Whitcomb Homers But Dodgers Come Back To Top Sugar Land
A trio of comebacks by the Oklahoma City Dodgers (81-51, 31-28) took down the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (53-81, 20-39) 8-6 on Wednesday night at Constellation Field. The Space Cowboys took a lead in the bottom of the third thanks to one big swing. Bligh Madris doubled with one out
A trio of comebacks by the Oklahoma City Dodgers (81-51, 31-28) took down the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (53-81, 20-39) 8-6 on Wednesday night at Constellation Field.
The Space Cowboys took a lead in the bottom of the third thanks to one big swing. Bligh Madris doubled with one out and David Hensley worked a two-out walk, extending Hensley’s on-base streak to seven games. Corey Julks then launched a homer to left, his first of the year with Sugar Land, vaulting the Space Cowboys to a 3-0 lead.
RHP Ronel Blanco gave up his only two runs of the night in the fourth on a walk and back-to-back doubles but stranded a runner on third in both the fourth and fifth to preserve a 3-2 Sugar Land advantage.
Oklahoma City tied the game in the top of the sixth with two walks and an RBI single from Miguel Vargas. However, Shay Whitcomb put the Space Cowboys right back on top in the home half of the frame with a solo homer to left center, Whitcomb’s 21st home run with the Space Cowboys and 33rd overall home run of the season. It’s the third home run in four games for Whitcomb, who is now tied for the Space Cowboys’ lead in home runs and tied for the second most home runs in Minor League Baseball.
In the top of the eighth, a single, two walks and a bases-clearing double from J.D. Martinez gave the Dodgers their first lead of the night. Sugar Land’s offense responded by working three straight walks to begin the bottom of the eighth and Whitcomb drove in another run with an RBI single to left. Rylan Bannon tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left, but LHP James Jones (W, 2-1) stranded the go-ahead run at second with a lineout to short.
The Dodgers took the lead in the top of the ninth inning thanks to a walk and a two-out, two-run homer by Steven Duggar. Julks earned a two-out walk while facing RHP Wander Suero (S, 16) in the bottom of the ninth, but a groundout ended the ball game.
With the series even at a game each, Sugar Land continues their six-game set with the Dodgers on Thursday night. The Space Cowboys are scheduled to start RHP Rhett Kouba opposite Oklahoma City RHP Kyle Hurt for a 6:35 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.