SUGAR LAND, TEXAS. - The Bees went deep three times and battled back throughout the night, but a late Sugar Land rally dropped Salt Lake for its third straight defeat and second in the series, 7-5.
Sugar Land 7, Salt Lake 5
WP: Christian Roa (1-0)
LP: Sammy Peralta (7-2)
SV: Roddery Muñoz (6)
Key Performers
Gustavo Campero: 2-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
Omar Martinez: 2-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 K
Niko Kavadas: 1-2, R, HR, RBI, 3 BB, K
Game Summary
Salt Lake jumped on Sugar Land’s starter early after struggling to do so the night before. Nelson Rada led off with a bunt single before Gustavo Campero launched his third straight home run into the Bees bullpen, giving Salt Lake a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
The home squad matched Salt Lake’s early offense and then some in the bottom of the frame. Shay Whitcomb launched his second homer of the series, a three-run blast that gave the Space Cowboys a 3-2 lead after one inning.
Following a leadoff popout to begin the top of the second, Salt Lake used a walk and two singles to bring up Christian Moore, who cashed in with a deep sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game at three.
Salt Lake’s starter, Caden Dana, worked a shutdown inning in the bottom of the second. Niko Kavadas put the Bees back on top with his sixth homer of the year, a solo shot to the bullpens in right field, giving Salt Lake a 4-3 lead.
Both sides traded zeros in the bottom of the third and top of the fourth before Sugar Land’s Tommy Sacco Jr. tied the game at four. His solo shot landed in the bullpens in right-center field. After four innings, the home team took a 5-4 lead when a hit batsman stole second base and then scored on a broken-bat single.
Following a costly pick-off that put the Bees down an out in the top of the sixth, Omar Martinez came through in a big way, launching his 10th homer of the season to the opposite field and tying the game at five heading into the bottom half.
The score stayed put until the bottom of the seventh when Sugar Land took the lead on a one-out two-run double by Jake Meyers to put the home squad up 7-5.
Salt Lake made it interesting in the ninth a two-out single by Jeimer Candelario and a Kavadas walk, but they came up just short, losing their third straight game.
Game Notes
- The Bees fell for the third consecutive game, bringing their season road record to 19-27 and their second-half road record to 5-9.
- Salt Lake homered for a sixth straight game with three longballs on the night. They are now 13-2 when hitting three or more home runs in a single game and bring its July total to 35.
- Starter Caden Dana made it through five innings for the first time since June 5 against Albuquerque. The right-hander allowed five runs on five hits while striking out six and walking three. Dana’s six strikeouts were his most since that start against Albuquerque, when he recorded eight. It was also his fewest walks allowed since July 8 in Sacramento. He now sits one strikeout away from 60 on the season.
- Lead-off hitter Nelson Rada, rolled a bunt single down the third base line to give the Bees a baserunner to start the action. The outfielder has hits in each of his five last games. He is two hits away from 100 on the season and has 150 Triple-A career knocks.
- In the first inning, Gustavo Campero gave the Bees a quick 2-0 advantage with a two-run home run. Marking his third consecutive game with a homer, he has now gone deep four times over his seven games with the Bees. Leaving the bat at 102.1 MPH, the powerful shot landed right in Salt Lake’s bullpen. Campero logged his fourth multi-hit performance in seven games since joining the Bees.
- Niko Kavadas reached base for the first time since his walk last Saturday against Omaha. Tonight’s left fielder worked a free pass in his first plate appearance, bringing his season total to 29 walks. Kavadas put his team back in front during the third frame, sending his sixth home run of the year over the wall in right field and into the bullpen. This marked his first base hit since a July 18 matchup with Reno, ending his 0-for-22 stretch. It was his first home run since a May 6 contest in Oklahoma City.
- With two outs in the opening frame, Ben Gobbel drew a walk, marking the second consecutive free pass of the inning. This walk was his 13th overall in 2026 and his fifth in July. Gobbel now has hits in two of his last three games after lining a single in the fifth.
- Omar Martinez extended his on-base streak to six games on a one-out infield single in the second inning. He has hits in six of his last seven games and he has eight hits in 11 games this month. Martinez later knotted the score at five in the sixth with his 10th homer of the season. Seven of his 10 round-trippers this season have come on the road. The catcher’s homer was his first since July 18 against Reno.
- To tie the game in the second Christian Moore tagged a deep sac-fly to center. The RBI was his first since July 17 against Reno. After his five game on-base streak was snapped a day ago, Moore started a new one as he worked a walk to start the seventh.
- Jeimer Candelario reached base on a free pass with one out in the fifth. The veteran has reached base in a season-high 17th game on the walk. He has 11 walks in that time-frame. Candelario also started a new hit streak with a lined single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
- With a sixth-inning single, Yolmer Sánchez extended his active hitting and on-base streak to consecutive games. The base knock was his 17th this month, and he has now recorded hits in four of his last five appearances.
- In his single inning on the mound, right-hander Justin Dunn delivered his second consecutive scoreless performance, a feat he has accomplished twice now during July. Dunn struck out three batters and issued two walks over 25 pitches, bringing his season strikeout total to 36.
- Salt Lake’s final pitcher of the game, Jared Southard, tallied his fourth straight scoreless outing. The streak was extended to 3.2 innings in his inning of work. He struck out two, pushing his season total to 53 K’s.
Up Next
The action continues in Southeast Texas on Thursday as the Bees and Space Cowboys clash at Constellation Field, with first pitch for the third game set for 6:05 p.m. MDT.