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The Birmingham Barons tallied 16 hits in their win Sunday night over the Rocket City Trash Pandas at Toyota Field. The Trash Pandas won the first three games of the series followed by three-straight wins by the Barons to earn the split.

Birmingham’s Tyler Neslony launched a two-run home run in the top of the first to give the Barons a 2-0 lead right out of the gate. They would add to their lead in the third after a three-run shot by Craig Dedelow down the right field line to put the Barons up 5-0. One more run came around to score in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by J.J. Muno to make it 6-0.

The Trash Pandas finally got on the board in the sixth after a bases-loaded wild pitch from Barons relief pitcher Alec Hansen. Izzy Wilson brought the second run across on a sacrifice fly to cut the Barons lead to 6-2.

The Trash Pandas added three runs in the seventh to bring them within one of the lead. Orlando Martinez hit a three-run home run to right center to make it a 6-5 ballgame.

The Barons added three runs in the eighth off of Trash Pandas reliever Connor Higgins. He allowed three runs on six hits on 12 pitches. Birmingham’s Carlos Perez lined a RBI double to put the Barons up two before Jameson Fletcher notched a RBI single to bring the score to 9-5.

Barons reliever Felix Paulino pitched two innings of scoreless baseball to secure the victory, striking out three of the six Trash Pandas batters he faced. The win was credited to Barons reliever Caleb Freeman. The loss went to Trash Pandas starter Christopher Molina, who gave up two runs on three hits in his two innings pitched.

The Trash Pandas will begin a 12-game road trip against the Chattanooga Lookouts Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.

Saturday’s games

Barons 11, Trash Pandas 1

Barons 2, Trash Pandas 1

The Rocket City Trash Pandas struggled at the plate Saturday in back-to-back losses of 11-1 and 2-1 to the Birmingham Barons in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Field.

The Trash Pandas had a doubleheader due to Friday night’s game being postponed due to inclement weather.

Ryan Smith, who was making his Double-A debut on the mound for the Trash Pandas in the first game, gave up a two-run home run to Birmingham’s Tyler Neslony.

In the third, Rocket City’s Michael Cruz hit a 418-foot solo shot to right center to narrow the Barons’ lead to 2-1, but that gap was quickly widened.

A solo home run by Joel Booker and a RBI single by Xavier Fernandez increased the Barons lead to 4-1. Smith allowed four runs, three earned, with one walk and three strikeouts.

The Barons scored seven runs off Trash Pandas reliever Kieran Lovegrove in the seventh inning to put the game well out of reach.

The Barons got on the board first in the second game of the doubleheader. J.J. Muno put the Barons up 1-0 in the third on a RBI single off of Rocket City starter Davis Daniel.

The Trash Pandas tied the game up at 1-1 in the fourth on a solo home run by Luis Aviles Jr. to left center.

The Barons retook the lead in the sixth, as Jameson Fletcher hit a double, advanced to third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Daniel, the former Auburn Tiger, gave up two runs, one earned, on seven hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

The Trash Pandas put runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings but were unable to convert.

Rocket City totaled five hits in two games, with Aviles being the only player to have a hit in each game.