Sacco Jr.'s First Triple-A Homer the Difference in 85th Win

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Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Sacco Jr.'s First Triple-A Homer the Difference in 85th Win

September 6, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - Thanks to a three-run fourth inning, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (85-49, 36-23) are the first team in baseball to 85 wins this season as they took down on the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (70-65, 30-30) 3-1 on Thursday night at Chicksaw Bricktown Ballpark.

RHP Ray Gaither opened for Sugar Land and after pitching a clean first inning, the righty found himself in some trouble the next frame. Ryan Ward singled and was caught stealing by Omar Narváez to clear the bases with two outs, but Kody Hoese knocked a base hit to put a man back on. Hunter Feduccia and Alex Freeland drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Oklahoma City. Austin Gauthier worked a 3-2 count, but Gaither placed a cutter perfectly on the inside corner for strike three, ending the second-inning threat for Oklahoma City.

Coming in for the Gaither in the third was RHP Misael Tamarez (W, 5-4), who pitched a scoreless inning for Sugar Land. In the fourth, the Space Cowboys offense came alive with two outs when Jesús Bastidas worked a seven-pitch walk. The next batter, Quincy Hamilton, mashed a double off the right-field wall, allowing Bastidas to race all the way home, putting up the first run of the game. Shortly after, Tommy Sacco Jr. ripped RHP Jon Duplantier (L, 2-2) a knuckle curve to the second deck stands in right for a two-run home run, extending Sugar Land's lead to 3-0. The two-run blast was Sacco Jr.'s first in his early Triple-A career and his 12th of the season after starting off this season with Double-A Corpus Christi.

LHP Parker Mushinski (H, 9) hurled two scoreless frames for the fourth and fifth innings, and RHP Logan VanWey (H, 10) spun a perfect sixth with two strikeouts. In the seventh, LHP Bryan King (H, 13) got the first out, but allowed a bloop double to Hoese for Oklahoma City's first extra-base hit of the game. A groundout moved Hoese to third, but he was left stranded as King got Freeland swinging to end the frame.

RHP Seth Martinez (H, 4) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two flyouts and a groundout. With a three-run lead, RHP Wander Suero (S, 33) came in for the save to protect the Sugar Land shutout. The closer worked a long at-bat with Andre Lipicus, but the Oklahoma City batter connected on a cutter for a solo home run. Suero got Ward out but surrendered a base hit to James Outman, bringing the tying man to the plate. With the game on the line, Suero got a strikeout of Hoese and a flyout from Feduccia to earn his 33rd save of the season, tying Chris Hatcher in 2013 and Ryan Speier in 2007 for the Pacific Coast League single-season save record with 15 regular season games left.

The Space Cowboys look to go up 4-0 in their series against Oklahoma on Friday night. Sugar Land's RHP Aaron Brown (0-1, 8.31) will make his second start for the Space Cowboys against Oklahoma City's LHP Alec Gamboa (2-6, 3.59) for a 7:05 pm 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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