After tallying a season-high 19 hits in a loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts Friday, the Rocket City Trash Pandas came back with 17 hits, including five home runs, to power them to a 8-6 victory and a split of their six-game series Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park.

The second batter of the game for the Trash Pandas, Mitch Nay, launched a solo home run to center. A few batters later Ibandel Isabel blasted a two-run shot, his eighth of the season, to give the Trash Pandas a 3-0 lead.

Chattanooga put ducks on the pond in the bottom of the first with nobody out. But Trash Pandas starting pitcher Cooper Criswell mostly held the Lookouts in check with only one run crossing home plate to maintain their 3-1 advantage.

The Trash Pandas increased their lead to 5-1 in the third on a David MacKinnon two-run home run to left center, his fifth of the season and second in as many games.

Chattanooga got two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it a one-run game, but Nay made it 7-4 in the sixth with one swing of the bat hitting a two-run homer, his second of the game and 12th of the season.

Chattanooga’s Robbie Tenerowicz hit a solo home run off Criswell in the bottom of the sixth to shorten the Trash Pandas lead to 7-5. In 5 2/3 innings pitched, Criswell gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts to earn his fifth win of the season.

Trash Pandas’ Torii Hunter Jr. added an RBI single in the top of the seventh before Michael Cruz launched the fifth home run as a team, a solo shot over the right field wall to bring the score to 8-5.

Rocket City reliever Oliver Ortega earned his first hold of the season with a couple strikeouts. Connor Higgins got the final two outs in the seventh. Nathan Bates pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth before closer Keith Rogalla closed things out for the Trash Pandas despite giving up one run in the ninth.

Eight of the nine batters in the starting lineup for the Trash Pandas earned at least one hit, with six of the nine having multi-hit games.

The Trash Pandas will continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Tennessee Smokies to begin a six-game series. First pitch at Smokies Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Friday’s game

Chattanooga 10, Rocket City 9

What was a nine-run lead for the Rocket City Trash Pandas turned into 10-9 loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts Friday night when the 27th out was recorded in the top of the ninth at AT&T Field.

The Trash Pandas bullpen allowed 10 runs on 12 hits in 4 /1/3 innings.

Rocket City’s left fielder Orlando Martinez doubled and first baseman MacKinnon hit a RBI single in the first inning to bring home Martinez and put the first run on the board.

The Trash Pandas had three more runs cross home plate in the second inning off of Chattanooga starter Randy Wynne. Martinez led off the inning with his second double of the game followed by another single from MacKinnon. Wynne balked to advance the runners and allow Martinez to score. Isabel, the designated hitter, then hit a RBI triple to score MacKinnon. Isabel would cross home plate on a sacrifice fly from shortstop Luis Aviles to give the Trash Pandas a 4-0 lead.

Rocket City’s offense continued to rake at the plate, scoring five more runs in the fifth. A pair of doubles by Isabel and third baseman Nay led off the inning. Aviles was then hit by a pitch, only to have centerfielder Torii Hunter Jr. get his third single of the game to score Nay. Gavin Cecchini also had an RBI on a sacrifice fly to bring Aviles home and take the lead of 7-0. Right fielder Izzy Wilson blooped in a RBI single followed by a RBI single to center field by Martinez to give the Trash Pandas a commanding 9-0 lead after the top of the fifth.

Or so they thought.

The Lookouts scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Third baseman Tenerowicz doubled, then crossed home plate after two consecutive wild pitches by Trash Pandas starter Kyle Tyler. Designated hitter Jose Barerro walked, then would score on a double to right from shortstop Leonardo Rivas. Right fielder Leonardo Cedrola hit a single to center to score Rivas. At the end of the fifth, it was 9-3.

The Lookouts added two more runs in the sixth. Right fielder Brian Rey doubled and advanced to third after a fielding error by Aviles at short. Left fielder Jay Schuyler brought Rey home on a RBI groundout. Tenerowicz knotted a RBI single to score center fielder T.J. Hopkins who also reached on that misplay by Aviles. At the end of the sixth inning, it was 9-5.

