Dodgers Close Out Series and Homestand with 5-4 Win

Oklahoma City Dodgers – 5

Sugar Land Space Cowboys – 4

Sunday, July 31, 2022 – Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark – Oklahoma City, Okla.

Game Summary: Ryan Noda hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to give the Oklahoma City Dodgers the lead and Ryan Pepiot pitched 7.0 innings in a 5-4 win against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Sunday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The Space Cowboys (42-57) grabbed the game’s first lead with a two-run home run by Enmanuel Valdez. The Dodgers (59-40) responded in the bottom of the inning when Michael Busch hit a RBI double to trim the lead to one run. The Space Cowboys loaded the bases in the third inning with no outs and brought in a run on a double play for a 3-1 lead. A two-run home run by Jason Martin tied the score, 3-3, in the third inning before Pedro León’s solo homer in the fifth inning put Sugar Land back in front. After Martin drew a walk in the fifth inning, Noda hit a two-run homer out to center field that landed on the grass berm in front of the batter’s eye for a 5-4 OKC advantage. Sugar Land went on to load the bases in the ninth inning, but Carson Fulmer escaped the jam to secure his ninth save of the season.

Of Note:

-Sunday’s win closed out a six-game series between the Dodgers and Space Cowboys as well as a nine-game homestand for Oklahoma City. The Dodgers won the series, 4-2, and finished the homestand with a 7-2 record. The league-leading Dodgers also closed out the month of July with a 12-12 record after posting wins in 12 of their last 19 games.

-Dodgers pitcher Ryan Pepiot (8-0) followed opener Dellin Betances and pitched 7.0 innings to tie his season and career-high mark in a second straight game. Pepiot allowed two runs and five hits along with two walks and four strikeouts as he improved to 8-0 and the Dodgers improved to 14-0 in his starts this season.

-Drew Avans collected a single in the fourth inning as he extended his on-base streak to 38 games for the longest on-base streak by a PCL player since El Paso’s Brian O’Grady also reached base in 38 straight games June 3-Aug. 28, 2021. It is also the longest on-base streak by an OKC Dodgers player since Alex Verdugo reached base in 41 consecutive games June 4-July 25, 2017. Avans has also reached base in 52 of his last 53 games and hit safely in 21 of the last 25 games.

-Jason Martin hit his team-leading 22nd home run of the season and boosted his season RBI total to 76 as he surpassed his former single-season career-high mark of 75 RBI set during the 2016 season with High-A Lancaster. Martin also drew two walks and scored two runs Sunday as he finished the month of July with a team-best nine homers and 25 RBI in 23 games.

-Ryan Noda hit his 16th home run of the season and sixth of July. He finished the six-game series against the Space Cowboys with six hits, including three homers, two doubles and eight RBI.

-The Dodgers turned a season-high four double plays behind pitcher Ryan Pepiot. It was the most double plays turned by the OKC defense since also finishing with four Aug. 29, 2019 against Iowa in OKC.

-Michael Busch hit a RBI double in the first inning and over his last nine games is 14-for-33 (.424) with six extra-base hits.

-Miguel Vargas added to his PCL-leading totals with a hit and run scored and also drew a walk. Vargas paces the league with 109 hits and 81 runs scored.

-Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Edwin Ríos continued his Major League Rehab Assignment and played a third game with OKC. He connected on his first hit of the rehab assignment — a double in the first inning — and also scored a run. Ríos was placed on the Injured List June 3 with a right hamstring injury and was transferred to the 60-day IL June 22.

What’s Next: Following a day off Monday, the OKC Dodgers open a six-game road series against the Salt Lake Bees at 7:35 p.m. CT Tuesday at Smith’s Ballpark. Live radio coverage of each OKC Dodgers game begins 15 minutes before first pitch on AM 1340 "The Game," 1340thegame.com and through the free iHeartRadio or MiLB First Pitch apps. All OKC Dodgers games are also available streamed live on MiLB.TV with a subscription.