Game Info: August 28 vs. Columbus: 6:35 PM: Toyota Field
SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: August 28 vs. Columbus: 6:35 PM: Toyota Field

Published on August 28, 2025 under Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Thursday, August 28, 2025 - 6:35 PM - Toyota Field - Madison, Alabama

Matchup | Huntsville Stars - LAA (18-35, 42-79) vs. Columbus Clingstones - ATL (26-27, 52-67)

Pitching Matchup: RHP Joel Hurtado (5-6, 3.05) // RHP Ian Mejia (11-2, 2.40)

Game: 122 of 137 - Second Half: 54 of 69 - Home Game: 60 of 69

TV/Radio: FanDuel Sports West, WAAY-TV "MORE" 31.6, Bally Sports Live, MiLB.TV, Talk Radio WZZN 97.7 HD-2

TODAY'S PROMOTIONS:

Thursday, August 28 | First Pitch: 6:35 pm | Gates Open: 5:30 pm | Trustmark VIP Gates: 5:00 pm

Throwback Thursday: Enjoy $3 domestic draft beers available at the Rock Porch, Clyde Mays Clubhouse Bar, and SportsMED Stadium Club for fans 21 and older.

Huntsville Stars 40 th Anniversary Night: The Trash Pandas welcome Jose (1985) and Ozzie Canseco (1988-90, along with many other former Huntsville Stars players and staff, for a special night celebrating our proud professional baseball history! Fans can meet Jose and Ozzie for FREE autographs on the Bill Penney Concourse from 5:00-6:00 pm and again from 6:30-9:00 pm, with additional Stars alumni also signing throughout the night. This evening is presented by the U.S. Army.

Huntsville Stars Jersey Auction: On the field, the Trash Pandas will wear throwback Huntsville Stars jerseys that will be auctioned off online, with the proceeds benefiting Manifest Athlete Training Inc.

THIS WEEK:.

Friday, August 29: Enjoy Friday Night Fireworks, support the canned food drive, and meet Huntsville Havoc coaches, players, and mascots.

Saturday, August 30: The weekend continues with a second straight night of fireworks presented by Boeing.

Sunday, August 31: Fans can get pregame autographs from Trash Pandas players and kids can run the bases after the game.

PANDA NOTES:

FOR STARTERS: The Huntsville Stars continue their penultimate homestand of the 2025 season on Thursday night, game three of a six-game series with the Atlanta Braves' affiliate, Columbus Clingstones. It's the third and final matchup between the clubs this year. Huntsville took 2 of 3 at Toyota Field in mid-July but dropped 5 of 6 on the road in Columbus earlier this month. The Stars are coming off a 2-4 trip to Birmingham.

COLAS WALK-OFF CAPS PANDAS' WILD NINTH-INNING RALLY: The Trash Pandas stunned Columbus 6-5 with a four-run rally in the ninth, capped by an Oscar Colas walk-off triple for their third straight win. Walbert Ureña delivered the team's longest start of the season with 7.1 innings of one-run ball, while Arol Vera homered and added a sacrifice fly. After Columbus flipped the game with four runs in the ninth, Rocket City stormed back behind walks and Colas' game-winning hit, with Ben Gobbel reaching base four times to pace the offense.

TRASH PANDAS BASEBALL HITTING THE WEST COAST: Tonight's game will be televised live on FanDuel Sports Network West, the first of two remaining Trash Pandas broadcasts this season. The final telecast will air Sept. 10 against Chattanooga. Produced in-house and featuring veteran voices Josh Caray and Chris Harris, the broadcasts give fans in the Angels' local TV market an exclusive look at Toyota Field through the FanDuel app and network.

ROCKET CITY PITCHING ON POINT: Over their last eight games, the Trash Pandas' pitching staff holds a 2.30 ERA, which includes 64 strikeouts over 66.2 innings. That ERA leads the Southern League and is 2nd in all of Double-A baseball since August 18.

TOYOTA FIELD MAGIC WAS BACK: The Trash Pandas rallied from a three-run deficit in the ninth to stun Columbus 6-5 on Wednesday, as Oscar Colas delivered a three-run walk-off triple - the team's third walk-off win of the season, and first since Cole Fontenelle's game-winner on June 11 vs. Pensacola after Denzer Guzman's walk-off homer on April 5 vs. Chattanooga.

FARRIS KEEPS PUTTING UP BIG STRIKEOUT NUMBERS: LHP Mitch Farris leads the Southern League and ranks 2nd in Double-A with 142 strikeouts over 23 outings in 2025. Farris is currently 2nd in team history in single-season strikeouts, trailing only franchise record-holder Caden Dana, who struck out 147 batters in 2024. His 13-strikeout game on August 26 vs. Columbus was the third-most in team history behind Reid Detmer's 16 on June 26, 2021 at Chattanooga, and Brett Kerry's 14 on August 29 vs. Tennessee. Farris ranks among the league leaders in starts (T-5th, 22), innings pitched (2nd, 116.0), and strikeouts (1st, 142).

KOREY IS KRUSHING: Korey Holland has hit in five of his last six games and has reached base safely in 13 of his previous 14 games. He's batting .348 over the six-game stretch with a home run, and .897 OPS.

GOBBEL'ING UP HITS IN AUGUST: INF Ben Gobbel has been one of the Southern League's most consistent bats in August, ranking 6th with 25 hits while batting .291 across 23 games. He's also T-3rd with six doubles, adding two homers, eight RBIs, nine walks, 13 runs, and a .384 OBP (9th, SL). Gobbel has reached base safely in 20 of 23 games this month.

NATERA EARNS PROMOTION TO TRIPLE-A: Trash Pandas reliever Samy Natera Jr. was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday after emerging as one of the hottest arms in Double-A. The left-hander has allowed just one run over his last nine outings, going 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA, 17 strikeouts, and only two walks in 9.2 innings while holding opponents to a .176 average and a 0.83 WHIP. Overall, Natera has been a workhorse for Rocket City, tied for the Southern League lead with 41 appearances and tied for eighth with eight saves. He leaves the Pandas with a 4-1 record, 2.64 ERA, and 68 strikeouts across 47.2 innings, limiting opponents to a .183 average.

WALKIN' IN AUGUST: OF David Mershon leads the Southern League in August with 21 walks. He's turned that into nine stolen bases, which ranks T-3rd in the league.

CLUTCH COLAS: OF Oscar Colás has reached base in 15 of his last 17 games, hitting five home runs during the stretch - including a two-homer game on August 14, a grand slam on August 8 in Columbus (the Trash Pandas' second of the season and 11th in franchise history), and a walk-off three-run triple vs. Columbus on August 27. Since May 30, Colás leads the Southern League with 13 homers in that span and ranks sixth overall with 14 between Birmingham (1) and Rocket City (13).

Check out the Rocket City Trash Pandas Statistics

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Southern League Stories from August 28, 2025


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