Trash Pandas Winning Streak At Five With 7-4 Victory

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas hit a pair of home runs to jump out to an early lead, then starter Mason Erla was dominant on the mound in a 7-4 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts on Wednesday night at Toyota Field.

The victory gives the Trash Pandas a five-game winning streak, tying their season-high wins in their last seven games and improves their record to a season-best 17 games above .500 at 47-30.

Trash Pandas starter Mason Erla worked around immediate trouble to start the game. Two singles and an error put runners on second and third with one out. T.J. Hopkins then hit a comebacker right to Erla, who caught the runner on third in a rundown for the second out. Erla ended the inning by inducing a Nick Quintana fly out to right, keeping the Lookouts off the board in the first.

In the bottom of the second, the Trash Pandas broke through to open the scoring. Torii Hunter Jr. led off the inning by launching an opposite-field solo home run 374 feet to right field for his fourth homer of the season. Jordyn Adams followed with a walk and stole second. A single from Ryan Aguilar and a walk to Anthony Mulrine loaded the bases with nobody out. Livan Soto plated Adams with an RBI ground out to first. Aguilar came home with the third run of the inning on a wild pitch. Jose Gomez capped the innings’ scoring by connecting on a two-run blast of his own 413 feet to left field for his fourth homer of the season and a 5-0 Trash Pandas lead after two.

Pitching with the lead for the first time, Erla was strong in the third, retiring the Lookouts in order. A line drive double play got him through the fourth unscathed and he struck out two in a one, two, three top of the fifth. He ended the night with a strong sixth, getting around a hit-by-pitch to complete a scoreless outing.

Over six innings, Erla (W, 3-0) held the Lookouts to just four hits while walking none and striking out four in his best start of the season to earn his third victory, and second in as many starts.

Sean McLaughlin was first out of the bullpen and tossed a scoreless top of the seventh. The Trash Pandas added two more in the bottom of the inning to put the game away for good, with Preston Palmeiro’s sacrifice fly scoring Mulrine and Braxton Martinez’s RBI single scoring Livan Soto for a 7-0 lead.

The Lookouts broke the shutout in the eighth with three runs off McLaughlin in the eighth. They then added a run in the ninth off Nick Jones and loaded the bases with two outs, but Kolton Ingram struck out Mike Siani with the tying runs on base to end the game.

Ingram (S, 7) got the last out to pick up his seventh save of the season and 11th overall for the Trash Pandas, becoming the club leader in saves. At the plate, Gomez and Hunter Jr. each recorded a pair of hits in the win for the Trash Pandas.

The Trash Pandas (47-30 overall, 6-2 second half) continues their series with Chattanooga (36-41 overall, 2-6 second half) on Thursday night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. at Toyota Field. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will also be televised locally on WAAY 31.6, This TV.

At Thursday’s game, 2,000 adults ages 18 and older will receive a special commemorative glass of the first All-Star in Trash Pandas history, Mitch Nay, presented by Jonathan’s Grille. Thursday is also Burgers and Buds Thursday, where fans can purchase a burger and a Bud or Bud Light for just $12, available at Dumpster Dive, Gravity Grille, or All-Stars concession stands. From 5-7 p.m. fans can enjoy $3 domestic drafts at the Inline Electric Rock Porch and Bill Penney Toyota Plaza as part of Happy Hour, with a live performance Plan B taking place on the Rock Porch before the game.