Big Seventh Inning Takes Down Sugar Land

A seven-run seventh by the Sacramento River Cats (33-36) was the difference in an 11-2 loss by the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-38) on Sunday night at Constellation Field.

RHP Misael Tamarez (L, 0-2) got the start for Sugar Land and struck out four through his first two frames but gave up a solo home run in the second inning. Tamarez then retired the first two hitters in the third, but a fielding error opened the door for Sacramento and a double by Brett Wisley drove in another run to give the River Cats a 2-0 edge.

Sugar Land struck back for a run in the bottom of the fourth when Bligh Madris tripled to lead off the frame and Quincy Hamilton roped a single to left, plating Madris to cut it to a 2-1 deficit. Justin Dirden then launched an opposite-field home run off RHP Mauricio Llovera (W, 1-0) in the fifth, pulling Sugar Land even at 2-2, Dirden’s eighth homer of the year.

Tamarez returned for the sixth but Bryce Johnson bunted his way on and moved to third on a base hit to center by Wisley. The Space Cowboys’ righty struck out Tyler Fitzgerald for the first out in the sixth, his seventh strikeout of the night, and was replaced by LHP Austin Davis. A wild pitch from the southpaw brought in the go-ahead run for the River Cats, giving them a 3-2 advantage.

Sacramento would pull away in the top of the seventh, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring seven runs, four of them on a grand slam, to open up a 10-2 lead and added on one more in the top of the ninth.

Following an off day on Monday, the Space Cowboys head to Salt Lake City to begin a six-game series with the Bees on Tuesday night. RHP Jairo Solis is set to start while the Bees have not named a starter for a 7:35 pm first pitch. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV.

*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.