León, Offense Explodes As Space Cowboys Hang On For 13-10 Win

A night after they drew 14 walks, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (7-4) connected for 17 hits in a 13-10 victory over theAlbuquerque Isotopes (2-9) in their second game at Isotopes Park.

The Space Cowboys were quick to attack in the top of the first, loading the bases for Pedro León, who knocked a bases-clearing single to right field, making it to third on a throwing error by Isotopes infielder Aaron Schunk. León was driven home after Will Wagnersingled to give Sugar Land a 4-0 lead. This was the third consecutive game where the Space Cowboys scored a run or more in the first frame of the game.

Sugar Land widened the gap in the third and fourth innings on two RBI singles from León, RBI doubles from Jacob Amaya and César Salazar, and an RBI single and sacrifice fly from Shay Whitcomb. The bottom half of the lineup consisting of León, Wagner, Whitcomb, Amaya and Salazar combined for 11 RBIs on the night. Sugar Land led 10-0 by the middle of the fifth.

RHP Misael Tamarez allowed just one hit over his first 4.0 innings but stumbled into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. He gave up RBI knocks to Isotope hitters Drew Romo, Julio Carreras and Greg Jones, cutting the deficit for Albuquerque to six runs. Tamarez finished his night with 4.1 innings pitched, giving up five hits and four earned runs while walking two and striking out six. RHP Shawn Dubin (W, 1-0) entered in the sixth inning in his second appearance on Major League rehab and struck out one in a scoreless inning of work.

In the top of the seventh, the Space Cowboys extended their lead on another RBI double from Amaya. A two-run home run by Jesús Bastidas, his third of the year, gave Sugar Land a pair of insurance runs to bring the score to 13-4, which proved to be crucial in the final three frames.

RHP Forrest Whitley gave up three runs on two long balls in his second relief appearance of the season as the Isotopes once again moved within six at 13-7. In the bottom of the ninth, back-to-back RBI doubles from the Isotopes off RHP Dylan Coleman brought Albuquerque within three runs with only one out. Coleman bounced back to strike out Romo and Carreras for the final two outs, as Sugar Land subdued Albuquerque, taking the game 13-10.

Sugar Land plays game three against the Albuquerque Isotopes on Thursday night at Isotopes Park. RHP AJ Blubaugh is set to make his Triple-A debut for a 7:35 pm CT first pitch against Albuquerque’s LHP Josh Rogers. 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.