Corona's Go-Ahead Three-Run Homer Blasts Sugar Land To Victory

A huge go-ahead home run in the eighth inning propelled the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (80-47, 31-22) past the Salt Lake Bees(60-68, 28-26) with a 6-3 win on Thursday night at Constellation Field, making the Space Cowboys the quickest team to reach 80 wins in all of professional baseball.

The Space Cowboys struck first in the bottom of the third when Dixon Machado singled to start the frame. One batter later, Cooper Hummel pulled a slider down the left-field line to send Machado around the horn and score the first run of the night for Sugar Land.

Coop starts us off 🔥 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/C2YQg6vHsP

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

After a scoreless first inning from RHP Ray Gaither, the opener returned for the second and found himself in some trouble after allowing a lead-off double and single to put two on with no outs. However, Gaither got two strikeouts and a flyout to escape the jam.

For the third, RHP Conner Greene came in relief and gave up an RBI single to Chad Wallach after Charles Leblanc reached second on a double. Greene returned for the next inning and got a huge first out when Chad Stevens tried to extend a double into a triple but failed. However, Greene surrendered a single to Elliot Soto with one out, and a failed pickoff attempt allowed Soto to advance to third before Zach Humphreys smacked an RBI double to send Soto home. LHP Parker Mushinski took over with one out in the fifth and ended the frame with a strikeout and force out after a walk.

In the top of the sixth, with Mushinski still in, Jordyn Adams reached on a fielding error that allowed him to take two bases. After stealing third, Adams scored on a single from Wallach to send Salt Lake ahead at 3-1.

It was not long before the Space Cowboys got things knotted up at three in the bottom of the sixth when Jacob Melton sharply grounded a pitch from LHP Jose Suarez for a double and Jesús Bastidas slammed a two-run home run to left-center field. Sugar Land would put two more on in scoring position, but Salt Lake was able to end the frame to limit the damage.

BASTY! TIE GAME! 😎 #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/w0U4cozozr

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

RHP Shawn Dubin (W, 2-0) allowed just one baserunner in a scoreless top of the eighth. In the bottom of the inning with the game tied at three, Bastidas was hit by an 0-2 slider from RHP Travis MacGregor (L, 0-5) and Tommy Sacco Jr. singled to move Bastidas to third. On the fifth pitch from MacGregor, Kenedy Corona pummeled a sinker 370 feet over the fence in left field for a three-run bomb to give Sugar Land their first lead since the fourth inning at 6-3. Closer RHP Wander Suero (S, 30) came in for the ninth and earned his league-leading 30^th save on five pitches to send the Space Cowboys to victory.

CORONA TIME LET'S FREAKING GOOOO FIRE US UP #SetTheCourse pic.twitter.com/3bdopONk2i

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

The Space Cowboys look to extend their winning streak to six games on Friday night. LHP Colton Gordon (7-1, 4.55) is scheduled to start for Sugar Land while Salt Lake’s starter is RHP Davis Daniel (7-6, 5.51). The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online hereand 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.