OKC Comets Game Notes - July 4, 2026
Published on July 4, 2026 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Sugar Land Space Cowboys (7-3/39-45) vs. Oklahoma City Comets (5-5/46-38)
Game #85 of 149/Second Half #11 of 75/Home #43 of 74
Pitching Probables: SUG-LHP Colton Gordon (4-3, 4.07) vs. OKC-RHP Ryder Ryan (3-2, 4.70)
Saturday, July 4, 2026 | Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 7:05 p.m. CT
Radio: KGHM-AM 1340 The Game, 1340thegame.com, iHeartRadio; Video: MLB+, Bally Sports Live, MeTV
Today's Game: The Oklahoma City Comets look to take the lead in their home series against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys when the teams meet for an Independence Day match-up at 7:05 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. With a walk-off win last night, the Comets evened the series, 2-2...The Comets will celebrate the United States' semiquincentennial with special Fourth of July festivities including musical performances by the OKC Philharmonic and Latin Grammy Award winner Rudy Pérez as well as postgame fireworks presented by First American Title.
Last Game: Ryan Ward hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning to not only give the Oklahoma City Comets a 4-3 win against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Friday night but also tie the team's all-time hits record in the Bricktown era. With the score tied, 3-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ward lined two-out single with two strikes to center field to bring home Austin Gauthier. The Comets put together a three-run fourth inning to take an initial 3-0 lead that started with solo blasts from Zach Ehrhard and Jack Suwinski before a RBI double by Eliezer Alfonzo. Sugar Land got on the board in the sixth inning and trailed, 3-1, in the ninth inning when the Space Cowboys scored twice to even the score. OKC responded in the bottom of the inning, with singles by Alfonzo and Noah Miller before Ward delivered the game-winning single.
Today's Probable Pitcher: Ryder Ryan (3-2) makes his 14th appearance (ninth start) of the season with the Comets...He last pitched June 28 at Reno, surrendering three runs and four hits across 4.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts...Ryan was named PCL Pitcher of the Week for June 8-14 following two relief appearances in Charlotte, throwing a combined 6.2 scoreless frames with two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. He retired 20 of 23 batters faced during the week...Ryan faces Sugar Land for the second time this season after tossing 2.2 innings of relief with one run, two hits, two walks and three strikeouts May 27 on the road...The righty has MLB experience with Seattle (2023) and Pittsburgh (2024) and made his MLB debut with the Mariners Aug. 11, 2023 vs. Baltimore...He is the older brother of fellow Comets pitcher River Ryan (currently on the IL) and signed with the Dodgers Jan. 28 as a minor league free agent...Ryan will pitch on the Fourth of July for the fifth time in his career, notably making his professional debut on the holiday in 2016 with the ACL Indians.
Against the Space Cowboys: 2026: 7-3 2025: 5-10 All-time: 64-51 At OKC: 31-24
The Comets play their second of four series against Sugar Land this season as the Space Cowboys make their first trip of 2026 to Bricktown...OKC took five of six games in Sugar Land May 26-31 as the Comets scored at least nine runs in three games while holding the Space Cowboys to two runs or fewer in five contests. The cumulative score for the week was 44-11. James Tibbs III won the PCL Player of the Week award after going deep six times while driving in 16 runs...OKC won four of the first five meetings between the teams last season, including taking two of three on Opening Weekend in Sugar Land, but proceeded to lose nine in a row before winning the final game of the season series...The Space Cowboys enter today having won six of their last eight games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and are 11-5 in OKC since 2024.
History in the Making: Ryan Ward tied Drew Avans for Oklahoma City's Bricktown-era career record of 462 hits with his game-winning single in the ninth inning last night. Ward went 1-for-5 with a RBI Friday and has hit safely in each of the first four games of the current series, going 5-for-17 with a home run and three RBI. He was optioned to the Comets Monday after spending May 29-June 28 (17 G) with the Los Angeles Dodgers...His walk-off winner Friday was his second of the season with OKC, as he hit a game-ending homer April 11 vs. Round Rock. It was his fourth career walk-off hit with OKC...Ward is already the Bricktown-era record-holder for career homers (97) and RBI (352).
Fourth Facts: The Comets are playing at home on the Fourth of July for the 12th straight season and are 7-4 on the holiday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark since 2014. The Comets lost last season's Independence Day game against the Las Vegas Aviators, 10-6, but are 4-2 on the holiday in OKC since 2019 and are 6-4 on the Fourth of July during the team's affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers that started in 2015...Overall, Oklahoma City is 12-13 in Fourth of July games during the Bricktown era (since 1998) including home and road games. Oklahoma City opened the Bricktown era with eight straight losses on the Fourth of July from 1998-2005 before going 12-5 on the holiday since 2006.
