Quality Start from Ivey Not Enough in Saturday Night Defeat
PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Quality Start from Ivey Not Enough in Saturday Night Defeat

Published on August 9, 2025 under Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SACRAMENTO, CA - RHP Tyler Ivey twirled his team-leading fourth quality start of year with 6.1 innings and six strikeouts, but a walk-off sacrifice bunt from the Sacramento River Cats (23-15, 59-54) sunk the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (14-21, 53-57) 4-3 on Saturday night at Sutter Health Park. Highlights of tonight's game can be [?Folder icon] found here.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the ninth, César Salazar doubled with one out in the inning, and in the ensuing at-bat, Kenedy Corona lined a game-tying RBI single up the middle to knot the contest up at three. In the bottom half, Sam Huff tripled and pinch runner Hunter Bishop scored on a walk-off sacrifice bunt from Thomas Gavello as the Space Cowboys' comeback fell short, 4-3.

After Ivey tossed a 1-2-3 frame in the first, Sugar Land opened the scoring in the top of the second. Zack Short singled, Salazar kept the inning alive with a two-out base knock and Corona drove in Short with an RBI double to put the Space Cowboys in front, 1-0.

Sugar Land extended its lead in the top of the third as Brice Matthews and Jon Singleton walked before Logan Davidson lashed a two-out RBI double down the right-field line to go up, 2-0.

Ivey continued rolling in the bottom of the third as he spun his third-straight perfect inning while the Space Cowboys threatened in the top of the fourth. Colin Barber, Corona and Shay Whitcomb each walked to load the bases, the second-straight inning the Space Cowboys took three walks. However, a strikeout stranded the runners.

The Sugar Land right-hander sat down the top of the River Cats' lineup in order in the bottom of the fourth and tossed a clean fifth as Ivey went 15 up, 15 down through five.

Sacramento tied the game at two in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run from Gavello and took a 3-2 advantage as Luis Matos hit a lead-off solo homer in the seventh. RHP Shawn Dubin kept the Space Cowboys in the game as the reliever recorded the final two outs in the frame and stranded the bases loaded with an inning-ending strikeout. Dubin stayed in and registered a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts to send a one-run game to the ninth.

NOTABLE:

- Tyler Ivey tossed his fourth quality start of the season on Saturday, going 6.1 innings, while allowing three runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Ivey retired the first 15 batters he faced as he threw 5.0 perfect innings to begin his start. Ivey also had a 10.0 consecutive scoreless-innings streak dating back to his last start on August 3 against Tacoma. Ivey's 6.1 innings was his longest outing of the season and his first time going 6.1 innings since July 20, 2018 with the Buies Creek Astros when he went a career-high 7.0 innings.

- Shawn Dubin made his fifth appearance with Sugar Land on Major League rehab on Saturday and went 1.2 scoreless innings, a rehab high, with a hit, a walk and three strikeouts. Dubin threw 29 pitches with 19 strikes and topped out at 95.7 mph.

- Kenedy Corona went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a walk on Saturday, his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game since July 2 against the Round Rock Express.

- Shay Whitcomb walked on Saturday, and in his last 16 games with Sugar Land, he has gone 21-for-66 (.318) with five doubles, a homer, 10 RBI, six walks and nine runs scored.

- Brice Matthews walked twice and scored on scored on Saturday and has reached in 29 of his last 30 games with Sugar Land. Over that span, Matthews is 39-for-120 (.326) with nine doubles, three triples, five homers, 19 RBI, and 18 walks.

- With a 1-for-4 game with a walk, Jacob Melton is currently on an eight-game on-base streak, going 10-for-32 (.313) with three doubles, a homer, four RBI, five walks and four runs scored.

- After drawing a walk on Saturday, Jon Singleton is currently on a 22-game on-base streak with Sugar Land with two doubles, four homers, 12 RBI, 21 walks and 13 runs scored.

- Zack Short is currently on a six-game hitting streak, dating back to June 27, going 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored.

- César Salazar extended his on-base streak to 12 games on Saturday with a 2-for-4 night with a double and a run scored. Over his on-base streak, Salazar has two doubles, two homers, six RBI, 10 walks and eight runs scored.

Sugar Land takes on the River Cats in their series finale on Sunday at 3:05 pm CT. RHP AJ Blubaugh toes the rubber for the Space Cowboys opposite RHP Blade Tidwell. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com.

Check out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 9, 2025


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