SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — The Rocket City Trash Pandas visit the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in a Southern League (AA) matchup at Smokies Stadium. First pitch is scheduled under clear skies with a forecast temperature of 87 degrees. Both teams enter at 72-64.

Rocket City will send Austin Gordon to the mound. Gordon is 8-7 this season. The Trash Pandas are coming off a 9-2 home win over Tennessee on Sept. 15. Rocket City has won seven of its last 10 games. Tennessee has lost three of its last four.

Tyler Bremner is a player to watch for Rocket City. In his last four appearances, he went 5 innings with three hits, two earned runs and four strikeouts against Tennessee on Sept. 15. On Sept. 8 at Chattanooga, he allowed four earned runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings with eight strikeouts. He gave up one earned run on two hits over five innings with eight strikeouts at Birmingham on Aug. 29. Against Biloxi on Aug. 22, he threw six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight.

Brooks Caple is a player to watch for Tennessee. On Sept. 15 at Rocket City, he allowed three earned runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. He gave up one earned run on four hits in six innings with five strikeouts at Birmingham on Sept. 8. At Biloxi on Aug. 29, he allowed one earned run on three hits in five innings with six strikeouts. At Pensacola on Aug. 22, he yielded four earned runs on seven hits in five innings with one strikeout.

Tennessee has won seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams. The most recent was Rocket City’s 9-2 win on Sept. 15. In that game, Eddie Micheletti Jr. was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs for Rocket City, and Jake Thompson drove in two runs. Carter Trice had one RBI for Tennessee. Before Sept. 15, the Smokies won five straight from Aug. 12-16, including 5-4 decisions on Aug. 14 and Aug. 16. Rocket City won 6-1 on Aug. 11. Tennessee took a 6-5, 10-inning game on July 26. Rocket City won 5-0 on July 25, and Tennessee won 4-3 on July 24.

The teams are scheduled to meet again Friday, Sept. 18, at Smokies Stadium.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Rocket City 7, Tennessee 5. Interstat’s ELO system gives Tennessee a 57.7 percent probability to win.