Pandas stop losing skid with matinee win on Wednesday
MADISON, Ala. – The Rocket City Trash Pandas used 12 Birmingham walks to cruise to a 5-1 win in front of 5,027 fans Wednesday afternoon at Toyota Field in a game that was delayed 1:17 due to rain. The game started as a pitchers’ duel between starting pitchers Mitch Farris
MADISON, Ala. – The Rocket City Trash Pandas used 12 Birmingham walks to cruise to a 5-1 win in front of 5,027 fans Wednesday afternoon at Toyota Field in a game that was delayed 1:17 due to rain.
The game started as a pitchers’ duel between starting pitchers Mitch Farris of the Trash Pandas and Hagen Smith of the Barons as the game remained scoreless through the first four innings with the duo striking out a combined 15 batters. Finally, the Trash Pandas broke out on top in the fifth inning as Flint launched his first homer of the season over the leftfield wall to give Rocket City a 1-0 lead.
At the end of the sixth inning, the skies would open at Toyota Field, and the rain delay ensued. Coming out of the stoppage, the Barons would tie the game with a run in the seventh. The bases were empty with two out when centerfielder Jacob Burke singled, moved to second on a walk, then scored on a bloop single to left from second baseman Rikuu Nishida to tie the game.
However, the Trash Pandas bounced back thanks to some errant Birmingham pitching. Five walks, a hit batter, and two sacrifice flies in the bottom of the seventh led to four Trash Pandas runs and a 5-1 lead. A sac fly from centerfielder Nelson Rada gave Rocket City the lead before bases loaded walks to third baseman Cole Fontenelle and first baseman Sam Brown made the score 4-1. First baseman Sonny DiChiara capped the scoring with a sac fly to center to make the final count 5-1.
The win went to Rocket City reliever Samy Natera Jr. (2-0), though he allowed a run on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts in his lone inning of work. Birmingham reliever Gil Luna (0-2) suffered the loss after he walked five and surrendered four runs in 0.1 innings.
Birmingham outhit the Trash Pandas 4-3 with Burke going 2-4 with a run scored. It was the first time Rocket City had won a weekday game in their last 11 attempts. The most recent win of this kind was in May 2018, when they defeated the Barons at Birmingham.
The Trash Pandas continue their homestand tomorrow when they take on the Barons in game three of a six-game series beginning at 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Walbert Urena (0-1, 14.04 ERA) will go to the hill for Rocket City against Birmingham southpaw Noah Schultz (0-0, 4.97 ERA). The first 1,500 adults through the games will receive a Raise The Roof Night T-Shirt presented by Storm Guard Roofing as well as Comic and Pop Culture Night. Priscilla Presley, the actress and wife of Elvis, will be there, along with Walter Jones, the original Black Power Ranger, and George Newbern, who is known for voicing Superman in various DC animated projects. In addition, fans 21 and older will be able to enjoy $3 domestic draft beers available throughout the stadium during the entire game. In a nod to the past, the Trash Pandas will don their throwback pinstripe jerseys every Throwback Thursday.
Tickets are available starting at just $8 for general admission and $16 for field-level seats. They can be purchased online at tptix.com. Fans can also purchase tickets in person during regular business hours at the Wicks Family Foundation Box Office or by calling 256-325-1403, option 1. Fans can book their group outings for the 2025 season by visiting trashpandasgroups.com or by calling the group sales department directly at (256) 325-1403, option 2. 20-game mini-plans are also available at tptix.com.
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