tuesday night. First pitch at MGM Park is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.