The Rocket City Trash Pandas battled to the end in Thursday’s doubleheader against the Montgomery Biscuits. Ultimately, the home team came up short, dropping the opener 5-3 and the nightcap 3-2 at Toyota Field to open a six-game series.
Making his much-anticipated season debut for the Trash Pandas, southpaw Ky Bush was sharp. He walked a pair but struck out three in the opening inning. In the bottom of the second, the Trash Pandas struck first when Jeremiah Jackson lined an opposite field solo home run 350 feet to the Inline Electric Rock Porch in right field, his fourth homer of the season to make it 1-0 Rocket City.
Montgomery got the run back in the fourth, with Austin Shenton’s Southern League-leading 14th home run of the season to tie the score at one. The fourth would be Bush’s final inning in a solid start. He allowed one run on one hit, the home run, with three walks and six strikeouts after missing the first two and a half months of the season.
Nathan Burns (L, 0-1) was first out of the Trash Pandas bullpen for his Double-A debut and quickly got the first two outs before walking Gionti Turner. Ronny Simon followed with a two-run homer to right center field, putting Montgomery in front for the first time 3-1. In the bottom of the frame, the Trash Pandas got one back when Jackson led off with a double and came home to score on a two-out RBI single by Edgar Quero to make it a one-run game against Biscuits starter Cole Wilcox (W, 1-6).
Nick Jones kept the deficit at one with a scoreless sixth innings in his first outing of the season for the Trash Pandas. But in the seventh, Simon connected on his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to left, to make it a 5-2 game. The homer gave Simon home runs from both sides of the plate.
Celebrating his 23rd birthday, Livan Soto extended the game with a solo home run down the right field line, his first of the season, to make it 5-3 against Biscuits closer Justin Sterner (S, 3). The Trash Pandas would get no closer, as Quero popped out to end the game as the tying run, giving Sterner the save. Wilcox earned the win for Montgomery with six innings on the mound, allowing two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Burns took the loss for Rocket City in his debut.
In the nightcap, Trash Pandas starter Victor Mederos and Montgomery starter Victor Muñoz traded zeroes for the first two innings. The Biscuits broke through in the third. With two outs, Junior Caminero connected on an opposite field three-run homer off the rocks in right field, his third home run at the Double-A level, to open the scoring against Mederos.
The home run would be the only blemish on Mederos’ (L, 3-4) record. Over five innings, he allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and nine strikeouts to take the loss. Ivan Armstrong pitched a scoreless sixth to hold the deficit at three. Alan Carter did the same in the seventh in his Double-A debut, striking out one.
Muñoz (W, 6-3) was sharp for five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out seven to earn the win for the Biscuits. Patrick Wicklander held the lead with a scoreless sixth.
The Trash Pandas would not go quietly in the seventh. Facing reliever Franklin Dacosta, Gabe Matthews reached with a one-out walk and Sonny DiChiara doubled to put runners on second and third. Pinch-runner David Calabrese replaced DiChiara at second base. Orlando Martinez followed with a single to left, scoring Matthews and moving Calabrese to third with one out. Montgomery then turned to Chris Gau to try and finish it off.
Bryce Teodosio lifted a sacrifice fly to right for the second out, with Calabrese coming home to make it a one-run game. Jose Gomez kept the game alive with a walk to put runners on first and second. Gau (S, 2) rebounded to strike out Tyler Payne, finishing the win to earn the save and complete a doubleheader sweep.
Offensively, the Trash Pandas were held to four hits in the game two loss, with Martinez recording a pair of singles.
