Pair of Late Rallies Send Space Cowboys To Comeback 10-8 Victory

Trailing by four heading to the top of the seventh, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (27-34) put up crooked numbers in each of the last three frames to pick up a 10-8 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes (24-37) on Friday night at Isotopes Park.

In the top of the seventh, Shay Whitcomb singled with one out and Luke Berryhill followed with a two-run blast to left, his fourth of the year, bringing the Space Cowboys within two runs at 6-4. RHP Karl Kauffmann got the next out, but David Hensley blasted a solo home run to straightaway center, cutting the deficit to one and ending the night for Kauffmann.

Sugar Land used a two-out rally to take the lead in the next frame. Korey Lee singled with one out, his second hit of the night, and Joe Perez worked a walk to move the tying run into scoring position. Berryhill also walked to load the bases and Alex McKenna cleared them with a triple off RHP Blair Calvo (L, 2-3), vaulting the Space Cowboys to an 8-6 lead.

The Isotopes tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run by Hunter Stovall and an opposite-field single from Jimmy Herron. RHP Matt Ruppenthal (W, 4-0) retired the final batter to keep the game even and strand the go-ahead run for Albuquerque.

With the game level at 8-8, Bligh Madris reached to begin the ninth on a fielding error by Aaron Schunk and Pedro León followed with a walk. Both runners moved up on a groundout and Calvo struck out the next hitter, bringing up Perez. The Space Cowboys second baseman pulled a grounder inside of third that Schunk went to a knee to grab and short hopped on the throw to first, allowing Perez to reach safely while both runners scored on the error, putting the Space Cowboys back up 10-8. RHP Joe Record (S, 8) was called upon for the ninth, and retired the side in order after giving up a leadoff double.

The Space Cowboys jumped out to a lead two hitters into the ball game on a two-run homer by Madris, his eighth of the year. Albuquerque plated their first run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single and went ahead in the fourth on a fielder’s choice and a two-run homer. The Isotopes would add on two more in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer by Daniel Cope, putting Sugar Land down 6-2 prior to the comeback.

Leading the series 3-1, the Space Cowboys continue their six-game tangle with the Isotopes on Saturday night. RHP Bryan Garcia (2-3, 6.50) is set to toe the slab for Sugar Land while Albuquerque is set to counter with RHP Ben Braymer (1-0, 1.64) for a 7:35 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.