One Inning Decides Saturday Night Affair Between Space Cowboys and Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers (55-52, 18-14) scored all their runs in one frame as they topped the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (45-62, 12-20) 5-2 on Saturday night at Constellation Field. Bligh Madris put the Space Cowboys ahead in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right,
The Tacoma Rainiers (55-52, 18-14) scored all their runs in one frame as they topped the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (45-62, 12-20) 5-2 on Saturday night at Constellation Field.
Bligh Madris put the Space Cowboys ahead in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run to right, his 12th of the year. RHP Misael Tamarez took the lead and ran with it, using a double play in both the second and third to throw scoreless innings. The righty struck out the side in the top of the fourth and needed just six pitches to turn in a 1-2-3 fifth. Tamarez gave up just one hit and walked three but struck out four over five scoreless frames.
In the top of the sixth, Adam Engel drew a lead-off walk and Sam Haggerty singled to put two men on base against RHP Kyle McGowin (L, 3-6), before Brain O’Keefe hit a go-ahead three-run homer. Taylor Trammell then walked and Jake Scheiner followed with a two-run homer to left, pushing Tacoma to a 5-1 advantage.
The Space Cowboys pulled a run back in the bottom of the frame. Jon Singleton and Pedro León each walked and JJ Matijevic singled to right, driving in Singleton and bringing the tying run to the plate. RHP Jose Rodriguez struck out the next batter looking, though, maintaining a three-run advantage for Tacoma.
Sugar Land’s final scoring chance came in the ninth inning when David Hensley doubled to left with one out off RHP Rylan Ryan (S, 2), but a strikeout and a flyout brought the contest to a close.
The Space Cowboys conclude their six-game series against Tacoma on Sunday evening. RHP Brandon Bielak (1-1, 3.51) is slated to start opposite Rainiers’ LHP Tommy Milone (4-1, 4.83) for a 6:05 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.