Chattanooga continued the slow and steady comeback in the seventh. Cedrola singled to center field then scored on a RBI double from catcher Mark Kolozsvary. With two outs, Hopkins hit a RBI single to score Kolozsvary and bring the Trash Pandas lead down to 9-7.

A two-out RBI single by Cedrola in the eighth made the score 9-8.

Trash Pandas closer Connor Higgins came in the ninth in an attempt to close things out. Instead, he hit Kolozsvary to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved him over to second, followed by Hopkins reaching on an infield single putting runners at the corners with just one out for the Lookouts. Pinch hitter Wilson Garcia hit a slow roller to shortstop to avoid the double play.

Down 9-8 with two outs in the ninth, the Lookouts came through. Tenerowicz, who began the comeback for the Lookouts in the fifth, capped it off with a walk-off double over the head of Hunter Jr. in center field to secure the improbable comeback win of 10-9 for Chattanooga.

The Trash Pandas came away with 19 hits in the game. Martinez finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Isabel went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. MacKinnon and Hunter Jr. each had three singles. Nay went 2-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored. Cecchini also went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Chattanooga had 14 hits in the game, none bigger than Tenerowicz. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored. Cedrola had four singles, two RBIs and a run scored. Rey was 2-for-4 with a double while Hopkins also had two hits with an RBI.

Higgins took the loss for the Trash Pandas, allowing two runs on two hits with one strikeout.

Saturday’s game

Lookouts 8, Trash Pandas 6

Coming off a season-high in hits with 19 in Friday night’s loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Rocket City Trash Pandas found themselves losing 8-6 loss and sustaining another season-high in strikeouts with 19 at AT&T Field.

Rocket City got on the board in the first inning on a RBI bloop single from MacKinnon to score Ray-Patrick Didder.

Chattanooga’s Cedroia tied things up at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out, solo home run to left.

MacKinnon took the lead back in the fourth inning for the Trash Pandas on a solo home run over the left field wall to go up 2-1.

Rocket City starting pitcher Reid Detmers was dominant. The first 10 outs Detmers recorded of the Lookouts were by way of a strikeout. He had 13 total through the first five innings.

The Lookouts did, however, turn things around in the sixth. With two runners on base, Brian Rey launched a three-run blast to put the Lookouts up 4-2. Wilson Garcia increased the lead to 5-2 in the very next at-bat on a solo shot over the right field wall.

Detmers struck out the next two batters to finish his night with a career high of 16 strikeouts and a new season high for the Trash Pandas. He allowed seven hits, five earned runs and walked one.

The Trash Pandas got back within one run of the Lookouts’ lead in the seventh after a two out, two-run single from Didder. In the eighth, the Trash Pandas tied the game at 5-5 off of one swing of the bat by Isabel, hitting his seventh home run of the season.

Chattanooga put up three runs in the eighth to retake the lead against Rocket City reliever Ryan Clark. After the first two batters reached base, Garcia lined a RBI single to score one run. The second run came around to score on a throwing error by the Trash Pandas. The third run of the inning and eighth run of the game by the Lookouts crossed home plate after a wild pitch by Clark to give the Lookouts a 8-5 lead.

The Trash Pandas added one more run in the ninth on a RBI double by Didder, but that would be all for Rocket City, losing 8-6.

Clark took the loss for the Trash Pandas. He allowed three earned runs on two hits with a walk and three strikeouts. With those three strikeouts from Clark, that pushed Rocket City’s season-high strikeout total to 19.

Lookouts reliever Juilio Pinto got the win for Chattanooga, but the starter on the mound, Connor Curtis, went 6 1/3 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.

Each team finished with nine hits. Didder went 3-for-5 with a double, two singles, three RBIs and a run scored. MacKinnon went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Garcia went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the Lookouts, just a triple away from the cycle. Rey finished with three RBIs and two runs scored.