Bastidas' Two Home Runs Lead Sugar Land To Close Victory
After the Sacramento River Cats (78-69, 34-38) tied it up in the bottom of the eighth, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (92-54, 43-28) quickly recovered in the ninth to take the third game of the series with a 5-4 win on Thursday night at Sutter Health Park. RHP Miguel Ullola
After the Sacramento River Cats (78-69, 34-38) tied it up in the bottom of the eighth, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (92-54, 43-28) quickly recovered in the ninth to take the third game of the series with a 5-4 win on Thursday night at Sutter Health Park.
RHP Miguel Ullola made his Triple-A debut as the starter for Sugar Land and faced some trouble in the first after a pair of walks. With one out and runners on the corners, Ullola stranded them both on a strikeout and a flyout.
After a scoreless first, the Space Cowboys started off the second inning with a single and a stolen base from Trey Cabbage. Two batters later, Jesús Bastidas drove in Cabbage with a double down the left-field line to put Sugar Land on the board first. Later in the fourth, when Pedro León hit a long single off the wall in left, Bastidas drove in his second and third RBIs of the night on a two-run home run to left-center field, extending Sugar Land’s advantage to 3-0.
Basty two-bagger 🕺 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/HYmbIMlcrT
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) September 20, 2024
BASTY BOMB 💥 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/dZH6mBXCO2
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) September 20, 2024
After the one-out walk issued in the first, Ullola retired eight of the next nine batters he faced. In the bottom of the fourth, the 22-year-old loaded the bases on a couple of singles and a walk. Facing the jam with Andrew Knapp at the plate, Ullola grazed Knapp with an inside fastball to force in Sacramento’s first run. Ullola’s night ended after that, going 3.0+ innings and giving up two hits and walking four while striking out five, leaving with the bases loaded. RHP Ray Gaither relieved Ullola, working Hunter Bishop to an 0-2 count, but the fourth pitch Gaither threw tipped off the catcher Miguel Palma’s glove and sailed to the backstop, scoring Trenton Brooks on a passed ball to bring Sacramento within one. The next pitch got away from Palma as well, but this time, the catcher recovered the ball and threw a strike to Gaither covering home, nailing Luis Matos trying to tie the game up. Gaither escaped the inning with a strikeout and a weak groundout.
Cooper Hummel led off the fifth with a single on a line drive to left field. On Hummel’s way to steal second, Sacramento’s RHP Clay Helvey’s throw to pick off Hummel was offline, gliding into centerfield and allowing Hummel to take third base. The next pitch, Zach Dezenzo flew out to deep left, giving Hummel the chance to tag up and score to make it 4-2 Sugar Land.
Gaither returned for the fifth and gave up a one-out single to Thairo Estrada. With Estrada running on the pitch, Bryce Eldridge hit a bouncer that went off the very tip of Hummel’s glove as he leapt at first, bounding into the outfield while allowing Estrada to score all the way from first and bring the game within a run at 4-3. Gaither maintained the Space Cowboys lead with a strikeout and a foul out.
RHP Shawn Dubin (H, 2) and RHP Logan VanWey (H, 12) each hurled scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh. In the eighth, with RHP Luis Contreras (W, 4-1) on the mound and David Villar on second base after a single and a sacrifice bunt, Luis Matos tied the game up on a double into shallow right field to send Villar home. Contreras ended the frame on a flyout and a groundout.
It was not long before the Space Cowboys struck back. On the second pitch he saw from RHP Justin Garza (L, 5-2), Bastidas pounded a sinker out of the ballpark for a go-ahead solo shot, his second of the night and his 24th of the season to tie León for the active team lead. Sugar Land threatened for more with a single from Tommy Sacco Jr. and a walk from Quincy Hamilton, but Garza fanned the final batter of the frame to end the half-inning.
GO-AHEAD BASTY BOMB ARE YOU KIDDING ME
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) September 20, 2024
His second one tonight! #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/p1qvdLRllP
With a one-run lead headed into the bottom of the ninth, RHP Wander Suero (S, 37) came in to send Sugar Land to their second-straight victory of the road trip. The closer needed just 13 pitches for a three-up-three-down inning, securing the 5-4 win for the Space Cowboys.
The Space Cowboys continue the final regular season series with the River Cats on Friday night. Sugar Land’s RHP Ryan Gusto (8-6, 3.86) will take the mound opposite of Sacramento’s RHP Trevor McDonald (2-3, 5.18). 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.