After being reinstated from the injured list, CJ Alexander belted a go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (22-8, 54-50) extended their home winning streak against the Salt Lake Bees (10-20, 49-55) to six games with an 8-2 victory on Thursday night at Constellation Field.
Sugar Land struck first in the opening inning. Joey Loperfido connected on his sixth double of the season before Shay Whitcomb followed with an RBI single to center, giving the Space Cowboys an early 1-0 advantage.
Salt Lake answered in the third. A single and a stolen base put a runner in scoring position before Christian Moore drove in the tying run with an RBI single to right, evening the score at one. It was the only run allowed by RHP Jason Alexander in his first start off the IL as the right-hander threw 4.0 frames.
The Bees grabbed their first lead of the night in the fifth. After a walk put a runner on, Moore delivered again with an RBI double, putting Salt Lake in front 2-1.
The Space Cowboys rallied in the sixth to retake the lead. Loperfido worked a leadoff walk and stole second before Alexander launched a two-run homer to straightaway center, putting Sugar Land back on top 3-2.
Sugar Land added insurance in the seventh. Edwin Díaz drew a walk and Matt Thaiss followed with a single off RHP Ben Joyce to put runners on the corners. Cavan Biggio worked another walk to load the bases before Raynel Delgado brought home a run with an RBI groundout. Loperfido then lined an RBI single to left, extending the lead to 5-2.
The bullpen preserved the advantage over the final three frames. RHP Logan VanWey struck out the side in a perfect seventh inning before RHP Miguel Ullola tossed a scoreless eighth, allowing just one baserunner while striking out one. RHP Sam Carlson tossed a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one batter to close out the game.
The Space Cowboys put the game away in the eighth. Alexander worked a leadoff walk and Jake Meyers followed with a single to put two aboard. Trenton Brooks then crushed a three-run home run, his second of the season, stretching Sugar Land's lead to 8-2.
NOTABLE:
- Shay Whitcomb went 1-for-4 with an RBI, extending his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games and his RBI streak to three games. Whitcomb has recorded an RBI in every game this week, going 4-for-11 with two home runs, eight RBI, three runs scored, one walk and two stolen bases. With his hit on Thursday night, Whitcomb tied Pedro León for the most hits in Space Cowboys history with 380.
- RHP Jason Alexander made his first appearance with Sugar Land since June 9 after being reinstated from the injured list on Thursday. Alexander tossed 4.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits while walking one and striking out five. The five strikeouts marked his highest total with Sugar Land since April 25 against Round Rock, when he fanned seven.
- Playing in his first game since being reinstated from the injured list, CJ Alexander homered in his first appearance with Sugar Land since June 23 against El Paso. His 17th home run of the season is tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast League. The 410-foot blast left the bat at 106.3 mph, the third-hardest hit ball of the game.
- RHP Logan VanWey struck out the side in a perfect inning on Thursday night. It marked the first time this season VanWey struck out the side in a perfect frame and his first three-strikeout appearance since June 27 against El Paso.
- The Sugar Land bullpen has recorded 26 strikeouts over 14.0 innings against Salt Lake this week, surrendering just seven hits, two runs and seven walks.
- The Sugar Land Space Cowboys have won six consecutive games at Constellation Field against the Salt Lake Bees.
- RHP Miguel Ullola allowed just one baserunner while striking out one over a scoreless inning, extending his streak to 13 consecutive scoreless relief appearances.
With a chance to clinch the series, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys continue their six-game series against the Salt Lake Bees on Friday night. RHP Ryan Weiss is scheduled to start for Sugar Land, while RHP George Klassen is slated to start for Salt Lake. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm CT. The game can be seen on the Bally Sports Live app and MiLB.TV and can be heard online anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Listen.
ABOUT THE SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS:
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros and compete in the Pacific Coast League. They began play as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022, winning their first Triple-A title in 2024 by clinching both the Pacific Coast League Championship and Triple-A National Championship. The Space Cowboys play at Constellation Field, located at the corner of Hwy-6 and US-90 Alternate in Sugar Land, Texas. Follow the team on Twitter (@SLSpaceCowboys), Instagram (@slspacecowboys), Facebook (SLSpaceCowboys) and their official website (slspacecowboys.com). Season ticket plans for the 2026 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.