Close Calls: Eight of the Comets' last 11 games have been decided by two runs or less, including seven one-run games and three consecutive one-run games entering tonight. The Comets improved to 2-5 in those recent one-run games following last night's win...The Comets are 5-6 over the last 11 games, with five of those losses by one run, including each of the team's last three losses at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Going back further, six of the team's last nine losses have been by one run and eight of OKC's last 15 losses since June 2 (28 G) have been by one run, accounting for over half of their 14 one-run losses this season. The Comets sustained just six one-run losses over the first 56 games of the season...Overall this season, the Comets are 13-14 in one-run games...The Comets have played in 41 games decided by two runs or less so far in 2026, accounting for 48.8 percent of the team's 84 total games, with a record of 18-23. Their 41 games decided by two runs or less are third-most in the league behind Round Rock (46) and Tacoma (44)...Last night was the Comets' third walk-off win of the season, along with April 11 vs. Round Rock and June 18 vs. Sacramento.
Jack Attack: Jack Suwinski went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the fourth inning Friday as he has hit safely in six straight games (12-for-24), including multiple hits in a season-high five straight contests, going 11-for-19 (.579) with three extra-base hits and six RBI. He is the second Comet this season to record five straight multi-hit games, joining Alex Freeland (May May 14-19). Freeland is also the last OKC hitter to record at least two hits in six straight games, doing so April 4-10, 2025...Suwinski's homer was his 18th of the season - fourth most in the PCL - and his first since a two-homer contest June 12 at Charlotte.
Fitz Blitz: Ryan Fitzgerald went 2-for-4 Friday and has hit safely in eight consecutive games, batting .333 (12-for-36) with one double and three RBI. He has a league-leading 102 hits overall this season and is tied for third-most overall in the Minors...Fitzgerald has reached the 100-hit milestone for the first time 2019 with High-A Salem (BOS).
Way of the K: The Comets notched 13 more strikeouts Friday, marking the Comets' sixth straight double-digit strikeout performance, and their 74 strikeouts starting June 27 are the most in the full-season Minors. They have at least 10 strikeouts in seven of the last 10 contests, with 109 K during the 10-game span, including 52 during the first four games of the current series...OKC last had a streak of 10-plus strikeouts in six straight games during an eight-game streak July 26-Aug. 3, 2025 (99 K)...The Comets' 749 total strikeouts this season are second-most among PCL teams, only behind Las Vegas (762)...Starting April 30, the Comets have amassed 529 strikeouts in 490.2 IP (9.7 K/9.0 IP)...OKC has finished the season among the top three PCL teams in strikeouts every year since 2019 and have led the league in strikeouts three times during the span (2019, 2023 and 2025).
On the Mend: Evan Phillips continued his Major League Rehab Assignment and recorded a hold Friday, tossing a clean eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts. Phillips threw 12 pitches (nine strikes)...Through 12 relief outings with the Comets, Phillips has tossed 10.0 innings with nine hits, two earned runs, five walks and 13 K and he continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery...The Comets have had at least one Dodgers player on their roster as part of a ML Rehab Assignment every game since April 21.
Around the Horn: Last night Zach Ehrhard hit his 10th home run since June 4 (25 G), and he ranks second in the PCL in home runs during that span. Over his last four games, Ehrhard is 7-for-16 (.438)...The Comets have played to a 2-2 draw through four games in 10 of the last 13 series. When looking to take the advantage in Game 5, they are 5-4...The Comets have tallied at least 10 hits in seven of the last games (87 H). OKC's .307 AVG, 87 total hits and .383 OBP over the last eight games pace the PCL since June 25...OKC has turned at least one double play in each of the last 11 games (14) and in 16 of the last 17 games (22). The Comets lead the Minors with 90 double plays this season.
Pacific Coast League Stories from July 4, 2026
- Aces Shut out in Tacoma Saturday Night - Reno Aces
- Nicholson, Porter and Gobbel's Patriotic Power Surge Lifts Bees to Independence Day Victory - Salt Lake Bees
- Isotopes' Offense Goes Quiet in 7-2 Loss - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Comets Edged by Cowboys in rain-shortened July Fourth contest - Oklahoma City Comets
- Round Rock Stifles Albuquerque, 7-2 - Round Rock Express
- Four-Run First Lifts Space Cowboys Past Comets - Sugar Land Space Cowboys
- OKC Comets Game Notes - July 4, 2026 - Oklahoma City Comets
- Aviators Host Tacoma Rainiers in a Six-Game Homestand from Tuesday-Sunday, July 7-12 - Las Vegas Aviators
- Davis' Ninth Inning Homer Not Enough as Rainiers Fall, 6-4 - Tacoma Rainiers
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