Shuckers top Trash Pandas 7-3 in series spener
BILOXI, Miss – The Rocket City Trash Pandas (7-9) opened their second road trip of the season on Tuesday night with a 7-3 loss to the Biloxi Shuckers (8-8) at Keesler Federal Park. Gustavo Campero paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.
Biloxi struck first in the second inning against Trash Pandas starter Austin Gordon (L, 1-1). Damon Keith led off with a double and scored three batters later on an RBI single by Jordyn Adams. A hit-by-pitch and a single loaded the bases, and Gordon uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Adams to score from third, giving the Shuckers a 2-0 lead.
The Shuckers extended the advantage in the fourth. Eduardo Garcia was hit by a pitch with one out, setting the stage for Adams, who launched a 458-foot two-run home run to push the lead to 4-0.
Rocket City answered with the long ball in the fifth. Wade Meckler singled to center with two outs, and Campero—making his first start in left field—followed with a two-run homer to right-center, his third of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
Biloxi added to its lead in the seventh. A fielder’s choice and a passed ball put Jesus Made in scoring position, and Blake Burke singled down the right-field line to score him, making it 5-2.
Gordon completed his team-leading fourth start, working 5.0 innings and allowing four runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. He exited with a 4.74 ERA.
Carlos Espinosa took over in the sixth and recorded a rare four-strikeout inning, just the second in franchise history. Eduardo Garcia reached on a dropped third strike, and the 24-year-old from Najasa, Cuba, struck out the next three batters to end the inning. Davis Daniel recorded the only other four-strikeout inning in franchise history on August 13, 2021, at Tennessee.
The Shuckers added two insurance runs in the eighth. Adams reached for the third time in the game with a walk and later scored on a wild pitch. Dylan O’Rae followed with a double to the right-center gap, scoring Miller to extend the lead to 7-2.
Brett Wichrowski (W, 2-1) earned the win with 4.2 innings of relief for Biloxi. The Opening Day starter and Sunday’s probable starter allowed three runs on six hits, including a leadoff home run to Raudi Rodriguez in the ninth that made it 7-3. Patricio Aquino (S, 1) recorded the final out for his first save.
Meckler went 1-for-4, extending his on-base streak to 11 games. He continues to lead the league with a .390 batting average and a .490 on-base percentage. Rodriguez (7) and Tucker Flint (5) also extended their on-base streaks. Mac McCroskey finished 0-for-4, failing to reach base and score for the first time in 2026 after becoming one of just five Minor League players this season to do so in nine straight games. Nick Rodriguez added his team-leading fifth double, which is also tied for the league lead. Campero added his league-leading 16th run scored.
The Trash Pandas continue their road series on Wednesday morning with the Shuckers. The first pitch is scheduled for 11:05 am with RHP Joel Hurtado (0-1, 3.86 ERA) starting for the Trash Pandas against fellow RHP Bishop Letson (0-3, 14.29 ERA) for Biloxi. The game can be seen on Bally Sports Live, MiLB.tv, and heard on Talk Radio WZZN 97.7 FM HD-2.
Rocket City returns to Toyota Field for a six-game homestand against the Knoxville Smokies, April 28 to May 3.
