Trash Pandas Tee Off On Tennessee for 9-0 Win

MADISON, Alabama – The Rocket City Trash Pandas scored early and often to back a dominant night on the mound for a resounding 9-0 victory over the Tennessee Smokies in their opener of a four-game series on Tuesday night at Toyota Field.

The Smokies looked to have the early edge, but an alert play from the Rocket City defense kept it scoreless. With two outs and runners on first and second, Grayson Byrd lifted a soft single to left. As Carlos Sepulveda was coming home to score, Trash Pandas left fielder Orlando Martinez threw out Christopher Morel at third before Sepulveda touched home, negating the run to get Rocket City starter Ryan Smith through the first.

Rocket City kept the momentum on their side in the bottom of the inning when Ray-Patrick Didder crushed a solo home run 401 feet to left center field for his fifth big fly of the season. Later in the inning, Mitch Nay’s ground ball to third was misplayed by Smokies third baseman Edwin Figuera, allowing Martinez to come home from second for a 2-0 advantage.

Pitching with the lead, Smith was stellar. In the second, he induced a inning-ending double play from Figuera to work around a fielding error from second baseman Carlos Herrera. In the third, he again worked around a two-out single for a clean inning. In the fourth, Smith saved himself by snaring a comebacker from Byrd for the second out of a one, two, three inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Rocket City offense put the game away with a furious rally. Torii Hunter Jr. reached on an error and stole second before Anthony Mulrine walked. Livan Soto followed with his first Double-A hit, an RBI single to center. Luis Aviles Jr. then crushed two-run triple off the wall in center to make it a 5-0 game. Didder drove Aviles Jr. home with a single to center. David MacKinnon capped the scoring with a towering fly ball that cleared the left field wall for a two-run home run, his 12th of the season.

Smith (W, 2-2) finished his gem by recording multiple strikeouts in each of his final three innings, including striking out the side in order in the seventh. Over seven scoreless innings, Smith allowed just five hits, walked none, and struck out nine to earn his second straight win.

Nay added to the Trash Pandas lead in the seventh with a 435-foot blast to center that left his bat at 110 miles per hour for his Double-A South leading 23rd home run of the season.

Boomer Biegalski and Kieran Lovegrove each threw a scoreless inning to finish the shutout victory for the Trash Pandas. Overall, Trash Pandas pitching recorded 11 strikeouts while walking none in the win.

At the plate, eight of the nine Rocket City starters scored a run while Aviles Jr., Didder, and MacKinnon each drove in a pair.

The win, coupled with Birmingham’s loss, puts the Trash Pandas a half game out of first place in the Double-A South North Division. But Montgomery’s win keeps Rocket City 2.5 games out of the final playoff spot.

Rocket City (51-48) and Tennessee (42-54) continue their series on Friday night with a 6:35 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.