Gordon, Mahlstedt and Minacci Combine for Third No-Hitter in Trash Pandas History

BIRMINGHAM, AL —Austin Gordon, Lucas Mahlstedt and Camden Minacci combined to throw the third no-hitter in Rocket City Trash Pandas history, leading Rocket City (28-25, 63-58) to an 8-0 victory over the Birmingham Barons (27-26, 53-69) on Wednesday night at Regions Field.

The historic effort, officially completed following a postgame scoring change, gave the Trash Pandas their fifth shutout of the season and moved Rocket City back into first place in the Southern League North Division second-half standings, a half-game ahead of Knoxville and one game ahead of Birmingham.

Gordon (W, 8-6) authored the bulk of the historic night, working seven scoreless innings with no walks and eight strikeouts. He faced just 22 batters, one over the minimum, while throwing 57 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Gordon has now won seven consecutive starts and increased his season total to 122 strikeouts, second-most in the Southern League.

The lone blemish against Gordon came to begin the seventh when Dylan Campbell reached on a ball that snuck by Arjun Nimmala at shortstop. The play was initially ruled a single, but following the game, the official scoring was changed to an error charged to Nimmala, preserving the no-hit bid. Gordon responded by retiring the next three hitters, including strikeouts of Caleb Bonemer and Anthony DePino, to complete his seven innings.

While the scoring change made the no-hitter official, Gordon had already delivered one of his strongest starts of the season. He retired Birmingham in order in each of the first six innings, setting down the first 18 Barons he faced before Campbell reached to open the seventh. Gordon struck out seven over those first six perfect frames and did not issue a walk.

The Rocket City offense gave Gordon plenty of support before he ever took the mound. Arjun Nimmala opened the game with an infield single and scored on Jacob Cozart's RBI single. Caleb Bartolero followed with an RBI double before Tucker Flint singled home Bartolero, giving the Trash Pandas a 3-0 lead in the first.

After a scoreless second, Rocket City broke the game open with four runs in the third. Nick Rodríguez doubled to begin the inning before Jake Munroe launched a two-run homer to left, his sixth of the season, for a 5-0 advantage. The home run also extended Munroe's on-base streak to 38 consecutive games.

Later in the inning, Flint singled before Juan Flores belted a two-run homer to left-center, his fifth of the season, extending the lead to 7-0.

Munroe added a double in the fourth and finished 2-for-5 with a homer, double, two RBI and a run scored. His 38-game on-base streak continued to add to his franchise record, and second-longest active streak in Minor League Baseball.

Rocket City tacked on its final run in the sixth. Jake Thompson doubled to left, and Nimmala followed with an RBI double to center, pushing the advantage to 8-0.

After Gordon's night ended, Mahlstedt took over in the eighth and retired all three batters he faced, including a strikeout of Ryan Burrowes. Minacci was handed the final three outs and worked around a one-out walk to Samuel Zavala, retiring Dylan Campbell on a fielder's choice before striking out Caleb Bonemer to complete the no-hitter.

The combined no-hitter was the third in Trash Pandas franchise history and first in more than three years. The previous came on April 8, 2023, when Coleman Crow, Ben Joyce and Eric Torres combined to no-hit Chattanooga despite a 7-5 Rocket City loss. The franchise's first no-hitter came on September 3, 2022, when Chase Silseth, Luke Murphy and Torres combined for an 8-0 victory over Biloxi.

The offense matched the pitching staff's historic performance with 15 hits, including five doubles and two home runs. Eight of Rocket City's nine starters recorded at least one hit, with Nimmala, Rodríguez, Munroe, Bartolero, Flint and Flores each collecting two.

The Trash Pandas have now scored 16 runs on 27 hits through the first two games of the series and 23 runs on 38 hits over their last three games.

Wednesday's win also halted Birmingham's seven-game winning streak and immediately reversed the standings picture following Tuesday's 11-8 loss. Rocket City moved back atop the North Division second-half standings, a half-game ahead of Knoxville and one full game ahead of Birmingham.

The Trash Pandas and Barons meet again on Thursday night at Regions Field for game three of the six-game series. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm with the Trash Pandas turning to LHP Lucas Knowles (1-1, 5.52) for the start, while Birmingham will counter with RHP Dylan Cumming (4-7, 5.21). Fans can watch Bally Sports Live, MiLB, or MiLB.TV. The game can be heard on ESPN 97.7 The Zone and Talk Radio WZZN 97.7 FM HD-2.

Upcoming Promotions at Toyota Field:

vs. Montgomery | September 1-6

• Tuesday, September 1: Tito's Tail Waggin' Tuesday featuring Educator Appreciation Night and $1 hot dogs throughout the game.
• Wednesday, September 2: Wine Wednesday featuring $5 select red, white, and rosé wines throughout Toyota Field.
• Thursday, September 3: Hit for the Cycle Night featuring a Sprocket Bike Bobblehead Giveaway for the first 1,500 fans, plus Throwback Thursday specials and live music.
• Friday, September 4: Huntsville Havoc Night featuring a special crossover with the Havoc and Friday Night Fireworks following the game.
• Saturday, September 5: Japanese Heritage Night featuring a 2027 Magnet Schedule Giveaway for the first 5,000 fans, a community donation drive, and Saturday Night Fireworks.
• Sunday, September 6: The regular-season home finale featuring a Building Block Sprocket Giveaway for the first 1,500 fans, pregame autographs, face painting, Kids Run the Bases and postgame fireworks.

Tickets are available at TPTix.com. Fans can book a group outing for the 2026 season by visiting trashpandasgroups.com or by calling the group sales department directly at (256) 325-1403, option 2. A complete promotional schedule for the season can be found HERE.

Fans are reminded that Toyota Field follows MiLB's clear bag policy. Guests are allowed one clear bag no larger than 12″ x 6″ x 12″ or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Small, clear clutches are also permitted. Exceptions will be made for medical needs and parents with infants (diaper bags). Learn more about this policy here.

ABOUT THE ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS

Owned and operated by BallCorps, LLC, the Rocket City Trash Pandas are the proud Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Southern League. The Trash Pandas play at state-of-the-art Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama. The organization's mission is to unite our communities by creating positive and lasting memories one experience at a time.