Space Cowboys Cap Off Saturday In Walk-Off Fashion

In a contest where they trailed the entire game until the final batter, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (52-28, 3-2) rallied back to walk it off 3-2 against the Tacoma Rainiers (45-34, 2-3) with a trio of hits in the ninth inning at Constellation Field on Saturday night.

The Space Cowboys got cooking in their final chance at a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, as a single from Jacob Amaya and a double from Luke Berryhill put runners on second and third with no outs against RHP Brett de Geus (L, 0-3). Jesús Bastidas needed only two pitches to send the ball into the right-center field gap, giving both runners plenty of time to race home and provide the fifth walk-off win of the season for the Space Cowboys.

LOUD NOISES!!!!!!!!!!#SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/s48ZbkRPtE

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 30, 2024

“I was being patient and looking for a pitch in the strike zone to try to put it in play, and that’s what happened,” Bastidas said postgame. “The support of the fans always helps; they make you feel really good about the game and make you play better.”

Tacoma took a 2-0 lead early on a two-out, two-RBI triple from Jason Vosler in the first. Despite giving up a pair of runs, LHP Colton Gordon shut down the Rainiers offense, retiring 13 of the next 16 batters he faced after the triple, getting six strikeouts in his 5.0 innings pitched.

After failing to drive in a run in the first six innings thanks to RHP Emerson Hancock’s stellar start, Quincy Hamilton provided a spark for the Space Cowboys in the seventh off RHP Matt Bowman with a leadoff triple on the first pitch he saw. David Hensley worked a walk, and with one out, Berryhill came through with a base hit to drive in the first run for Sugar Land, cutting their deficit in half. The Space Cowboys worked the bases loaded to threaten for more with two outs, but RHP Carlos Vargas induced a groundout to end the frame.

Tacoma's not in Washington. pic.twitter.com/MRu0sHEtuv

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) June 30, 2024

Sugar Land was able to keep the game close thanks to a phenomenal performance from the bullpen, consisting of scoreless outings from RHP Forrest Whitley, RHP Ray Gaither and RHP Wander Suero (W, 4-1), who combined to allow five hits and strike out three. Additionally, although breaking his season-high 12-game hitting streak, Will Wagner extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a walk in the first inning.

Leading the series three games to two, the Space Cowboys play the final game of the homestand against the Rainiers on Sunday night. RHP Ryan Gusto (2-1, 5.68) will take the mound in a 6:05 pm CT first pitch against Tacoma’s RHP Michael Mariot (4-4, 5.98). The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV or Bally Live.

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.