Lunaticos Rally For Wild 5-4 Win Over Smokies

Playing as the Lunaticos for the first time, the Rocket City Trash Pandas stormed back in the eighth inning for a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Tennessee Smokies in the finale of their six-game series at Toyota Field on Sunday afternoon.

Held hitless for the first seven innings, the Trash Pandas offense came to life in the bottom of the eighth. Trailing 4-2, Kyren Paris got the inning started with a towering solo home run, his Southern League-leading eighth of the season, on the first pitch by Smokies reliever Michael McAvene (L, 0-1). Livan Soto followed with a four pitch walk to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. With two outs, Zach Humphreys turned the game around with one swing, crushing a two-run homer to left, his first of the season, to put the Trash Pandas ahead 5-4.

HUMP JÓNRON. @z_humphreys10 FOR THE LEAD IN THE 8TH! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/HiD64c5C55

— Lunaticos de Rocket City (@trashpandas) May 7, 2023

In the ninth, Rocket City closer Kenyon Yovan worked into a jam as the Smokies put runners on the corners with one out. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Yovan buckled down to induce a pop out from Luis Verdugo and a fly out by Caleb Knight, to finish the one-run win and earn his first Double-A save.

The win is the Trash Pandas’ first when trailing after six innings in the 2023 season and keeps their record above .500 at 14-13 through 27 games. The game also began in fine form for the home team.

Rocket City starter Brett Kerry worked around immediate trouble in the first. Bradlee Beesley started the game with a single and stole second. Kerry left him on second by inducing a fly out before back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.

The Trash Pandas broke through in the bottom of the frame against Tennessee starter Jordan Wicks. Paris led off with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and came home with the first run of the afternoon on a sacrifice fly by Orlando Martinez.

Tennessee got the run right back in the top of the second on a solo home run from Jordan Nowgu. That would be all the scoring for a while.

Kerry and Wicks traded zeros on the mound until the top of the sixth. Then, Luis Vazquez reached with a one out single and Owen Caissie put the Smokies ahead with a two-run homer to left, his sixth of the season, to bring an end to Kerry’s start.

Over 5.1 innings, Kerry allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and a season-high six strikeouts. Wicks was removed after five hitless innings for the Smokies, allowing one unearned run with one and four strikeouts.

Luke Little was first out of the Tennessee bullpen in his Double-A debut. Paris walked to start the inning, stole second and third, and came home to make it a one-run game on Humphreys’ fielder’s choice ground ball.

Tennessee restored the two-run lead in the eighth on Beesley’s fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left off Zac Kristofak (W, 3-1). That set the stage for the dramatic Rocket City comeback in the bottom half.

Paris led the way for the Trash Pandas offense, going 1-for-2 with a home run, three runs scored, two walks, three stolen bases to tie a Rocket City franchise record. Humphreys drove in three of the five runs in his third game of the season after starting the year on the Injured List.

For the game, the Trash Pandas were playing as the Lunaticos de Rocket City as part of Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversión” or “Fun Cup.” The Lunaticos moniker pays homage to North Alabama’s growing and diverse Hispanic community, allowing everyone to show off their wild side at Toyota Field.

The Trash Pandas (14-13) hit the road to begin a six-game series with the Biloxi Shuckers on Tuesday night. First pitch at MGM Park is set for 6:05 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.