Early runs sank the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-14, 63-56) as they fell to the Round Rock Express (25-20, 56-64) 12-5 on Sunday afternoon at Dell Diamond.
Round Rock wasted no time getting on the board, plating two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Express added to their lead in the second when, with two runners on, Alejandro Osuna launched his second home run of the season to right field, driving in three runs and giving Round Rock a 5-0 advantage.
The Express extended their lead in the third. After a walk and a single put two runners on, Orlando Martinez connected on a two-RBI single to push the Round Rock lead to 7-0.
The Space Cowboys rallied in the top of the fourth. Joey Loperfido led off with a single before CJ Alexander and Collin Price worked back-to-back walks to load the bases. Trenton Brooks followed with a two-RBI single to right field, putting Sugar Land on the board. Zach Cole then worked a walk to reload the bases, setting the stage for Cavan Biggio, who connected on a bases-clearing triple that narrowly missed leaving the ballpark, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng kept the Space Cowboys within striking distance, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk.
Round Rock added a run in the sixth before breaking the game open in the seventh. The Express plated four runs in the inning, using a sacrifice fly from Keyber Rodriguez, a two-run home run from Orlando Martinez and an RBI double from John Taylor to extend their lead to 12-5.
RHP Michael Knorr entered in the eighth and kept the Express off the board, working around one hit while striking out two.
The Space Cowboys made one final push in the ninth. With two outs, Raynel Delgado was hit by a pitch before Loperfido worked a walk to put two runners on. A flyout to center field ended the rally and closed out Sugar Land’s two-week road trip.
NOTABLE:
- Trenton Brooks went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 11 games, his hitting streak to six games and his RBI streak to three consecutive games. Brooks has recorded a multi-hit performance in three of his last five games, going 8-for-14 with a double, a home run, five RBI, three walks and six runs scored.
- Cavan Biggio went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, three RBI and a walk in Sunday’s series finale, marking his third three-RBI game of the season. His other three-RBI performances came on April 3 at Jacksonville and May 14 at Tacoma.
- RHP Michael Knorr made his sixth appearance of August on Sunday, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing one hit and striking out two. His six appearances this month are tied for the second-most in the Pacific Coast League.
- Joey Loperfido went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored on Sunday afternoon, reaching base safely four times for the second time this season. His first game reaching four times came on August 1 against Salt Lake.After finishing a 12-game road trip, the Space Cowboys will return to Constellation Field following an off day Monday for a six-game set against the Oklahoma City Comets. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s series opener. First pitch is set 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.