VanWey's Save Seals Series Victory for Sugar Land

While they never trailed, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (29-15) held off multiple rallies from the Albuquerque Isotopes (13-31) to collect an 8-7 victory on Saturday night at Isotopes Park.

Leading 6-5 going to the top of the eighth inning, Shay Whitcomb started a rally for Sugar Land with an infield single. David Hensley then singled to left and the Space Cowboys executed a double steal to put two men in scoring position for Luke Berryhill, who knocked a single through the left side to score both runners and give the Space Cowboys an 8-5 lead.

Thanks Luke for the insurance 😎 pic.twitter.com/nR6tiADP2m

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 19, 2024

RHP Luis Contreras (H, 3) struck out the side in the eighth and RHP Wander Suero was called upon for the bottom of the ninth for a third consecutive day for the Space Cowboys. The righty allowed a lead-off home run and issued three walks to load up the bases before a Drew Romo single brought in another run to make it 8-7. The runs snapped a season-best 10.0 inning scoreless streak for Suero. RHP Logan VanWey (S, 4) entered with bases full and no outs and promptly struck out pinch hitter Grant Lagvine before coaxing a double play to short that ended the game, securing the Space Cowboys third straight win and fourth in five games in Albuquerque.

DOUBLE PLAY = GAME. OVER! pic.twitter.com/wQ0TPSfGux

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 19, 2024

Sugar Land took a commanding lead in the top of the second inning. Whitcomb tripled off the center field wall to begin the inning, extending his on-base streak to a Minor League best 31 games, also the longest streak in Space Cowboys franchise history. Hensley earned a walk from RHP Tyler Danish (L, 1-3) and Berryhill singled to drive in a run. Following a foul out, Jacob Amaya hit a ringing double off the left-field wall that plated Hensley and Jesús Bastidas tripled in both runners, giving Sugar Land a 4-0 advantage. Will Wagner finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly to left.

Another night, another occasion where Jesús Bastidas is halfway to a cycle. #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/UVVBfFJJzu

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 19, 2024

Albuquerque clawed their way back into the game with a run in the second before scoring two in the third and two in the fourth. Despite allowing five runs, four earned, RHP Ryan Gusto stranded the go-ahead run at second in the fourth, ending his night with his third strikeout.

In the top of the fifth, Wagner walked and moved to second on a passed ball. Pedro León then hit a fly ball to shallow right that Isotopes second baseman Coco Montes lost in the twilight sky and dropped in for an RBI double, giving the Space Cowboys a 6-5 advantage. RHP Miguel Diaz (W, 2-2) struck out two in a 1-2-3 fifth and RHP Alex Speas (H, 1) and LHP Bryan King (H, 6) combined to hurl 2.0 shutout innings, giving up just one hit with three strikeouts.

With the series already secured, the Space Cowboys conclude their six-game set in Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon. RHP Blair Henley (1-2, 4.68) is scheduled to start against RHP Peyton Battenfield (1-1, 8.44) for a 2:35 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.