Steady offense and a quality start on the mound helped the Sugar Land Space Cowboys defeat the El Paso Chihuahuas in the opener of their six-game series 7-2 on Tuesday night at Southwest University Park.
Both teams were locked in a pitcher’s duel through the first three innings, as RHP Jason Alexander held El Paso hitless in both the second and third innings. The Chihuahuas broke through in the bottom of the fourth, stringing together a single and a double to plate the game’s first run and take a 1-0 lead.
Sugar Land answered in the top of the fifth. Pascanel Ferreras was hit by a pitch and later stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball. With a runner on third, James Nelson lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game at 1-1. Cavan Biggio followed by drawing a walk, and Joey Loperfido reached on an error to put two aboard.
Shay Whitcomb then delivered a two-run double to left field, giving Sugar Land a 3-1 lead, before Collin Price added an RBI single to cap a four-run inning and make it 4-1.
Alexander stranded a pair of runners in the fifth and limited El Paso to one run in the bottom of the sixth before finishing the frame, walking off the mound holding a 4-2 lead.
The Space Cowboys received strong work out of the bullpen, as RHP Logan VanWey tossed a perfect inning with two strikeouts, followed by RHP Miguel Ullola, who worked a scoreless frame while allowing just one hit and striking out two.
In the seventh, CJ Alexander launched his 12th home run of the season to extend the lead to 5-2. Sugar Land added on in the eighth when Biggio walked and Loperfido ripped an RBI double to left field to push the advantage to 6-2. Carlos Pérez provided further insurance with a ninth-inning home run, and RHP Jayden Murray closed things out with a scoreless ninth as the Space Cowboys secured the series-opening win.
NOTABLE:
- Pascanel Ferreras went 2-for-4 in his Triple-A debut with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base.
- RHP Jason Alexander worked 6.0 innings, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out three. It marked his third quality start of the season with the Space Cowboys, the most on the team.
- CJ Alexander went 1-for-5 and connected on his 12th home run of the year, tying him for fourth in the Pacific Coast League in homers.
- Cavan Biggio reached base multiple times, going 0-for-1 with two runs scored and four walks. Since May 1, he leads the PCL with 24 walks.
- Biggio’s four walk game tied a Space Cowboys single-game record for walks in a contest. He joins Jax Biggers, who walked four times on April 26 vs. Round Rock earlier this season, as well as Collin Price and Zack Short, who walked four times in a game on April 8, 2025 vs. Albuquerque.
- RHP Miguel Ullola made his second appearance out of the bullpen on Tuesday, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts on 20 pitches, 16 strikes. He topped out at 97 mph and averaged 96.0 mph on his four-seam fastball.
Sugar Land will look to secure back-to-back victories over El Paso on Wednesday night as LHP Colton Gordon takes the ball for the Space Cowboys against RHP Evan Fitterer for the Chihuahuas. First pitch from Southwest University Park is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. 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.