The Trash Pandas will leave Opening Day still looking for win No. 1.

Rocket City dropped its season opener, falling 9-1 to the Chattanooga Lookouts at home in Madison; the loss marked the third straight Opening Day loss for the Trash Pandas.

Here are three takeaways from the loss at Toyota Field:

1. Pitching can’t get ahead

A tough stretch from starter George Klassen doomed the Trash Pandas, as six of the team’s first nine runs came in the first three innings. The Angels’ No. 3-ranked prospect pitched two and a third innings, allowing seven hits, four earned runs, two walks and a home run while striking out two.

Ryan Costeiu logged the other three earned runs as he pitched three innings out of the pen, while Nick Jones, Jared Southard and Kelvin Cáceres all had scoreless outings.

Still, six of the first eight innings for Chattanooga saw a hit from the leadoff batter and three Lookouts had three-hit games in the loss for Rocket City, with Hector Rodriguez logging a two-RBI single and Ruben Ibarra hitting a homer that started the offense for Chattanooga.

2. Catcher provides offensive spark

The Trash Pandas logged just three hits after a strong five innings of work from Lookouts starter Jose Acuna, who pitched five innings of two-hit baseball.

Two of those hits came from Myles Emmerson, who had a 2-for-3 night at the plate with a double in the bottom of the third inning and a home run in the fifth. A San Diego native and graduate of Cal Poly, he hit one homer in 35 games and 99 at-bats for Rocket City.

Left fielder David Calabrese had the Trash Pandas’ third hit batting ninth, hitting a single in the bottom of the eighth; Christian Moore, Cole Fontenelle and Denzer Guzman each drew one walk apiece.

3. Strong turnout for season opener

The opening crowd for the Trash Pandas passed the eye test, but the numbers backed up the fans in Madison. The game marked the largest crowd to open the season since the team’s first year of existence in 2021.

A team spokesperson said 6,597 fans turned out for Rocket City’s home opener, adding to the resume of one of the top Double-A teams in terms of attendance; last season saw Rocket City average 4,563 fans per game and lead the Southern League in attendance.