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PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Space Cowboys Overcome Early Hole, Walk-off Sacramento in 11 Innings

July 27, 2024 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - A five-run deficit was no match for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (64-35, 15-9), as they fought back to take the 9-8 extra-innings win against the Sacramento River Cats (53-47, 9-16) on Friday night at Constellation Field.

In the second inning, the Space Cowboys struck first when Quincy Hamilton slapped a double to right field, putting a runner in scoring position for César Salazar. A wild pitch moved Hamilton over to third, and Salazar sent a ball to the outfield just deep enough for Hamilton to tag up and score. The next frame, Cooper Hummel was hit by a pitch to lead off the third. Zach Dezenzo sent Hummel home on a double to left field, and Will Wagner extended the lead to 3-0 when he singled in Dezenzo.

LHP Colton Gordon allowed just one baserunner until the fourth when Grant McCray hit a two-bagger off the lefty. From there, Sacramento attacked Gordon for an eight-run inning, sending 13 men to the plate and taking advantage of five walks and five hits to open up an 8-3 lead.

The Space Cowboys put runners on the corners for Will Wagner with no outs in the fifth, and the designated hitter traded in two outs for a run on a double play. Two pitches later, Grae Kessinger launched his second homer in as many days on an opposite-field shot to right, bringing Sugar Land within three. The sixth inning rolled around and Hamilton led off with a walk. Salazar drove in his second run of the night with a triple to center field, scoring Hamilton from first to cut the Sugar Land deficit to 8-6.

RHP Austin Warren (H, 3) came in for the ninth for the River Cats to close the game out. After successfully getting the first two outs, Hummel worked an 11-pitch walk to keep the Space Cowboys alive, bringing Dezenzo to the plate. The first baseman took a slider from Warren and tapped it in the hole on the left side and beat out the throw for an infield single. Still batting with two outs, Wagner broke his bat on a single to right field, bringing Hummel around third to score. Just a pitch later, Kessinger knocked an RBI single to left, tying the game up at eight and completing the Space Cowboys comeback after being down five runs.

Sugar Land summonded RHP Wander Suero (W, 6-1) for the tenth, and after allowing Ryan McKenna to reach first got the next three outs on a sacrifice bunt and two strikeouts. Salazar was intentionally walked to kick off the bottom half of the inning, but RHP Donovan Walton (L, 2-1) got a double play to take out two baserunners. Jacob Amaya was just a few feet shy of a walk-off homer, instead flying out to deep right-center to go to the 11th inning.

Suero went back out for the 11th and struck out Christian Koss in three pitches. After a hit-by-pitch and a force out, Suero got Marco Luciano to whiff on 1-2 cutter to complete his 2.0 shutout innings. In the bottom of the frame, Hummel was intentionally walked and Dezenzo singled to load up the bases. Walton got one out on a shallow flyout, but Kessinger lined out to deep right field, allowing Amaya plenty of time to race home and score the winning run, sending the Space Cowboys to their 32nd comeback victory of the season.

Winners of six of seven games out of the All-Star Break, the Space Cowboys look to carry the winning momentum over to Saturday night against the River Cats. Sugar Land's LHP Eric Lauer (2-2, 5.27) will take the mound. Sacramento's starter is TBA for a 7:05 pm CT first pitch. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online and seen on MiLB.TV, MLB.TV or Bally Live.

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