Two Early Runs Help Snag Close Win Against Chihuahuas
A pair of runs scored in the first two innings were all the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (70-38, 21-12) needed as they topped the El Paso Chihuahuas (44-65, 13-21) with a 2-1 win on Tuesday night at Constellation Field. The Space Cowboys got cooking in the bottom of the first
A pair of runs scored in the first two innings were all the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (70-38, 21-12) needed as they topped the El Paso Chihuahuas (44-65, 13-21) with a 2-1 win on Tuesday night at Constellation Field.
The Space Cowboys got cooking in the bottom of the first when back-to-back walks put two on for Grae Kessinger. Kessinger slammed a fastball from RHP Jhony Brito (L, 0-2) into the left-center gap to send Jesús Bastidas home and give Sugar Land a 1-0 advantage. In the second inning, with Jacob Amaya on second base, Shay Whitcomb singled on a line drive to left field, bringing Amaya around to score and extend Sugar Land’s lead to 2-0. Whitcomb’s second-inning RBI single marks his 89th RBI of the season, tying a single-season franchise record with Corey Julks, who hit the milestone in 2022.
Another day, another RBI for Shay!
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) August 7, 2024
89 RBI on the year ties a single-season franchise record 👏 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/WXqunGsX4u
In his third start since being reinstated from the injured list, RHP Rhett Kouba (W, 2-3) excelled, pitching 5.0 innings. The righty got into a couple of jams, including a first inning where he walked the first two batters he faced, but recovered to get the next three outs with ease. Overall, despite walking three batters early on, Kouba surrendered just one hit and did not give up a run while striking out two.
RHP Forrest Whitley (H, 5) came on for the sixth and did not allow a run on one hit. In the seventh, LHP Parker Mushinski (H, 8)took over and after getting the first two outs gave up a double and a wild pitch, permitting Cal Mitchell to reach third. A single from Mason McCoy drove in Mitchell, putting up the first Chihuahuas’ run of the night and cutting Sugar Land’s lead in half. RHP Seth Martinez (H,1) made his second appearance for Sugar Land this season and after a lead-off walk, retired the next three batters to send the game to the bottom of the eighth. RHP Wander Suero (S, 25) came in for his third save in as many games and with just 12 pitches he got a flyout, a lineout and a groundout to end the game and obtain his 25th save of the season.
The Space Cowboys will take on the El Paso Chihuahuas once again on Wednesday night. Sugar Land’s LHP Colton Gordon (5-1, 4.99) will take on El Paso’s RHP Nabil Crismatt (1-1, 4.79) for a 7:05 pm CT first pitch. 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.