December 14, 2024 - 99 Games Today

León Launches Longest Ball of the Year, But Not Enough to Defeat Chihuahuas

May 1, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release

EL PASO, TX - Despite some ninth inning theatrics to tie the game up, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (19-9) dropped their first game 8-6 against the El Paso Chihuahuas (12-16) at Southwest University Park. [?Folder icon] Highlights of tonight's game can be found here .

RHP JP France took the mound for his first Triple-A start of the season, holding the Chihuahuas hitless before giving up a two-out base hit to Matthew Batten in the bottom of the third. In the fourth, El Paso struck for three runs off France with an RBI triple from Tirso Ornleas and a two-RBI infield single from Tim Locastro to break open the scoring, making it 3-0. France pitched 3.2 innings of four-hit, three-run ball, walking four and striking out three.

Cooper Hummel knocked in a runner with a single in the fifth to give Sugar Land some life. In the seventh, Luke Berryhill hit his first home run of the year to left field to bring the Space Cowboys within one at 3-2.

The Chihuahuas tagged on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings with an RBI double and triple, while the Space Cowboys got one back from Will Wagner in the eighth on an RBI force out aided by a throwing error from shortstop Mason McCoy to score Pedro León.

Down three heading to the top of the ninth, David Hensley led off the inning with a double and Jesús Bastidas grounded a ball back to the Chihuahuas RHP Logan Gilliaspie (W, 1-0), deflecting off his leg and rolling into no-man's land to score Hensley from third. With Bastidas at first, León came up to bat and cranked a slider to straightaway center, soaring out of the ballpark at 505 feet. His game-tying blast is the longest home run tracked this season and tied for second for the longest home run tracked in the Statcast era in MLB and Triple-A.

RHP Logan VanWey (L, 1-1) entered in the ninth and got a lineout and a strikeout to quickly record a pair of outs, but a single put a man on for Ornelas who hit a walk-off two-run homer for El Paso.

The Space Cowboys play their second game against the El Paso Chihuahuas Wednesday night. RHP Ryan Gusto (0-1, 9.00) is set to take the mound for a 7:35 pm CT first pitch against El Paso's Gabe Mosser (0-1, 14.56). 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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León Launches Longest Ball of the Year, But Not Enough to Defeat Chihuahuas

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