Rocket Power Boosts Pandas Past Smokies, 5-4

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas jumped out to an early lead and got another brilliant performance from the bullpen for a 5-4 win in front of an electric crowd of 6,168 at Toyota Field on Saturday night.

The win puts the Trash Pandas at five games above .500 for the first time at 53-48. Coupled with Montgomery’s loss, the Trash Pandas are only a half-game behind the Biscuits for the second and final playoff spot in Double-A South. The win also keeps the Trash Pandas in first place in the North Division.

The Trash Pandas’ bats got to work early. Ray-Patrick Didder reached with a one-out single in the first and promptly recorded his 16th stolen base of the year. Orlando Martinez then walked. With the runners in motion, David MacKinnon laced his league-leading 30th double of the season into the left field corner for a 2-0 Trash Pandas advantage.

An inning later, Torii Hunter Jr. crushed the 2-1 pitch from Tennessee starter Dakota Chalmers 377 feet over the left field fence for a solo home run, his seventh of the season and first since July 27, to extend the lead to three.

In the fourth, Martinez drew a walk to lead off the inning. MacKinnon followed with a blistering two-run blast that left his bat at 108 miles per hour and traveled 407 feet to left for a 5-0 Rocket City lead.

Pitching with the lead from the second inning on, Rocket City starter Cristopher Molina was sharp, with the help of his defense. In the third, he picked Delvin Zinn off first. With Zinn in a rundown, first baseman Mitch Nay missed the tag as Zinn was going back to first. But Rocket City catcher Michael Cruz alertly covered the base and was able to receive Nay’s throw and tag the runner for a crucial second out.

Tennessee eventually got a run off Molina in the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Grayson Byrd. Christopher Morel made it a one-run game in the fifth with a three-run homer to left before Molina retired Brennen Davis to get through the inning with the lead still intact.

Molina returned to the mound in the sixth and worked into trouble as Byrd singled and Bradlee Beesley was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out. Molina rebounded to strike out Tim Susnara to end his start. Luke Leftwich entered in relief and held the 5-4 lead by getting a fielder’s choice from Caleb Knight.

Over 5.2 innings, Molina (W, 5-1) gave up four earned runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the victory, his fourth in a row and fifth of the season.

Leftwich remained on the mound for the seventh and retired the Smokies in order.

Adrian Almeida was called on for the eighth inning and immediately issued a four-pitch walk to Brennen Davis. But the flame-throwing southpaw rebounded to strike out the side, including a 100 mile-per-hour fastball past Bradlee Beesley to strand the tying run at second to end the inning.

In the ninth, Kolton Ingram (S, 4) allowed a one-out single to put the the run on base. The new Trash Pandas closer got out of it by inducing a double play from Zinn to end the game and earn his second save in as many nights.

At the plate, MacKinnon led the way by going 2-for-4 with a double, home run, and four RBI. Martinez walked twice and scored two of the Trash Pandas’ five runs. Over the first three games of the series, the Trash Pandas bullpen has pitched 8.1 scoreless innings.

Rocket City (53-48) and Tennessee (42-56) wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon with a 2:35 p.m. matchup at Toyota Field. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio. The game will be televised locally on WAAY-31.6, This TV.