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PCL Albuquerque Isotopes

Isotopes Come up Short against Space Cowboys in 11 Innings, 5-4

June 6, 2022 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Albuquerque Isotopes News Release


Sugar Land, TX - The 11th inning was not magical for the Isotopes on Sunday night. After defeating Sugar Land in the 11th on Friday, Albuquerque fell victim to a bases-loaded single by David Hensley, and the Space Cowboys earned a split of the six-game series with a 5-4 victory at Constellation Field.

With runners on the corners and one out in the 11th, Carlos Pérez lofted a fly ball to shallow center field where Pedro Leon made the catch and unleashed a perfect throw to nab Ryan Vilade attempting to score, keeping the game tied at 4.

Reagan Todd took over in the bottom of the 11th and retired the first batter on a lineout. The southpaw then struck out J.J. Matijevic, but the ball got away from catcher Dom Nuñez, allowing the batter to reach on a wild pitch. After Todd issued an intentional walk, David Hensley lined the first pitch back up the middle for his game-winning knock.

Albuquerque (24-30) quickly found the scoreboard in the first inning when Sean Bouchard blasted a 430-foot two-run homer to left-center field. It was the second time in this series Bouchard has taken Space Cowboys starter JP France deep, as he also hit a two-run clout on Tuesday night.

Starter José Ureña was quite sharp in his first appearance in the Rockies organization since being signed last month. The right-hander worked four innings of three-hit ball while allowing just one unearned run. Ureña walked two and struck out four, leaving the game with a 2-1 lead.

In the sixth, Ryan Vilade led off with a base hit before scoring on a two-out infield single by Pérez, upping the advantage to 3-1.

With two on and two out in the home sixth, Logan Cozart was relieved by Justin Lawrence, who served up a three-run homer to Hensley on the very first pitch he threw, which gave Sugar Land their first lead of the evening at 4-3.

The Space Cowboys advantage did not last long, as Coco Montes led off the seventh with an opposite-field homer over the right field wall. For Montes, it was his second consecutive day with a long ball.

Albuquerque's bullpen excelled in the later stages of the contest. Lawrence pitched a hitless seventh, Zach Lee struck out a pair in a perfect eighth, then Heath Holder fanned two Space Cowboys in a flawless ninth to send it to extra frames.

After the Topes went scoreless in the tenth, Holder issued a leadoff walk before retiring the next three hitters, including catching Franklin Barreto looking at a curveball to send the contest to the 11th.

Topes Scope:

- Albuquerque still only has one series victory this season. They are now 1-3-5 in nine sets.

- The Isotopes have not won a series on the road against a Houston Astros affiliate since taking three of four in Oklahoma City from April 21-24, 2012 (this was the 16th such series since then).

- 35 runs scored by the Isotopes in this series were their most in a road set since plating 42 in six games at Las Vegas from Aug. 19-24, 2021.

- Bouchard is 10-for-33 with two doubles, a triple, two homers and six walks since being activated from the Injured List on May 26.

- Peréz extended his team-leading on-base streak to 20 games by going 2-for-5.

- Ureña completed four innings for the first time since throwing 4.2 frames in a start for Detroit at Texas on July 6, 2021. His only prior action this season consisted of four relief appearances with Milwaukee.

- After going a stretch of 175 homerless at-bats, Montes has now gone deep three times in his last 25 at-bats since May 28 vs. Round Rock.

- Both runners that were on base when Cozart departed scored on Hensley's homer, snapping Cozart's scoreless inning streak at 5.1 which had spanned five appearances.

- Lawrence has given up four home runs in his last 12 Triple-A outings, dating back to Sept. 21, 2021. All of them have either been a walk-off home run, or tying or go-ahead blast in the late innings.

- Lee has a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.1 IP) in 13 appearances since May 3, and has not allowed an earned run in his last 10 outings dating to May 8.

On Deck: Albuquerque will return home to host El Paso in the opener of a six-game series Tuesday night. The first three games will be played at Isotopes Park before the teams head to Southwest University Park for the final three. Right-hander Peter Lambert is slated to start the 6:35 p.m. opener Tuesday for Albuquerque against a Chihuahuas hurler to be determined.

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