Rocket City Quieted By Biloxi Pitching In 3-1 Loss

A night after their biggest offensive game of the season, the Rocket City Trash Pandas were shut down in a 3-1 loss to the Biloxi Shuckers on Saturday night at MGM Park in the fifth game of their six-game series.

With one out in the top of the second, Jeremiah Jackson crushed Biloxi starter Victor Castaneda’s 1-1 offering over the left field wall for a solo home run, his 11th of the season, giving Rocket City the first run of the night.

Two innings later, the Shuckers rebounded to tie the score. Two fielding errors by shortstop Zach Neto coupled around a walk to Thomas Dillard plated Cam Devanney with the tying run, an unearned run against Trash Pandas starter Mason Erla.

In the fifth, the Trash Pandas loaded the bases in a bid to re-take the lead. With two outs, Neto popped out to first, getting Castaneda and the Shuckers through the inning unscathed. Biloxi took advantage in the bottom of the inning, with Garrett Whitley’s RBI single to left scoring Corey Ray with the go-ahead run. Dillard led off the sixth with a solo home run to deep right, putting the Shuckers ahead 3-1.

That would prove to be all the scoring for the rest of the night. Erla (L, 4-3) took the loss despite a quality start, giving up three runs, two earned, over six innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Aaron Hernandez kept the deficit at two with a scoreless seventh and Kolton Ingram did the same in the eighth.

For the Shuckers, Castaneda (W, 3-5) picked up the win after allowing one run on three hits with four walks and six strikeouts over six innings pitched. Relievers Luis Contreras, Harold Chirino, and Cam Robinson (S, 4) each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the Biloxi victory.

At the plate, Jackson’s home run was the Trash Pandas’ only extra-base hit. Catcher Zach Humphreys added a pair of singles in the loss and Sonny DiChiara went 0-for-3 with a walk to extend his on-base streak to 11 to begin his professional career.

The Trash Pandas (61-46, 20-18 second half) and Shuckers (53-52, 19-19 second half) wrap up their series on Sunday night. First pitch at MGM Park is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Josh Caray will be on the call for 103.9 FM THE UMP and 730 AM SportsRadio.