Lugo's Three-Run Blast Lifts Bees to 4-3 Ninth-Inning Comeback
PCL Salt Lake Bees

Lugo's Three-Run Blast Lifts Bees to 4-3 Ninth-Inning Comeback

Published on August 14, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Salt Lake Bees News Release


SUGAR LAND, Texas - The Salt Lake Bees rallied in the ninth to secure a 4-3 comeback victory as Matthew Lugo delivered the go-ahead three-run homer with two outs and two strikeouts to even the series on Wednesday night.

Salt Lake Bees 4, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 3

WP: José Fermin (1 - 0)

LP: Nick Hernandez (4 - 4)

SV: Sam Bachman (5)

Game Summary

Salt Lake wasted no time getting on the board, as Nelson Rada tripled to left to lead off the game and scored on a balk to give the Bees an early 1-0 lead.

Dakota Hudson retired the first six Space Cowboys he faced, and the Bees looked poised to add on in the second after three straight hits. However, Chad Stevens was caught stealing, and a Tucker Flint double got Sebastian Rivero to third for Nelson Rada who then struck out, ending the inning with two runners in scoring position and no runs scored.

Sugar Land broke through in the fourth with four straight singles to open the inning as Zack Short lined a two-run knock to left-center, flipping the score to 2-1. Hudson minimized the damage, but Short struck again in the sixth, launching a solo homer to left to make it 3-1.

The Bees put a runner on in each inning from the fifth through the eighth but left them stranded. Hudson wrapped up six innings with a quality start, while Brady Choban and Jose Fermin combined to hold the Space Cowboys to just one hit and no runs over the seventh and eighth.

The game's defining moment came in the top of the ninth as Cavan Biggio singled to start the inning and Rada walked with two outs to put the tying run on base. Matthew Lugo stepped up and delivered the swing of the night, a towering three-run shot to left-center on a 2-2 pitch off reliever Nick Hernandez that gave Salt Lake a 4-3 lead.

Sam Bachman was called on to close, and after a hit-by-pitch and a walk put the winning run on base, he escaped trouble by getting Brice Matthews to fly out before inducing Shay Whitcomb to line into a game-ending double play that gave Salt Lake the 4-3 comeback victory in game two of the series.

Game Notes

Salt Lake snapped a nine-game losing streak to Sugar Land with the 4-3 victory, marking the second consecutive one-run game as the Bees move to 8-13 in one-run contests and 28-4 when allowing three runs or less.

With the ninth-inning comeback, the Bees earned just their second win this season when trailing after eight. Matthew Lugo's go-ahead three-run homer marked the first ninth-inning home run to put Salt Lake ahead when trailing or tied since Jake Gatewood's walk-off blast against Oklahoma City on August 6, 2022.

Salt Lake scored first for the sixth straight game, improving to 30-27 when plating the game's opening run. Over their last eight games, 22 of their 49 runs (44.8%) have come in the first three innings.

Matthew Lugo delivered in the clutch with a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth -- his 11th of the season and first since July 29 in Oklahoma City. It was his fifth career ninth-inning home run, but the first to give his team the lead. Lugo's three RBI tied his season high, matching the mark for the fourth time this year and the first since July 5 against Tacoma.

Carter Kieboom recorded Salt Lake's only two-hit game, his first since July 8 against Sacramento and his 23rd multi-hit performance of the season, fourth most on the team.

Nelson Rada collected his first career Triple-A triple, going 1-for-2 with three walks and two runs scored. He has hit safely in eight of his nine games with Salt Lake and scored multiple runs for the third time. Since his August 3 debut, Rada's 10 runs scored are tied for the fourth most in the Pacific Coast League this month.

Dakota Hudson earned his fifth quality start of the year, tying Shaun Anderson for the team's second-most behind Victor Mederos' seven. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five -- his most strikeouts in a game since July 22 against Albuquerque.

Brady Choban, Jose Fermin, and Sam Bachman combined to pitch a scoreless final three innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit. Fermin earned his first career Triple-A win and 10th overall in the minors, while Bachman closed out the ninth for his fifth save of the season.

Up Next

Salt Lake and Sugar Land will match up for game three of the series on Thursday night with first pitch slated for 6:05 p.m. MST at Constellation Field.

Check out the Salt Lake Bees Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 14, 2025


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