Trash Pandas Win Third Straight, 5-2 Over Smokies

The Rocket City Trash Pandas gave a season-high crowd of 6,748 plenty to cheer about, extending their winning streak to three with a 5-2 triumph over the Tennessee Smokies on Saturday night at Toyota Field.

The win puts the Trash Pandas three and a half games behind the first place Chattanooga Lookouts in the first half North Division standings, with 13 games to go in the first half.

The teams traded runs to start the game. Leading off the game, Pete Crow-Armstrong tripled for Tennessee and came home to score on an RBI ground out from Owen Caissie to give the Smokies a 1-0 lead against Rocket City starter Landon Marceaux.

In the bottom of the inning, the Trash Pandas offense went right to work against Smokies starter Kohl Franklin (L, 2-3). Edgar Quero reached with a one-out double. Two hitters later, Livan Soto lined a single up the middle, plating Quero to tie the game at one.

That would be all the scoring until the fourth. Then, the Smokies regained their lead on a Cole Reoderer triple, scoring Pablo Aliendo, who reached with a one-out single. Again, the Trash Pandas offense responded. Orlando Martinez singled, Jeremiah Jackson walked, and Tucker Flint was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kevin Maitan followed with a single to right to plate Martinez with the tying run. While the Smokies tagged out both Maitan and Flint on separate rundowns on the play, Jackson came home to give the Trash Pandas the lead on a unique two-run single that also resulted in two outs.

Pitching with the lead for the first time, Marceaux worked around a one-out double in the fifth to maintain the one-run edge. The Trash Pandas added to the lead in the bottom half, with Sonny DiChiara taking a bases-loaded walk to double the lead to 4-2.

Marceaux continued his excellent start with a one, two, three sixth, and the home team added one more in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single from Edgar Quero to score Maitan, who began the inning with a single.

In the seventh, Marceaux got the first two outs before a double from Crow-Armstrong ended his night. Kelvin Caceres entered and induced a ground out from Caissie to close the book on Marceaux.

Over 6.2 strong innings, Marceaux (W, 3-5) allowed two runs on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in his longest career start at the Double-A level. He would earn the win, his first since April 30.

Caceres maintained the three-run lead with a scoreless eighth, striking out a pair to earn his third consecutive hold. Closer Kolton Ingram (S, 2) entered in the ninth and shut the Smokies down in order, striking out Crow-Armstrong to finish the game and earn his second save in three games.

Offensively, Quero led the way for Rocket City by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Maitan went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Kyren Paris took a pair of walks while going 1-for-3.

The Trash Pandas (27-29) conclude series with the Smokies (30-26) on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Toyota Field is set for 4:05 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will also be broadcast locally on WAAY 31.6, This TV. Following the game, children are invited to run the bases on the field.