Trash Pandas Continue Home Dominance With 5-1 Win

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas backed another strong pitching display with a four-run rally in the fourth to defeat the Biloxi Shuckers 5-1 in the finale of their six-game series on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Field.

The win gives Rocket City an impressive series win, taking five of six games from their South Division foes while improving their record to a season-best 24 games over .500 at 75-51 and their Southern League-leading home record to 45-18. Over 11 series at Toyota Field this season, Rocket City is undefeated, winning nine and splitting two with one more series remaining at home in the regular season.

Making his first start since August 10, Trash Pandas righty Brett Kerry was in fine form early, striking out the first two hitters he faced in a scoreless top of the first. He struck out two more in the second and induced a double play ground out from Corey Ray to navigate a clean top of the third.

The Trash Pandas broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third against Shuckers starter Nick Bennett (L, 6-11). Logan O’Hoppe kept the inning alive with a two-out walk. Preston Palmeiro followed with a base hit to right. As Palmeiro rounded first and headed toward second, O’Hoppe never stopped running on his way around third, coming all the way home with a head first dive to score the first run of the day.

Kerry held the lead by working around a pair of one-out walks in the fourth, ending his afternoon on a strikeout of Yeison Coca. Over four scoreless innings, Kerry allowed three hits and walked two, striking out five in a strong showing.

Rocket City rallied to break the game open in the bottom of the inning. Jeremiah Jackson got it started with a single and quickly stole second base. A single from Kyren Paris put runners at the corners with one out. Bryce Teodosio hit a ground ball to third, and the throw home looked to be in plenty of time to tag out Jackson. But the throw home was dropped by catcher Brent Diaz, allowing Jackson to score and Teodosio to go to second. The Trash Pandas continued the attack with a perfect squeeze bunt from Livan Soto scoring Paris from third, and O’Hoppe’s RBI single to left plated Adams for a 5-0 trash Pandas lead after four.

Sean McLaughlin was first into the game from the Rocket City bullpen and induced a double play from Terence Doston to erase a leadoff single from Gabe Holt in a scoreless top of the fifth. Cam Devanney got the Shuckers on the board in the sixth with a solo home run, his 20th of the season, to break the Rocket City shutout bid.

Aaron Hernandez quickly retired the Shuckers one, two, three in the seventh. In the eighth, the Shuckers loaded the bases with a hit batter, a single, and a walk against Ben Joyce. But the Rocket City flamethrower escaped unscathed by getting a ground out from Coca to strand the runners.

Jack Dashwood was called on for the ninth and struck out a pair in a clean frame to finish the win for the Trash Pandas, their 75th of the season. Hernandez (W, 3-4) picked up the win with the scoreless seventh as the five Rocket City pitchers combined to strike out 10 Shuckers.

At the plate, Jackson led the way by going 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored. Soto went 0-for-2 but drove in a run with the squeeze bunt and took two walks, giving him 10 free passes in the series against Biloxi. O’Hoppe also took two walks, going 1-for-3 with an RBI in the win.

The Trash Pandas (74-51, 33-23 second half) hit the road to begin a six-game series with the Montgomery Biscuits on Tuesday 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.