Lift Off! Space Cowboys' Blasts Support Allgeyer's Quality Outing

Three home runs drove the offense for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-37) as they topped the Sacramento River Cats (32-36) 10-3 on Saturday night at Constellation Field.

The River Cats took the lead in the first inning on a lead-off double, a single and a sacrifice fly. LHP Nick Allgeyer (W, 3-1) would allow just one more hit and two walks over the next six frames, tying a career high in innings pitched and giving up just the one run. The lefty ended his evening by retiring nine straight batters, notching six strikeouts.

Sugar Land took advantage of a pair of River Cats mistakes to take the lead in the bottom of the second. Pedro León reached to start the frame on a throwing error by Will Wilson and Joe Perez followed with a walk. LHP Joey Marciano (L, 4-2) retired the next two hitters and was replaced by RHP Phoenix Sanders to face Shay Whitcomb. The Space Cowboys shortstop hit a bouncer behind third that Ford Proctor one-hopped to first, letting Whitcomb reach and both runners to score, giving Sugar Land a 2-1 lead.

The Space Cowboys once again put the pressure on the Sacramento in the bottom of the third. Justin Dirden lined an opposite-field home run to left, his seventh of the year, to add on to Sugar Land’s lead, pushing the Space Cowboys to a 3-1 advantage. León then reached on a throwing error by Sanders and after a single by Perez, Luke Berryhill doubled to left, driving home León to make it 4-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, Berryhill walked and Bligh Madris singled to put the first two men on base. JJ Matijevic drove in Berryhill with a double and a pair of walks loaded the bases for David Hensley, who brought in a run with a sacrifice fly, widening Sugar Land’s margin to 7-1.

Perez tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run to left, his second hit of the night and sixth homer of the year, increasing Sugar Land’s lead to 8-1. A two-run blast by Hensley in the eighth gave the Space Cowboys double digits on the scoreboard, Hensley’s second of the year with the Space Cowboys.

Seeking a series split, Sugar Land concludes their six-game tangle with the River Cats on Sunday night. RHP Misael Tamarez (0-1, 5.76) is set to throw for the Space Cowboys while Sacramento is scheduled to start RHP Sean Hjelle (1-1, 4.09) for a 7:05 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.