Trash Pandas Shut Out In Montgomery 3-0

The Rocket City Trash Pandas couldn’t get anything going offensively on Thursday night, falling 3-0 to the Montgomery Biscuits on Thursday night at Riverwalk Stadium in the third game of a six-game series.

Rocket City was held to just two hits and one walk in the loss, with only one runner reaching second base.

Both pitchers were on their game from the first pitch. Montgomery’s Nathan Wiles was nearly perfect for the duration of his outing. Kyren Paris reached with a two-out single for the Trash Pandas in the first and Orlando Martinez kept the inning going with a walk. Wiles got out of the jam by striking out Jeremiah Jackson to end the inning.

Those would be the only baserunners allowed by Wiles (W, 1-1) all night. After the walk to Martinez, the Biscuits righty retired the next 16 Rocket City hitters he faced. He finished with six scoreless innings, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out five to earn the victory.

Jack Kochanowicz was equally as sharp for the Trash Pandas. He allowed a two-out double in the first. But a sliding catch from Tucker Flint in right field robbed Logan Driscoll of a base hit, keeping the game scoreless after one. That would be the only baserunner allowed until the fourth, when Tristan Peters was hit by a pitch. A double play ground ball from Austin Shenton quickly erased that in a clean inning.

In the fifth, the Biscuits got a leadoff single from Diego Infante. Strong Trash Pandas defense erased it. With Infante running on the pitch, Heriberto Hernandez hit a fly ball to center. Trash Pandas center fielder David Calabrese made the catch for the out, then fired a perfect strike on the fly to Sonny DiChiara at first to double Infante off the bag and complete the double play.

Montgomery broke through in the sixth. With one out, Peters laced a triple into the right field corner, the first runner to reach third base for either team. Shenton followed by lifting a fly ball to deep center for a sacrifice fly, giving the Biscuits a 1-0 lead off Kochanowicz.

In a quality start, Kochanowicz (L, 0-1) allowed one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in six innings. But he finished on the short end, taking his second consecutive loss.

Montgomery reliever Franklin Dacosta was sharp out of the bullpen, allowing only a two-out single in the seventh while keeping the lead for two innings.

Brandon Dufault pitched a clean seventh to keep the deficit at one. But in the eighth, the Biscuits got the key insurance runs they needed. Shenton recorded his second RBI of the night with a single to center, scoring Mason Auer, who began the inning with a single. A sacrifice fly from Logan Driscoll made it a 3-0 game, and that would be more than enough.

Dacosta (S, 2) returned to the mound in the ninth and retired the Trash Pandas in order to finish the win and earn the save.

The two hits are tied for the fewest in a game by the Trash Pandas during the 2023 season.

The Trash Pandas (23-25) continue their series against the Biscuits (24-24) on Friday night. First pitch at Riverwalk Stadium is set for 6:35 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.