Home Runs Lift Trash Pandas To 9-6 Victory

Behind a powerful showing at the plate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas earned a split of their six-game set against the Chattanooga Lookouts with a 9-6 win in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Field.

The power surge began early for the visiting Trash Pandas, with a pair of former Lookouts making their old team pay to start the afternoon. The second hitter of the game, Mitch Nay, opened the scoring with a towering solo home run over the tall center field wall. Three hitters later, Ibandel Isabel got a hold of one for a two-run blast, his eighth home run of the season for a 3-0 Trash Pandas advantage in their first turn at the plate.

Chattanooga responded by loading the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the frame. But Rocket City starter Cooper Criswell limited the damage to just one run to maintain the lead.

The Trash Pandas added on in the third as Izzy Wilson led off with a single and David MacKinnon followed with a two-run home run of his own to left-center for his second in as many games and fifth of the season to put the Trash Pandas up 5-1.

Chattanooga got two runs back in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a one-run game. Again, Rocket City expanded the lead, this time on a two-run blast from Nay, his second of the game and team-leading 12th of the season to make it 7-4 Trash Pandas in the sixth.

Robbie Tenerowicz hit a solo home run off Criswell to make it a two-run game in the bottom of the frame, ending the start for the Rocket City righty. Over 5.2 innings, Criswell (W, 5-3) gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win, his third straight and team-leading fifth of the season.

Torii Hunter Jr. ensured the Lookouts would get no closer with an RBI single in the top of the seventh before Michael Cruz launched a solo home run of his own to right, his fifth of the season, to put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth.

In relief of Criswell, Oliver Ortega earned his first hold with a pair of strikeouts. Connor Higgins did the same by getting the final two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Nathan Bates then pitched a clean eighth. Keith Rogalla finished the win for the Trash Pandas after giving up a run in the ninth.

At the plate, the Trash Pandas hit five home runs to tie a season-high previously set on May 7, also at AT&T Field. Eight of the nine Rocket City starters recorded at least one hit with six posting multi-hit games. MacKinnon, Nay, and Luis Aviles Jr. all went 3-for-5 in the win while Nay drove in three in his first multi-homer game of the season.

The Trash Pandas (25-22) continue their road trip with a six-game series against the Tennessee Smokies beginning on Tuesday night. First pitch at Smokies Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.