Game Info: Saturday, April 12 vs. Knoxville

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SL Rocket City Trash Pandas

Game Info: Saturday, April 12 vs. Knoxville

April 12, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Rocket City Trash Pandas News Release


Saturday, April 12, 2025 - 6:35 PM - Toyota Field - Madison, AL

Matchup: Rocket City Trash Pandas - LAA (3-3) vs. Knoxville Smokies - CHC (3-3)

Pitching Matchup: RHP Walbert Ureña (0-0, 9.00) vs. RHP Chris Kachmar (0-0, 9.00)

GAME: 7 of 138 - Home Game: 7 of 69

TV/Radio: WAAY MORE-TV 31.6 - Bally Live - MiLB.tv - ESPN WZZN 97.7 HD-2

Today's Promotions:

Construction Worker Appreciation Night: The Trash Pandas have partnered with the Associated Builders and Contractors of North Alabama to salute construction workers who help build our future!

FOR STARTERS: The Rocket City Trash Pandas continue their opening nine-game homestand on Saturday night with game five of a six-game series against the Chicago Cubs affiliate Knoxville Smokies at Toyota Field ... The Pandas went 1-1 in the opening series vs. Chattanooga, with the series finale being rained out ... RCT will head to Montgomery on Tuesday to start the first road trip of the season (April 15-20) ... Rocket City will see Knoxville 24 times, and next, April 29-May 4, and play their first ever games at Covenant Health Park ... Knoxville returns to Madison July 1-3, back in Knoxville, July 4-6 and conclude the season series in Knoxville, Sept. 2-7.

LAST NIGHT: The Trash Pandas and Smokies split a Friday night doubleheader in front of 4,945 fans at Toyota Field. The Trash Pandas rallied from a five-run deficit to win the second game 7-6 after the Smokies took the first game 4-0. Like their comeback victory last Saturday at Toyota Field, the Trash Pandas (3-3) scored four runs in the third inning and two in the fifth inning to take a 7-5 lead in Friday's nightcap. Josh Crouch hit a solo home run, and Denzer Guzman added a three-run shot, while Christian Moore hit the go-ahead two-run double in the fifth inning.

THE BULLPEN ISN'T TRASH: The Rocket City bullpen allowed two runs over 7.2 innings in Saturday's doubleheader and has a 3.30 ERA over the first six games (30.0 IP/11 ER), 14 walks, 34 strikeouts. José Fermin has two wins in two outings, and Samy Natera Jr. has a win and save in two games over 3.1 innings, six strikeouts to one walk.

BACKSTOP BOMBERS: Rocket City catchers Myles Emmerson and Josh Crouch are a combined 8-for-15 to start the season with three home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored.

STREAKING PANDAS: Sam Brown has reached base safely in all five games he's appeared in, and Nelson Rada has reached in his last five games. Brown has been on base eight times in five games, and Rada ten times.

SCHEDULE UPDATE: The Sunday, April 6, game against the Chattanooga Lookouts that was postponed by inclement weather will be made up as part of a Wednesday, June 18, doubleheader when the Lookouts are back in Madison. The series will stretch from June 17 to 22 and now feature seven games in six days. Both games will be seven innings, with game one starting at 4:05 pm and game two starting roughly 45 minutes after the completion of game one.

FONTENELLE'S CYCLE: Not only was Cole Fontenelle's cycle on Tuesday night vs. Knoxville the first in Trash Pandas history, but it was the first in the Southern League since former Smokies star Moises Ballesteros did it on June 15, 2024, at Biloxi. Fontenelle led off each at-bat, which has only been done once in MLB history, by Todd Helton in 1999 against the Florida Marlins. The last LA Angels' minor league player to hit for the cycle was José Rojas, who hit for the cycle on May 11, 2018, while playing for the Double-A Mobile BayBears. Rojas completed his cycle with a grand slam in the eighth inning, leading the BayBears to a 14-3 win over the Mississippi Braves at Trustmark Park.

