Laskey Delivers Career-Long Outing, But Rocket City Evens Series with Wahoos

May 17, 2025

written by Bill Vilona

Lefthander Adam Laskey completed six innings Friday night for the first time in his five-year pro career. If only he could take back one of the 94 pitches he threw. Laskey hung a curveball with the bases loaded in the fifth inning that Rocket City’s Denzer Guzman drove into the gap for a 3-run double, and it proved decisive in the Trash Pandas’ 4-2 victory against Pensacola before a capacity crowd (5,038) at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

This became another game where the Blue Wahoos could lament multiple missed chances at the plate. They were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, including four with less than two out.

But there were several memorable moments for the large crowd.

The pregame activities were headlined by two amazing, centenarian age and World War II veteran brothers, Earl Drinkwater, 101, and younger brother Arthur, who turned 99 in February. They threw out ceremonial first pitches as the crowd greeted them with loud applause.

In addition to this, the Blue Wahoos took on a one-time identity as the “Malmo Oat Milkers,” a tie-in to an oat milk company based in Malmo, Sweden and part of a promotion initiative through all levels of Minor League Baseball. The black-white jerseys worn by the Blue Wahoos players Friday were part of the sponsorship agreement.

It was a full night for the Blue Wahoos (21-16), aside from the game outcome.

Things started well on the field. Newcomer Fenwick Trimble, one of the stars of Thursday night’s win against Rocket City, led off with a single, stolen second, and later scored on Kemp Alderman’s sacrifice fly.

The Trash Pandas (12-23) tied the game in the second with a double, a wild pitch from Laskey to move the runner to third, and a sacrifice fly by catcher Jaxx Groshans.

The score stayed that way until the fifth when Rocket City’s first two batters singled, then Laskey walked Sam Brown with two out to load the bases. A 2-2 curve ball from him was blasted into the right center gap to empty the bases.

Trimble homered to start the bottom of the fifth, then Jared Serna tripled. But reliever Jose Quijada struck out Jake Thompson and Alderman, and Brady Choban, the third of six pitchers Rocket City used in this game, got Nathan Martorella to ground out in a defining moment of the game.

The Blue Wahoos were retired in order in the eighth and ninth. It wound up a win for former Blue Wahoos pitcher Sean Poppen, who made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019 after starting the season in Pensacola. He’s now trying for a comeback to the big leagues.

The series is now evened at 2-2 heading into Saturday’s fifth game of the series with the Blue Wahoos’ Dax Fulton set to be the game starter.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News, Sports, TOP sports