Arrighetti and the Offense Start Off Hot in Opening Day Victory
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (1-0) held on for their first win of the season in nail-biting fashion against the Round Rock Express (0-1), picking up a 4-2 victory on Friday evening at Dell Diamond. Joey Loperfido opened up the scoring in the top of the first with a two-run
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (1-0) held on for their first win of the season in nail-biting fashion against the Round Rock Express (0-1), picking up a 4-2 victory on Friday evening at Dell Diamond.
Joey Loperfido opened up the scoring in the top of the first with a two-run home run to right-center field, soaring 417 feet and scoring Quincy Hamilton. The early offense did not stop there; in the top of the third, Hamilton drove in César Salazar from first with an RBI double in the outfield gap. The Space Cowboys would score an extra insurance run on a Loperfido sacrifice fly in the fifth.
A JOEY LOPERFIDO MONSTER SHOT FOR THE FIRST HOME RUN OF THE SEASON 🤯
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) March 30, 2024
📏 417 FT pic.twitter.com/qsZ0gHBNPI
The Sugar Land offense worked five walks and eight hits against Round Rock pitching, with Jesús Bastidas having a 2-for-3 night and Trey Cabbage drawing two free bases. Seven of the nine starting hitters earned their first hit of the season and the bottom of the lineup combined for a 4-for-10 night.
Opening Day starter Spencer Arrighetti excelled in his season debut, pitching 4.1 innings and only allowing two hits while striking out five Express batters. Relievers Logan VanWey (W, 1-0), Dylan Coleman and Luis Contreras continued the pitching dominance, allowing only one hit altogether. A two strike, two RBI double from Sandro Fabian provided the only two Express runs of the night in the ninth. Wander Suero stranded two Round Rock runners by inducing a lineout from Justin Foscue to end the game.
The Space Cowboys continue their series against the Round Rock Express on Saturday Night at Dell Diamond. RHP Misael Tamarez is scheduled to start for Sugar Land opposite Express RHP Jack Leiter for a 7:15 pm CT first pitch. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV. The first home game of the season is April 2 at 6:05 pm CT against the Las Vegas Aviators.
ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Fans can purchase full-season and partial-season plans, as well as single-game tickets, by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.