Bastidas Comes Through For Space Cowboys In 8-5 Win
A big hit in the eighth inning vaulted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-17) over the Round Rock Express (26-21) 8-5 in come-from-behind fashion at Constellation Field on Thursday night. The Space Cowboys attacked RHP Johnny Cueto right off the bat in the first inning with back-to-back singles from Trey
A big hit in the eighth inning vaulted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-17) over the Round Rock Express (26-21) 8-5 in come-from-behind fashion at Constellation Field on Thursday night.
The Space Cowboys attacked RHP Johnny Cueto right off the bat in the first inning with back-to-back singles from Trey Cabbage and Shay Whitcomb to bring up Pedro León, who belted his 10th home run of the season for the 3-0 lead. The three-run shot brought his RBI total to 51, which leads not only the Pacific Coast League, but all the Minors in the category.
SANTA MARIA! pic.twitter.com/o7m8vLEXsN
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 23, 2024
LHP Colton Gordon was dominant to start his outing, retiring the first six batters he saw until finding some trouble in the fifth and allowing four runs to score to give Round Rock the advantage. With a runner on second and RHP Miguel Díaz in to take over, Sandro Fabian knocked in another to extend the Sugar Land deficit to two. Gordon ended the night allowing five runs, one earned, with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings.
Sugar Land chipped away in the bottom of the fifth inning, when a lead-off double and a wild pitch put Jesús Bastidas on third base for Cabbage, who set the ball just deep enough to right field to score Bastidas and bring the Space Cowboys within one. In the seventh, with Bastidas on third once again, Whitcomb poked the ball through the left side and Bastidas scored the tying run.
RHP Conner Greene pitched two innings in relief and did not give up a hit as he struck out two. RHP Logan VanWey (W, 5-1) held down the eighth inning for Sugar Land and kept the game tied heading to the bottom of the frame.
A double from Cooper Hummel, a single from Quincy Hamilton and a walk from Jacob Amaya loaded the bases up for Bastidas. On the first pitch RHP Nabil Crismatt (L, 1-1) delivered, Bastidas cranked it to the left-center gap just over the centerfielder Dustin Harris to clear the bases and take the lead against Round Rock 8-5. LHP Bryan King (S, 2) took the top of the ninth and slammed the door shut against the Express to give the Space Cowboys their 16th come-from-behind win of the season.
THE BASES HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND THE TIE GAME IS NO MORE! pic.twitter.com/kXdYSsovdp
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 24, 2024
The Space Cowboys will start the weekend with “Fauxback Night” and continue their series against the division-rival Round Rock Express Friday night. Houston Astros RHP José Urquidy (0-1, 10.13) will take the mound for Sugar Land on a rehab assignment against Round Rock’s RHP Kyle Barraclough (0-2, 4.76) for a 6:35 pm CT first pitch. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV or Bally Live.
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.