Leon's Go-Ahead Home Run Gives Space Cowboys 6-5 Victory

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Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Leon's Go-Ahead Home Run Gives Space Cowboys 6-5 Victory

September 12, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - Facing a three-run deficit after a half inning, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (89-50, 40-24) rallied back for a close win against the Reno Aces (71-68, 36-28) 6-5 in Wednesday night's contest at Constellation Field. Highlights of tonight's game can be found here.

Reno got to RHP Aaron Brown early in the first when Tim Tawa scorched a one-out double over the head of the centerfielder Jacob Melton. Two pitches later, Tristin English singled to drive in Tawa for the first run of the night. The next batter, Kyle Garlick, mashed a 392-foot home run to left-center field to give Reno the 3-0 lead.

It was not long before Sugar Land stormed back in the bottom of the first. Grae Kessinger kicked off the half inning with Sugar Land's sixth lead-off home run on a bomb to left field, cutting Reno's lead down to two. LHP Logan Allen got the next two Space Cowboys out on strikeouts, but Trey Cabbage took the sixth pitch of the at-bat and lashed it over the shortstop's reach for a two-out single. Cooper Hummel worked a walk, and on the next pitch, Melton shot a base hit up the middle to send Cabbage home, bringing Sugar Land within one. With runners on first and second, the newest Space Cowboy, Brice Matthews, pulled a double down the left-field line to drive in his first and second runs of Triple-A, vaulting Sugar Land ahead of Reno at 4-3.

Brown pitched a scoreless second inning, but Garlick mashed his second home run of the night in the third, a solo shot to left, tying the game up at four apiece. In the fifth, an RBI double from Tawa put Reno back ahead at 5-4, ending Brown's night after 4.0+ frames. With a runner on second, RHP Misael Tamarez hit the first batter he saw on a 1-1 pitch but got a flyout and two strikeouts to escape the jam and strand two baserunners.

Omar Narváez started off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and the catcher made his way to third on a base hit from Pedro León. Zach Dezenzo took a cutter from Allen and shot it to left field for a single, scoring Narváez easily to knot the game up at five.

RHP Logan VanWey (W, 9-1) took over in the seventh for LHP Parker Mushinski after the lefty hurled a scoreless sixth. Reno loaded the bases with two outs on an infield single, a hit-by-pitch and a walk with two outs against VanWey, but the reliever recovered with a strikeout and a popout to end the frame. In the bottom of the seventh with Reno's RHP Austin Pope (L, 6-4) on the mound, León mashed a slider to the opposite field for a go-ahead home run, putting the Space Cowboys up 6-5.

With a one-run lead, RHP Wander Suero (S, 35) came in for the ninth inning in pursuit of his Pacific Coast League-leading 35 th save. The closer got the first out on a flyball to left field but gave up a bloop single to Garlick. A popout from Michael Pérez was the second out, but Suero issued back-to-back walks to juice up the bases. With Andy Weber at the plate, the Reno batter took the second pitch he saw and lined it to right field, but Cabbage chased it down to end the game and secure a tight win for the Space Cowboys.

The Space Cowboys look to continue their six-game win streak against Reno on Thursday night. Sugar Land's RHP AJ Blubaugh (12-3, 3.70) will take the mound against LHP Tommy Henry (5-3, 5.25) 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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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 12, 2024


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