OFFENSE EXPLODES FOR DOUBLE-DIGITS IN GAME ONE VICTORY

 Photo credit, Sugarland Space Cowboys

SUGARLAND, TX - In the first game of a best-of-three series for the Pacific Coast League Championship, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (1-0) offense pounded the Reno Aces (0-1) pitching staff for 14 runs in their 14-2 win on Tuesday night at Constellation Field. With the victory, the Space Cowboys are one win away from clinching their first Pacific Coast League title. 

 

Trey Cabbage stepped up to the plate against LHP Tommy Henry (L, 0-1) in the second frame and mashed the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall to put the Space Cowboys on the board. Later in the inning, Tommy Sacco Jr. was hit by a pitch to bring up Jacob Melton, who took a slider over the fence in right for a two-run bomb to extend Sugar Land’s lead to 3-0.

 

The hot offense returned for the third when Jesús Bastidas led off the frame with a double. A base hit from Pedro León and a throwing error moved runners to second and third with no outs. Zach Dezenzo lifted a fly ball to deep right field caught by Albert Almora, but Bastidas tagged up and scored for Sugar Land. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Cooper Hummel and Sacco Jr. put the Space Cowboys up 6-0 after three.

 

RHP AJ Blubaugh (W, 1-0) was dominant in his first 5.1 innings of work, retiring the first five batters he saw before allowing a single with two outs in the second. After that, he sent down 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, with the one baserunner coming on a walk in the fifth. In the top of the sixth, Blubaugh got the first out with ease before permitting a base hit to Almora. The next pitch, Adrian Del Castillo mashed a two-run homer to bring the Aces deficit to four runs. Blubaugh got the next batter on a groundout but walked the next two to end his night and hand the ball to RHP Logan VanWey (H, 1) for the last out of the inning. VanWey induced a popout from Michael Pérez to get the Space Cowboys out of a jam.

 

With RHP Austin Pope on the mound, the righty walked the first two batters he faced and then hit Bastidas to load the bases with no outs. LHP Kyle Backhus took over and issued two consecutive bases-loaded walks to León and Dezenzo, forcing in a pair of runs for Sugar Land. Cabbage knocked an RBI single into center field to move everyone up one bag. Backhus got the next two outs but handed out another bases-loaded walk to Melton. To cap off the inning, Brice Matthews grounded a base hit through the left side to bring two more home. All told, the Space Cowboys offense drew six walks and scored six runs in the sixth inning to bring their lead to 12-2.

 

RHP Misael Tamarez pitched a one-two-three top of the eighth, and in the bottom half of the frame, Hummel and Sacco Jr. hit back-to-back doubles to score another for the Space Cowboys. Melton reached on a fielding error to put runners on the corners for Matthews, who slapped an RBI single make it 14-2 Sugar Land. RHP Nick Hernandez took over the top of the ninth and needed just ten pitches to shut down the Aces, cementing Sugar Land’s blowout win in game one.

 

With a chance to clinch their first Pacific Coast League Championship in franchise history, the Space Cowboys return to action for game two of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series against the Reno Aces. Sugar Land’s RHP Ryan Gusto (NR) will take the mound opposite of Reno’s Humberto Castellanos (NR) 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.