Blubaugh's Brilliant Start Spoiled as Sugar Land Loses Late Lead
PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Blubaugh's Brilliant Start Spoiled as Sugar Land Loses Late Lead

Published on June 25, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


EL PASO, TX - Although RHP AJ Blubaugh allowed only one run in 5.1 innings, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (0-1, 39-37) lost a late lead against the El Paso Chihuahuas (1-0, 39-37) and fell 6-5 on Tuesday night at Southwest University Park. Highlights of tonight's game can be [?Folder icon] found here.

In the first, Sugar Land pushed out to an early lead with a multi-run frame. Brice Matthews singled on the first pitch of the game, Shay Whitcomb pulled a base knock through the left side and Jon Singleton was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. In the ensuing at-bat, Jesús Bastidas flared a two-RBI single to left, plating Matthews and Whitcomb as the Space Cowboys went up, 2-0.

After Matthews and Whitcomb each reached with one-out walks in the top of the second, Luis Castro muscled an RBI single back up the middle to score Matthews. With two outs, Bastidas extended Sugar Land's advantage to 4-0 with a jam-shot single into shallow center to bring home Whitcomb.

RHP AJ Blubaugh marooned a runner on second with one out in the bottom of the first by punching out Mason McCoy before inducing a popout. After allowing the first three hitters in the home half of the second to reach and a run to score, Blubaugh retired the next three batters he faced, including two on strikeouts, to limit the damage and maintain the 4-1 Space Cowboy lead.

Sugar Land led off the third with three-straight walks as Bryan Lavastida, Omar Narváez and Kenedy Corona received a free pass to load the bases with nobody out. In the next at-bat, Matthews scored Lavastida on a productive groundout as the Space Cowboys regained a four-run advantage.

Blubaugh fired his first 1-2-3 inning of the night in the third, stranded a runner at second with one out in the fourth and hurled a perfect fifth to post three-straight zeros.

Castro lobbed a lead-off double into right to begin the sixth, but the next three Sugar Land hitters were sat down, leaving Castro on and ending the inning.

RHP Jayden Murray (H, 5) was summoned from the bullpen with one out in the bottom of the sixth and finished off the frame with a lineout and a punchout. Blubaugh tossed 5.1 innings with four hits, one run and two walks, while striking out six.

The first two Sugar Land batters reached to start the seventh as Lavastida walked and Narváez went the other way on an opposite-field single, but a strikeout and a double play did not allow the Space Cowboys to stretch their lead.

Murray faced the minimum in the seventh as he went five up, five down in 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

El Paso plated five runs in the bottom of the eighth, including Luis Campusano's three-run home run and Forrest Wall's two-out RBI single to put the Space Cowboys behind for the first time, 6-5. Zack Short reached on an error in the top of the ninth and moved to second with one out but was left on as Sugar Land dropped game one of their second half.

NOTABLE:

- With a 1-for-4 night with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored, Brice Matthews is 22-for-57 (.386) in his last 14 games with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, 12 RBI and nine walks. Matthews is currently on a 14-game on-base streak, the longest active streak on Sugar Land, and a seven-game hitting streak.

- Kenedy Corona has reached base in 10 of his last 12 games with three doubles, five RBI, five walks and four runs scored.

- Omar Narváez has reached base in 12 of his 13 games played with Sugar Land and is 16-for-49 (.327) with four doubles, seven RBI, eight walks and five runs scored. Tuesday was Narváez's third-straight multi-hit game.

- Shay Whitcomb is in the midst of a 13-game on-base streak, going 15-for-48 (.313) with five homers, nine RBI, six walks and 12 runs scored. Whitcomb also extended his hitting streak to six games on Tuesday.

- AJ Blubaugh went 5.1 innings on Tuesday, his second-straight game going longer than 5.0 innings. Blubaugh has allowed two earned runs in his last 10.1 innings, dating back to the second inning of his start on June 18. On Tuesday, Blubaugh spun six strikeouts for the first time since May 11 against the Salt Lake Bees.

- Jon Singleton made his 2025 Space Cowboys debut on Tuesday after signing a minor league contract and being assigned to Sugar Land. He reached base in the first when he was hit by a pitch.

- After going 2-for-5, with three RBI, Jesús Bastidas recorded three-straight multi-hit games for the first time since May 18-21, 2024. Tuesday was Bastidas' third game in 2025 with three or more RBI.

Game two of Sugar Land's six-game series against the El Paso Chihuahuas begins Wednesday at 7:35 pm CT. RHP Aaron Brown is scheduled to start for Sugar Land opposite LHP Jackson Wolf. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com. Season Memberships for the 2025 Space Cowboy season, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online.

Check out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 25, 2025


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