For just the fifth time this season and second time in the second half, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (36-22, 68-64) were shut out as they dropped their series opener against the Reno Aces (27-30, 59-73) 10-0 on Tuesday night at Constellation Field.
The Aces opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. A leadoff walk put a runner on before back-to-back singles loaded the bases for Reno. Tyler Locklear followed with a two-run double, and after a hit by pitch reloaded the bases, an RBI groundout plated another run, giving the Aces a 3-0 lead.
Reno continued to add to its lead in the top of the third inning. Tommy Troy led off the inning with a home run to right-center field. After a groundout recorded the first out, Locklear drove in his third run of the game with a home run to left field to extend the Reno lead. It was part of a six-run frame for the Aces as they sent 10 men to the plate and opened up a 9-0 advantage.
RHP Trey McLoughlin came on in extended relief, and after surrendering a run in the third retired eight of the last 10 batters he faced, going on to throw 3.0 innings while allowing four hits and one run, walking one and striking out two.
RHP Alex Santos II entered in relief of McLoughlin with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and struck out the first batter he faced to leave a runner stranded at second. Santos surrendered a leadoff home run in the top of the seventh before retiring six straight batters, striking out five during the stretch. He would go on to throw 2.1 innings allowing one hit and one run while walking none and striking out five.
RHP Miguel Ullola appeared in the ninth inning. After allowing the first two batters to reach on a single and a walk, Ullola retired the next three batters, striking out two to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, RHP Bryce Jarvis induced a groundout from Pascanel Ferreras before recording two straight strikeouts to end the game securing the Aces win.
NOTABLE:
- Joey Loperfido went 1-for-3 in Tuesday night’s series opener. His single with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning was the first hit of the game for Sugar Land and one of three knocks the Space Cowboys collected on Tuesday night.
- Cavan Biggio went 0-for-2 with a walk on Tuesday night, extending his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games.
- RHP Trey McLoughlin made his longest outing of the season on Tuesday night, throwing 3.0 innings. McLoughlin allowed four hits and one run while walking one and striking out two. It marked his first 3.0 inning outing since August 31, 2023, when he was with Binghamton against Harrisburg.
- RHP Alex Santos II struck out five batters on Tuesday night, marking the most strikeouts he has recorded in Triple A. It was Santos II’s first five-strikeout performance since he was with Corpus Christi against Midland on August 20.
- RHP Miguel Ullola tossed a scoreless ninth inning and struck out two, extending his scoreless streak to eight consecutive appearances. Since transitioning to the bullpen on May 30, Ullola has held opponents scoreless in 25 of his 28 outings.
The Space Cowboys will look to bounce back and even their series with the Aces on Wednesday night. Sugar Land has yet to announce a starting pitcher while LHP Avery Short will take the mound for Reno with first pitch 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 2027 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.