Trash Pandas Unable to Complete Comeback in Thursday's 5-3 Loss

MADISON, AL – The Rocket City Trash Pandas (27-26) searched for another late-inning comeback on Thursday night but came up short in a 5-3 loss to the Columbus Clingstones (25-27) at Toyota Field. With the defeat, Rocket City slipped into a tie for second place with Knoxville and now trails first-place Chattanooga by 1.5 games in the North Division standings with 16 games remaining in the first half.

Making his second start since being promoted from High-A Tri-City, Nate Snead (L, 0-2) looked sharp early, much like his Double-A debut in Montgomery last week. The Angels' No. 19 prospect allowed just three singles through the first four innings before Columbus broke through in the fifth.

Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. opened the inning with a single and moved to third on a double by Drew Compton. Snead induced a groundout from Ambioris Tavarez for the first out, but the Clingstones capitalized from there. Patrick Clohisy and Luke Waddell delivered RBI singles, David McCabe drove in a run on a fielder's choice, and Jordan Groshans added an RBI single to cap the rally. Groshans' hit was the final batter faced by Snead, who allowed four runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings while walking none and striking out four.

One bright spot for Rocket City continued to be its bullpen. Entering the night with a 2.81 ERA over its previous 26 games, fourth-best in Minor League Baseball, the relief corps once again delivered. Carlos Espinosa, Lucas Mahlstedt, Leonard Garcia, and Kenyon Yovan combined to allow just one run on one hit over the final 4.2 innings while striking out four and walking two.

The Trash Pandas also found themselves challenged by another strong Columbus starter. Herrick Hernandez held Rocket City to one hit over 4.0 scoreless innings, striking out five and walking two. The lone hit was a leadoff double by Raudi Rodriguez in the fourth inning.

Rocket City finally broke through in the sixth against the Columbus bullpen. Making his home debut, catcher Alberto Rios drew the first of two walks to begin the inning, and Kyren Paris followed with a single. A Raudi Rodriguez double play slowed the rally, but Nick Rodriguez came through with an RBI single to score Rios and trim the deficit to 4-1.

The Clingstones answered in the seventh when Adam Zebrowski launched a 412-foot solo home run, his fourth extra-base hit of the series, extending the lead to 5-1.

The Trash Pandas responded with another rally in the bottom of the seventh. Harold Coll doubled with one out and scored on a Tucker Flint single through the middle. Mac McCroskey attempted a sacrifice bunt and reached on a throwing error by Columbus pitcher Samuel Strickland. Rios then worked his second walk of the night to load the bases for Paris. The Rocket City centerfielder lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Flint to cut the deficit to 5-3. However, Rios was thrown out attempting to advance to second on the play, ending the threat.

Espinosa and Garcia combined for 2.1 innings of no-hit relief, while Yovan struck out two over 1.1 scoreless innings. Mahlstedt was charged with the lone bullpen run after surrendering the seventh-inning homer.

The Trash Pandas mounted one final push in the ninth. Coll ripped his second double of the night into the left-center field gap to bring the tying run to the plate, but Columbus closer Luis Vargas (S, 2) responded with back-to-back strikeouts to secure the save and the series lead for the Clingstones.

Coll paced the Rocket City offense, finishing 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

The Trash Pandas and Clingstones continue their six-game series on Friday night at Toyota Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with RHP Joel Hurtado (4-1, 2.89) set to start for Rocket City against Columbus RHP Garrett Baumann (3-4, 6.27). Fans can watch on Bally Sports Live, MLB.tv, and MiLB.tv, and listen locally on Talk Radio WZZN 97.7 FM HD-2 and ESPN The Zone 97.7 FM.

Friday’s Promotions:

• Friday Night Fireworks: Watch Fireworks light up the night sky over Toyota Field, presented by COLSA.
• Thompson Tractor Community Hero: The Trash Pandas will honor a local hero during the game. Fans can submit nominations at trashpandasfoundation.com.

Tickets are available starting at just $8. They can be purchased online HERE. 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.