TOYOTA FIELD MAGIC: Denzer Guzman's walk-off blast on April 5 vs. Chattanooga was his second as a Trash Panda, following a walk-off grand slam against Montgomery in May last year. The Trash Pandas had six walk-offs last season, including the previous walk-off home run on July 15, when Christian Moore hit an opposite-field home run. It was the 18th walk-off win in Toyota Field history. Guzman's first two hits of 2025 were three-run homers.

FROM KODAK TO DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE: Formerly the Tennessee Smokies, the club has rebranded to the Knoxville Smokies after a move to downtown Knoxville where they will call the new $114 million facility, Covenant Health Park home. The Smokies played at Smokies Stadium in Kodak from 2000 to 2024. The Trash Pandas were 29-31 in Kodak.

LAUNCHED TO THE LEAGUE: Former Trash Pandas pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks had his contract selected by the Angels on April 6 but was optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake on April 7. The Angels recalled Darrell-Hicks again on April 11 from Triple-A Salt Lake. He was 6-4 with a 1.73 ERA over 30 relief outings in 2024 for the Trash Pandas, earning eight saves in ten chances and 46 strikeouts to eight walks over 41.2 innings. Overall, Darrell-Hicks had a 6-7 record in Rocket City over 33 games and three starts, striking out 58 and walking 13 over 53.2 innings in 2023 and 2024. The Angels signed the Parkersburg, WV native to a minor league contract on July 26, 2022.

IT WENT MYLES AND MYLES: Catcher Myles Emmerson has been on fire to begin the 2025 season. The 26-year-old from Spring Valley, CA, is 4-for-7 with a double, two homers, and three RBI. He became the first Southern Lague player with two home runs after his blast on Tuesday night vs. Knoxville. He had two of Rocket City's three hits on Friday night, including the first, a double in the third inning, and a solo home run in the fifth. The home run provided Rocket City with their lone run, Emmerson's second as a Trash Panda and fifth in his career.

BACK FOR MOORE: Christian Moore returns to Rocket City, ranking as the top prospect in the Angels' organization and the No. 66 overall player in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. Selected eighth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, Moore starred as a second baseman for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he emerged as one of college baseball's brightest stars, leading them to the 2024 College World Series Title. He played in only two games with Single-A Inland Empire in the California League last season before being promoted to Rocket City. Moore hit .347 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in his first 25 minor league games.

PROSPECTS WITH A HALO: The Trash Pandas roster features five of the Angels' top 10 prospects and 11 of the top 25; included in the top 10 are Moore (1), RHP George Klassen (3), LHP Sam Aldegheri (5), OF Nelson Rada (6), and INF Denzer Guzman (9). The other members of the roster included in the Top-30 include LHP Samy Natera Jr. (16), RHP Walbert Ureña (17), RHP Joel Hurtado (19), RHP Camden Minacci (20), INF Cole Fontenelle (23), and RHP Ryan Costeiu (24).

SCHATZLEY RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON: The 2022 Southern League Manager of the Year, Andy Schatzley, returns for his fourth season with the Trash Pandas. Under his tutelage, he has helped guide 23 Trash Pandas to the Major Leagues since '22. He came to Rocket City after serving as the manager with High-A Tri-City in 2021. He earned the Preston Gomez Award as the Angels' Minor League Manager of the Year that year. The Arkansas native guided the team to the top of the Southern League standings in 2022, winning first and second-half North Division titles for the best record in the league at 81-57. The 2022 Trash Pandas marked the first time the Angels' Double-A affiliate reached the postseason since the Arkansas Travelers accomplished the feat in 2015.

SEC! SEC! SEC!: The 2025 Opening Day roster features seven players from SEC schools, starting with Hoover native and Auburn star Sonny DiChiara. The others include Ryan Costeiu (Arkansas), Houston Harding (Mississippi State), Luke Murphy (Vanderbilt), Jared Southard (Texas), Evan White (Kentucky), and Christian Moore (Tennessee), who have spent time in the Southeastern Conference.

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