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PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Gordon Strikes out a Career-High 11 Batters in Sugar Land's 2-0 Win

August 24, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - It was a night full of brilliant pitching as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (76-48, 27-22) shutout the Albuquerque Isotopes (49-76, 23-27) with a 2-0 win on Saturday night at Constellation Field for their 76th win this season, a franchise record in affiliated history. [?Folder icon] Highlights of tonight's game can be found here.

Fresh off a start where he threw a career-high 6.2 innings, LHP Colton Gordon (W, 7-1) took the mound for Sugar Land and retired the Isotopes in order for the opening frame before issuing a lead-off walk and a single in the second. In his first Triple-A at bat, Zac Veen sacrifice bunted both baserunners over for the second out, but Gordon was able to strand them both with a strikeout of Connor Kaiser.

The Space Cowboys got on the board first when Jesús Bastidas singled to start the bottom of the fourth. Bastidas advanced to third on a pair of groundouts to bring up César Salazar, who blooped a base hit into shallow centerfield to send Bastidas home and put Sugar Land up 1-0.

Gordon was phenomenal in his six innings of work, punching out a career-high 11 batters. The southpaw struck out the side in the fifth inning and got at least two strikeouts in four of his six frames pitched. Using his four-seam fastball 47% of his outing, Gordon got a swing-and-miss on the pitch 46% of the time. The lefty allowed just two hits and one walk to cap off his dominant start, retiring 15 of the final 16 batters he faced.

In the bottom of the sixth, back-to-back singles from Kenedy Corona and Salazar put runners on the corners for Dixon Machado. Machado flew out 339 feet into right field, deep enough for Corona to tag up and score for a 2-0 Space Cowboys lead.

RHP Logan VanWey (H, 9) came in relief for Gordon and allowed just one baserunner on a double in his inning of work. RHP Rafael Montero (H, 1) faced some trouble in the top of the eighth. After the first batter reached on an error, Montero walked Hunter Stovall but struck out the next hitter for the first out. It looked like Montero had induced a double play to end the inning, but a second fielding error loaded the bases with only one out. Despite the added pressure, Montero punched out the next two batters to escape the jam and hold Sugar Land's lead.

For the ninth, closer RHP Wander Suero (S, 29) got the first Isotope out on a fly ball but hit Willie MacIver with a cutter to bring the tying man to the plate. Suero recovered to get Veen on a foul tip and Kaiser on a flyout to end the game and give the Space Cowboys a 2-0 victory.

The Space Cowboys look split the series against the Isotopes with a win on Sunday night. Sugar Land will throw RHP Janson Junk (0-2, 5.23) while Albuquerque's starter is TBA 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.

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