Whitcomb Hits Walk-Off Homer to Propel Sugar Land to Seventh-Straight Win

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PCL Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Whitcomb Hits Walk-Off Homer to Propel Sugar Land to Seventh-Straight Win

May 14, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Sugar Land Space Cowboys News Release


SUGAR LAND, TX - Shay Whitcomb launched a two-run walk-off homer as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (23-18) defeated the Reno Aces (21-20) 8-7 on Wednesday afternoon at Constellation Field. The Space Cowboys were down 6-1 in seventh, picking up their largest comeback win of the year, after overcoming a four-run deficit on Tuesday. Wednesday was Sugar Land's first walk-off win since the first game of the season, when the Space Cowboys scored four in the ninth to take the season-opener over Oklahoma City. Highlights of today's game can be [?Folder icon] found here.

Sugar Land was trailing by a run entering the bottom of the ninth after Michael Pérez's RBI double off RHP Miguel Castro (W, 3-0) scored A.J. Vukovich in the top of the frame to give Reno a 7-6 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, after Zack Short walked, Whitcomb hammered a two-run walk-off home run 397-feet out to left to give the Space Cowboys the 8-7 comeback win. Whitcomb has homered four times in the last two games with two homers in each contest.

Sugar Land came back from a five-run deficit in the seventh. Luis Castro pulled a lead-off single into left before Tommy Sacco Jr. walked, putting two on with nobody out. Short slapped a single into left to score Castro, and in the ensuing at-bat, Whitcomb labeled a three-run homer to left-center as the Space Cowboys pulled within one, 6-5.

Later in the frame, Sugar Land tied the game at six as Melton took a walk, stole second, and Bastidas flared a single, plating Melton, extending Bastidas' RBI streak to seven games.

In the first, RHP Miguel Ullola gave up a walk to the first two batters he faced but then struck out the side to strand the two Reno runners.

Zack Short immediately put Sugar Land in front in the bottom of the first, sending a towering solo shot over the high wall in left for a lead-off home run, his second lead-off blast of the season and his ninth of the year.

Ullola added two more strikeouts to his ledger in the second, but Reno took the lead on a two-run home run from Pérez.

Melton doubled the other way in the third in his first game back since April 17, but Sugar Land could not bring him home as the Space Cowboys trailed 2-1 after three.

Reno put two men on in the third and fourth, but Ullola extinguished the threat in both frames, including fanning the final two batters of the fourth to post two consecutive zeros.

RHP Misael Tamarez relieved Ullola in the fifth and allowed one run on a two-out RBI single from Pérez.

Reno loaded the bases in the sixth with a walk, hit by pitch and an error. Tamarez gave up a run with a balk but induced two pop outs before RHP Logan VanWey came on with two outs in the frame. The righty allowed the two inherited runners to score on a single from Blaze Alexander as the Aces stretched their lead to 6-1.

VanWey tossed a scoreless top half of the seventh, including catching Andy Weber stealing second with a pick-off move and an inning-ending punch out of Cristian Pache.

NOTABLE:

- Shay Whitcomb singled in the fifth, homered in the seventh and hit a walk-off blast extending his hitting streak to five games and on-base streak to 17 games, going 25-for-69 (.362) with six doubles, eight home runs, 14 RBI and seven walks in that span. Whitcomb paces the PCL with 13 home runs and has had a multi-hit game in his last four contests. Whitcomb holds the longest on-base streak from a Space Cowboy this season. Today was Whitcomb's first five-RBI game since June 15, 2024 against OKC.

- Zack Short singled twice on Wednesday, his second-straight multi-hit game. Short has reached base in 21 of his last 23 games with four doubles, six home runs, 16 walks and 15 RBI. Short also took his 30th walk of the season in his 36th game after coming into today's game second in the PCL in walks.

- Jesús Bastidas singled and picked up an RBI in the seventh, his seventh-straight game with an RBI. In his last 16 games, Bastidas is 18-for-55 (.327) with four doubles, three homers, 15 RBI, eight walks and 16 runs scored.

- Luis Castro is on a seven-game hitting streak, tied for the longest hitting streak for a Sugar Land batter this season, after getting called up to Sugar Land last week. In his last seven games, Castro is 13-for-27 (.481) with four doubles, a homer, nine RBI, three walks and six runs scored. Castro has five multi-hit games during his seven-game hit streak.

- Miguel Ullola set a new Sugar Land season-high in consecutive scoreless innings with 13.0 innings dating back to April 25 against the Tacoma Rainiers. Ullola broke Colton Gordon's previous record of 12.0 innings. The righty also tossed eight strikeouts in 4.0 innings, his second-straight game with eight or more punch outs after striking out 10 last week.

- With 11 strikeouts on Wednesday, the Sugar Land pitching staff has combined for double-digit punchouts in five of their last six games, with 70 over their last six contests.

- With 10 hits today, Sugar Land has picked up four-straight games with double-digit hits after picking up 17 and 12 base knocks over the weekend and 10 hits last night.

- During the Space Cowboys' seven-game winning streak, they have comebacks of three runs, four runs and five runs and have been tied or behind in five of their seven games.

The Space Cowboys continue their six-game set against the Reno Aces on Thursday at 7:05 pm CT. RHP Christian Mena starts while Sugar Land has not yet announced a starter. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com. Season Memberships for the 2025 Space Cowboy season, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online.

Check out the Sugar Land Space Cowboys Statistics



Pacific Coast League Stories from May 14, 2025


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