Down 6-1 Early, The Smokies Rally To Beat The Trash Pandas Sunday Night

SEVIERVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Smokies (21-31) overcame a five run deficit against the Rocket City Trash Pandas (26-27) to win 7-6 Sunday night at Smokies Stadium. Once down 6-1, the Smokies scored four in the sixth to tie the game. In the eighth, Tim Susnara drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly. The Smokies won five of the six games in the series against Rocket City.

Rocket City jumped out to an early lead as Izzy Wilson hit a two-run home run to right field in the first inning to give the Trash Pandas a 2-0 lead. Zach Davis hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Trash Pandas scored one in the third, then in the fourth Torii Hunter Jr. hit a three-run home run off RHP Cam Sanders to extend the lead to 6-1.

Brennen Davis led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run to right field, cutting the Trash Pandas lead to 6-2.

The Smokies continued their comeback with a four-run sixth inning. D.J. Artis and Christopher Morel walked to reach base and advanced to second and third on a double steal. Carlos Sepulveda brought Artis home while legging out an infield single. Nelson Maldonado’s fly out to right field wasn’t deep enough to bring Morel home, but the Smokies’ second baseman elicited a throw to the plate allowing Sepulveda to advance to second. Trash Pandas’ first baseman David MacKinnon cut off the throw and tried to throw Sepulveda out at second, but instead threw it into right field as both Morel and Sepulveda came home.

The Smokies weren’t done in the sixth inning. Jared Young hit a double to right center field and scored on Brennen Davis’s game-tying RBI double.

Maldonado and Young hit back-to-back singles to open up the eighth. After a walk loaded the bases, Susnara hit a fly ball to deep left to score Maldonado from third.

RHP Ethan Roberts (SV, 2) capped off a great night for the Smokies’ bullpen striking out the Trash Pandas in order to earn his second save of the season. LHP Wyatt Short (W, 1-3) earned the win in relief. He stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and pitched a scoreless eighth in relief.

Young finished 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Maldonado and Brennen Davis both finished with two hits, Davis’s home run in the fourth was his third of the season.

The Smokies begin a six game series on the road against the Chattanooga Lookouts Tuesday night at AT&T Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 PM. Fans can hear all Smokies games by going to https://www.milb.com/tennessee/fans/audio-listen-live.

ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES

The Tennessee Smokies are the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the eight-team Double-A South League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America’s national pastime in the East Tennessee region for over 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com.