TRASH PANDAS 12, LOOKOUTS 10 (10 innings)
Friday’s recap: Rocket City evened its inaugural series against Chattanooga by winning an extra-inning matchup in which the Double-A South teams combined for 32 hits at AT&T Field and the visitors’ Orlando Martinez homered for three of his four hits in a six-RBI performance.
The Trash Pandas launched three home runs off Lookouts starter Randy Wynne. Martinez hit a two-run homer to right-center in the first inning and had a solo shot to right-center in the third, while Izzy Wilson added a two-run homer to right in the third to build a 6-3 lead. Wynne allowed seven runs on nine hits in less than four innings of work.
Martinez homered again in the eighth to push Rocket City’s advantage to 10-5, but Chattanooga responded with five runs in the bottom half, with Yoel Yanqui scoring the tying run on a single by T.J. Hopkins.
After a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, the Lookouts loaded the bases with two outs before Rocket City’s Adrian Almeida struck out Narciso Crook on three pitches. Mitch Nay’s one-out homer in the 10th put Rocket City back on top, and the Lookouts were unable to get the ball out of the infield in their final turn at bat.
Chattanooga’s Leonardo Rivas went 4-for-5 with a triple and a double and scored three runs, Wilson Garcia was 3-for-6 with an RBI, Mark Kolozsvary and Alejo Lopez each had two hits and walked twice – each had a double and Kolozsvary homered in the fourth – and Kolozsvary, Yanqui and Jose Garcia drove in two runs apiece.
Nexp up: Game five of the six-game series is at 7:15 p.m. Saturday.