SUGAR LAND, TEXAS. - George Klassen dazzled on the mound Friday with six strong innings, keeping the Bees in a tightly contested pitcher’s duel. Salt Lake held a late lead, but the Space Cowboys rallied twice late, including a two-run 10th inning, to hand the Bees a heartbreaking 4-3 extra-inning loss and their fifth straight defeat.
Sugar Land 4, Salt Lake 3 (Final/10)
WP: Miguel Ullola (3-4)
LP: Shaun Anderson (1-1)
Key Performers
Jeimer Candelario: 1-4, R, 3B, BB, K, ROE
Yolmer Sánchez: 0-2, R, RBI, 2 BB, SAC FLY, K
George Klassen: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R/1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, ND
Game Summary
Game four of the six-game set featured a pitcher’s duel early, with neither team able to break through until the bottom of the fourth inning. Matt Thaiss delivered with two outs, driving in the game’s first run and giving Sugar Land a 1-0 advantage heading into the fifth inning.
The Bees responded right away in the top of the fifth inning, knotting the score at one. After loading the bases on three walks, Gustavo Campero delivered a deep sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Salt Lake’s first run of the night.
The Bees threatened again in the following inning, loading the bases via walks, but they were unable to capitalize with the bags packed, keeping the contest deadlocked at 1-1.
Salt Lake spun another scoreless inning in the bottom of the seventh before breaking through in the top of the eighth. Jeimer Candelario led off the inning with a triple off the base of the center-field wall, and Pablo Reyes followed with a walk.
Nelson Rada then lined an opposite-field single to bring home Candelario and give the Bees their first lead of the night. Salt Lake loaded the bases but stranded all three runners, taking a 2-1 advantage into the bottom of the eighth.
Down to their final out, Sugar Land took advantage of an error by Gustavo Campero to tie the game at two in the bottom of the ninth inning.
In the top of the 10th, Rada moved the automatic runner to third with a sacrifice bunt. Yolmer Sánchez then came through in the clutch with a sacrifice fly to score Reyes and put the Bees back in front, 3-2, heading to the bottom half of the inning.
Sugar Land secured the series victory by scoring two runs in the bottom of the tenth inning, capitalizing on an RBI triple and a game-ending wild pitch.
Game Notes
- The Bees lose their fifth consecutive game, matching their longest losing streak of the season. Salt Lake has fallen in nine of their last 10 contests, including four straight road games. It is also the second straight extra-inning game in which the Bees have been walked off in (July 7 at Sacramento, 10th inning, fielding error); also back-to-back extra innings contests in which the winning run has come across as an unearned run.
- Salt Lake went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 13 stranded on base. They are now 5-for-37 (.135) in the series this week despite seven of its 12 RBI in the series coming with runners in scoring position.
- Not even playing on Friday could save the Bees as they dropped to 13-6 on the year. That win total still ranks at the top of Minor League Baseball and only trails the Atlanta Braves’ 16 victories on Friday. Salt Lake has lost consecutive games on Friday night for just the second time in 2026 (April 17 vs. Sugar Land, April 24 at Las Vegas).
- Salt Lake collected their 38th straight game with an extra-base hit, courtesy of Jeimer Candelario’s eighth inning triple. It is the second longest active streak in the PCL to Round Rock’s 54 game extra base hit streak.
- The Bees struck out 13 times on Friday, marking the fourth consecutive game with 13 or more strikeouts and the fifth time in a row they have suffered double-digit strikeouts. The offense has accumulated double-digit strikeouts in 10 of its last 12 games and finished July with 249 total punchouts, the most in Triple-A.
- Starter George Klassen notched his seventh quality start in his last eight games and now has eight on the season. It is his fifth quality start of July, matching the Bees’ franchise record for quality starts in a month - he is the seventh arm to eclipse that milestone. The right-hander twirled six innings of seven-hit baseball, allowing just one run while striking out six and issuing no walks. It marked the second consecutive game he has not allowed a walk and the third time this season he has accomplished the feat. Klassen is now four strikeouts away from 100 at the Triple-A level, sitting at 96. The Wisconsin native finished July leading the PCL in strikeouts (38), WHIP (0.99), BAA (.197) and innings pitched (36.1) while ranking second with his 2.48 ERA.
- The Bees have yet to win a road game in which their starter has tossed a quality start (0-5). This season, Salt Lake is 8-6 in games with a quality start by their starter, with all eight wins coming in nine chances at home in South Jordan. In the eight quality starts thrown by Klassen, the Bees hold a 4-4 record.
- Battling with two outs in the first inning, Kyren Paris knocked a single up the middle. Tonight’s shortstop has reached base in 19 straight games. Paris has hits in 16 of his last 18 games. His walk streak came to an end tonight, finishing with nine straight contests with at least one free pass.
- After his five game on-base streak was snapped in yesterday’s game, Nelson Rada started a new one with a second-inning walk. The free pass was his 53rd of the season. Rada would break 1-1 tie in the eighth with a lined RBI single. It was the outfielder's 30th RBI on the season as he started a new hit streak.
- Leading off the third inning, Logan Porter notched his first hit since July 17 against Reno. The catcher singled up the middle for his 25th hit this season. Porter drew a walk in the fifth inning, marking the third time in his last five games he has earned a free pass.
- Yolmer Sánchez pushed his on-base streak to four games with a walk to begin the fifth inning. The free pass was his 710th professional base on balls. The infielder gave Salt Lake the lead in the 10th on his sacrifice fly, collecting his 54th RBI that tied Christian Moore for the team lead.
- To load the bases in the fifth inning, Christian Moore worked a walk. He has free passes in each of his last three games and four of his last five games. Moore has reached base in back-to-back games. Tonight’s second baseman has hits in back-to-back games after leading off the seventh inning with a lined single.
- After going 0-for in last night’s game, Gustavo Campero drove in Salt Lake’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to tie the score. Campero has recorded RBIs in seven of his first nine games as a Bee this season, including five of his last six contests.
- Jeimer Candelario has reached base in 17 of his last 18 games after drawing a walk to lead off the sixth inning. The veteran’s free pass was his 38th walk of the season. Candelario now has hits in back-to-back games as he led the eighth inning off with a triple that bounced off the base of the centerfield wall. The three bagger was his fifth of the season and his 45th professionally. It is Candelario’s first season with five triples since 2014 when he combined for five between High-A and Low-A. His trio of three baggers in the month of July now matches the most in a single month across his career (April 2018 and August 2020 with the Tigers).
- Pablo Reyes has now reached base in back-to-back games, drawing the second walk of the sixth inning. It marked his first walk since July 24 against Omaha.
- Tayler Saucedo, appearing as Salt Lake’s second pitcher of the evening, logged his second consecutive scoreless outing. The left-hander threw one inning, giving up just one hit and striking out two to advance his season total to 40.
- In the eighth inning, pinch hitter Niko Kavadas drew a walk. This marks three consecutive games in which the left-handed batter has safely reached base.
Up Next
The Bees continue their six-game series against the Space Cowboys in the penultimate game of the set on Saturday night. First pitch from Constellation Field is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MDT.