Lift Off - Space Cowboys Blast Five Homers In Rout Of Rainiers
A fourth-inning barrage was part of the offensive that vaulted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (51-77, 18-35) to a 12-1 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers (68-60, 31-22) on Wednesday night at Cheney Stadium. Pedro León gave a preview of what was in store for the night in the top of
A fourth-inning barrage was part of the offensive that vaulted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (51-77, 18-35) to a 12-1 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers (68-60, 31-22) on Wednesday night at Cheney Stadium.
Pedro León gave a preview of what was in store for the night in the top of the first inning, launching a solo home run to left off LHP Tommy Milone (L, 6-3) to give Sugar Land a 1-0 lead before the Rainiers came to bat.
On the mound for Sugar Land, RHP Shawn Dubin hurled 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out two on 61 pitches in his third outing since returning from the injured list.
The Space Cowboys put the game out of reach in the fourth. Shay Whitcomb singled and stole second base before JJ Matijevic walked, and David Hensley followed with a three-run homer to right, his fourth of the year, making it a 4-0 Sugar Land lead. César Salazar then knocked a single and Luke Berryhill earned a free pass before Dixon Machado cranked a three-run homer over the left-field wall, widening the advantage to 7-0. Joey Loperfido put the finishing touches on the frame, connecting for a solo home run to left, his second with the Space Cowboys and 22nd overall home run, pushing Sugar Land to an 8-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Matijevic once again walked and Hensley followed with a single to right, his third hit of the game. Following a flyout, Berryhill walked and Machado drove in Matijevic with a sacrifice fly, flipping the lineup over to Bligh Madris, who launched a three-run homer to right, his 14th of the year, stretching the Space Cowboys lead to 12-0.
Out of the bullpen, LHP Colton Gordon (W, 2-2) navigated a pair of walks in the fifth and sixth to turn in a couple of scoreless frames. The lefty allowed a double in the seventh but retired six of the final seven batters he faced, hurling 4.0 scoreless innings for the Space Cowboys. The Rainiers scored their only run of the game with a two-out single in the ninth.
With the series even at a game each, the Space Cowboys continue their six-game series with Tacoma on Thursday night. RHP Ronel Blanco is scheduled to take the hill for Sugar Land against Rainiers’ LHP Logan Allen for a 9:05 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.