MADISON, Ala — The Rocket City Trash Pandas had their postseason hopes dashed at the hands of the Tennessee Smokies in a 6-5, 11-inning loss on Thursday night at Toyota Field.
Tennessee scored first for the third straight game as infielder Jonathon Long sent a two-run homer over the Trash Pandas bullpen in the first inning..
Rocket City tied the game at two apiece in the third with consecutive RBI doubles from infielder Christian Moore and outfielder Tucker Flint.
Trash Pandas starting pitcher Brett Kerry kept the game tied as he struck out a career-high 14 batters through seven innings of work. Kerry’s strikeout total is the most for a Trash Pandas starting pitcher this season. It is also the second-highest strikeout total for a Rocket City hurler in a single game surpassed only by a 16-strikeout performance from Reid Detmers against Chattanooga in 2021.
The Smokies broke the tie in the ninth with a solo blast from outfielder Cole Roederer. Rocket City infielder Sam Brown fired right back with an emotional game-tying bomb of his own for his fourth of the season. Brown’s homer was also his first at Toyota Field.
Each team collected RBI singles in the tenth leading to a leadoff two-run homer from Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo to put Tennessee ahead 6-4 against Trash Pandas reliever Luke Murphy (L, 0-1) in the 11th inning.
The Trash Pandas came back with a two-out RBI single by infielder Matt Coutney in the bottom-half, however they couldn’t deliver a tying run as Smokies stopper Blake Weiman (W, 4-0) locked down the game. With the 6-5 road victory, the Smokies clinched their spot in the Southern League postseason and eliminated the Trash Pandas from contention.
Trash Pandas outfielder Tucker Flint finished with his second straight two-hit night while driving in a run in the process. Both Long and Aliendo led the Smokies with a two-hit, two-RBI night.
Rocket City will look to stop a three-game skid against the Smokies on Friday. Post-game fireworks will blast off courtesy of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. First pitch is set for 6:35 CT.
