On The Other Foot - Space Cowboys Topped By Chihuahuas 12-3

After outscoring the El Paso Chihuahuas (48-63, 16-20) 26-2 in the first two games of their series, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (47-64, 14-22) were limited to just three runs in a 12-3 defeat on Thursday night at Southwest University Park.

Oscar Mercado drove in the first run of the game for El Paso in the bottom of the second with a solo home run off RHP Spencer Arrighetti (L, 1-3). El Paso would drive in three more in the inning on a ground out and a two-out single, opening up a 4-0 lead after two innings.

On the mound for the Chihuahuas, LHP Aaron Leasher (W, 1-0) faced the minimum through the first three innings, giving up a lead-off walk to Rylan Bannon in the first before retiring the next nine hitters in a row. Corey Julks doubled with one out in the fourth but was left stranded at third on a lineout to right and flyout. El Paso plated five more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, including a bases-clearing double with two outs by Mercado.

Sugar Land cracked the scoreboard in the top of the eighth inning. Luke Berryhill started the inning with an opposite-field blast to right that measured at 391 feet, his seventh of the year and second straight game with a home run. Marty Costes was then hit by a pitch, César Salazar singled and Julks walked to load the bases, bringing up JJ Matijevic, who singled up the middle to bring in another run. Pedro León stepped up with the bases loaded and launched a fly ball to left that was knocked down by the wind, leading to a sacrifice fly that scored the third run of the game. A strikeout by RHP Eric Hanhold ended the Sugar Land rally and the Space Cowboys were held to just a hit in the ninth inning.

The Space Cowboys continue their six-game series with the Chihuahuas on Friday night. RHP Jairo Solis is scheduled to start for Sugar Land while El Paso is slated to send RHP Nolan Watson to the mound 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.