Feverish Comeback Falls Short For Space Cowboys
A furious comeback in the ninth inning by the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (32-41) came up short in a 5-2 defeat to the Salt Lake Bees (36-36) on Friday night at Smith’s Ballpark. Trailing 5-0 going to the ninth, Shay Whitcomb started the frame with a solo blast to left,
A furious comeback in the ninth inning by the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (32-41) came up short in a 5-2 defeat to the Salt Lake Bees (36-36) on Friday night at Smith’s Ballpark.
Trailing 5-0 going to the ninth, Shay Whitcomb started the frame with a solo blast to left, his seventh in Triple-A in just 16 games and his 19th overall of the season. JJ Matijevic then doubled and Rylan Bannon followed with a single to put men on the edges. Pedro León delivered the second run of the inning with a single to right, bringing the tying run to the plate. After a strikeout, Luke Berryhill walked to put the tying run at first base, but a fielder’s choice cut down the runner at home. RHP Reyes Moronta (S, 2) came in for Salt Lake and got a groundout to end the ballgame.
The Space Cowboys were held to just three hits through the first four frames and put a man in scoring position just once. LHP Nick Allgeyer (L, 3-2) kept the Bees off the scoreboard through the first two frames, but three straight singles in the bottom of the third made it 1-0 Salt Lake. The Bees would add on another run in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back two-out doubles to move in front 2-0 going to the sixth.
LHP Jhonathan Diaz (W, 5-0) gave up just two hits across his four innings of relief for Salt Lake, retiring the final 10 hitters that he faced. Salt Lake added to their advantage with two runs in the bottom of the sixth and one in the last of the seventh.
Trailing 3-1 in the series, Sugar Land continues their six-game tilt with the Bees on Saturday night. RHP Brandon Bielak (0-1, 4.12) is set to toe the slab for the Space Cowboys while Salt Lake is scheduled to counter with RHP Luis Ledo (2-0, 4.09) for a 7:50 pm CT 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.