Eight-Run First Helps Sugar Land to Tenth-Straight Win

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PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Eight-Run First Helps Sugar Land to Tenth-Straight Win

May 17, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - An eight-run first inning for capped off by a grand slam from Luis Castro lifted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (26-18) to a 9-3 victory over the Reno Aces (21-23) on Saturday night at Constellation Field. Highlights of tonight's game can be [?Folder icon] found here.

Shay Whitcomb, Jacob Melton and Jesús Bastidas each took one-out walks in the bottom of the first, loading the bases for Collin Price. Price drew the fourth-straight walk for Sugar Land which brought home Whitcomb before Luis Guillorme also took ball four from RHP Yilber Diaz (L, 0-3), scoring Melton to make it a 2-0 contest. In the ensuing at-bat, Castro unloaded the bases with a 370-foot grand slam out to left, the second Space Cowboy grand slam of the season, as Sugar Land broke the game open, 6-0.

Later in the frame, Tommy Sacco Jr. walked before Kenedy Corona clobbered a two-run homer out to the same part of the park, the second Space Cowboy home run of the inning, stretching their advantage to 8-0. Sugar Land broke multiple season-highs in the first including runs in an inning (8), batters (11) and walks (6).

Reno cut into the lead in the second inning as they plated two runs to make it an 8-2 game.

After punching a lead-off single and moving to third due to a Sacco Jr. walk and a fielder's choice, Luis Guillorme crossed home on an error from pitcher Cesar Gomez, as Sugar Land pushed out to a 9-2 advantage in the bottom of the third.

The Aces plated their third run of the game in the top of the fourth inning, but RHP AJ Blubaugh stranded a runner on third by inducing a popout before firing a perfect fifth.

Blubaugh maneuvered around a bases-loaded one-out jam in the sixth by fanning Jesus Valdez before forcing Conner Kaiser into a fielder's choice. On the night, Blubaugh fired 6.0 innings and allowed three runs with three strikeouts.

RHP Misael Tamarez came on in the seventh and allowed the first two base runners he faced to reach but held Reno off the board by retiring the next three hitters.

RHP Forrest Whitley made his second appearance on Major League rehab in the ninth and hurled a 1-2-3 frame with two strikeouts to close out the 9-3 win.

NOTABLE:

- Luis Castro blasted his second-career grand slam and his first since 2014. He is on a nine-game hitting streak after getting called up to Sugar Land last week and is 15-for-34 (.441) with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, three walks and seven runs scored. Castro has five multi-hit games during his nine-game hit streak. Castro's four RBI was his most in a game since August 28, 2019 with the Lancaster JetHawks when he had 5 RBI.

- Tommy Sacco Jr. walked three times on Saturday, his first three-walk game since September 2, 2023 with the Ashville Tourists. He has reached base safely in 11 of his last 13 games, going 13-for-41 (.317) with two doubles, a home run, six RBI and nine runs scored. Sacco Jr. has one other multi-walk game this season on May 9 against the Salt Lake Bees.

- Zack Short walked in the third and the eighth, his 32nd and 33rd walks of the season after he came into today's game second in the PCL in walks.

- Shay Whitcomb walked in the first, his 18th game reaching base in his last 20 games. In his last 20 games, Whitcomb is 25-for-81 (.309) with six doubles, eight homers, 14 RBI, eight walks and 17 runs scored.

- AJ Blubaugh tossed his second quality start of 2025 with 6.0 innings and three earned runs on Saturday. His 6.0 innings of work tied his longest outing of the campaign when he went 6.0 innings on April 1 against the Durham Bulls.

- Forrest Whitley threw his third-hardest pitch at Triple-A this season with a 98.2 mph heater to A.J. Vukovich. Whitley averaged 97.9 mph with his fastball and threw all five of them for strikes.

- Luis Guillorme picked up two hits, walked twice and scored two runs on Saturday, his first multi-run game of 2025.

- The Space Cowboys are currently on a 10-game winning streak, the longest in franchise history.

Sugar Land's series finale against the Reno Aces begins on Sunday at 2:05 pm CT. RHP Tyler Ivey gets the ball against RHP Bryce Jarvis. 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 here.

Check out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 17, 2025


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