Smokies Out-Slug Trash Pandas In Game One Victory

Written by Richie Juliano

Madison, AL- The Smokies out-hit the Trash Pandas 13-10 to win game one of the six game series by a final of 8-5. Tennessee was jolted by a five run sixth inning to take the lead and hold on to the win.

The Trash pandas jumped all over Jordan Wicks in the first inning, when David Calabrese doubled to lead off the inning, then Orlando Martinez knocked him in to make it 1-0 Rocket City. The Smokies tied the game in the second inning when Nelson Maldonado just missed a grand slam short of the wall but did get a sacrifice fly to make it 1-1.

The Smokies took their first lead of the night on a throwing error by third baseman Kevin Maitan. Owen Caissie then smacked one for a double to score Vazquez and take a 3-1 lead. Rocket City got back on the board with back-to-back singles in the fourth inning to make it 3-2. Rocket City then took the lead on a 2RBI single by David Calabrase to make it 4-3 Rocket City.

The best home run hitting team in Double-A baseball, the Tennessee Smokies hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth off the bat of Cole Roederer to make it 5-4 Tennessee. Later in the inning, Pete Crow-Armstrong tripled to right field scoring two runs when the Rocket City right fielder lost the ball in the lights to make it 7-4. Smokies shortstop Luis Vazquez knocked in Crow-Armstrong with an RBI single to double the lead 8-4 in the sixth.

Edgar Quero hit a 2-out, 2 strike home run in the seventh inning to make it a 8-5 Tennessee lead in the seventh. The Smokies hung on to win by a final of 8-5. Tennessee takes a 1.5 game lead in the Southern League North with the Chattanooga Lookouts loss to Birmingham.