A strong outing from RHP Ethan Pecko and a late offensive surge lifted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (2-0, 34-42) to a 7-1 victory over the El Paso Chihuahuas (0-2, 35-42) on Wednesday afternoon at Constellation Field.
Sugar Land opened the scoring in the third. Cesar Salazar worked a walk and moved into scoring position on a disengagement violation before Cavan Biggio hit an RBI single into right field, giving the Space Cowboys a 1-0 lead.
El Paso scratched across a run in the fourth. A triple set up a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 1-1, accounting for the only run allowed by Pecko. The right-hander turned in another strong performance, tossing 6.0 innings while surrendering just four hits and one run with four strikeouts.
The Space Cowboys moved back in front in the sixth when Zach Dezenzo launched the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left for a solo home run. Lucas Spence followed with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on a balk to extend Sugar Land's advantage to 3-1.
The bullpen took over from there. RHP Alimber Santa and RHP JP France each worked a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one apiece to keep the Chihuahuas off the board. RHP Miguel Ullola followed with a scoreless ninth striking out the side to close out the victory.
Sugar Land added insurance in the eighth. Zach Cole and Spence opened the inning with back-to-back doubles to bring home a run before Salazar drew a walk. Biggio, Shay Whitcomb and Pascanel Ferreras then delivered three consecutive RBI singles, extending the Space Cowboys lead to 7-1 and securing the victory.
NOTABLE:
- RHP Ethan Pecko turned in his third consecutive quality start on Wednesday afternoon. Over four starts in June, the right-hander has logged 24.0 innings while allowing just 13 hits and two runs with 16 strikeouts. His three quality starts this season are tied for the most on the Space Cowboys alongside RHP Jason Alexander. Pecko topped out at 96.4 mph and 95.9 mph throwing the two hardest pitches of the game on Wednesday.
- Cavan Biggio went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk and a run scored on Wednesday afternoon. Biggio has now driven in a run in five-straight games. Since June 16, Biggio leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs and walks with four homers and 10 walks, is tied for third in extra-base hits with six and is tied with CJ Alexander for second in total bases with 23.
- Edwin Diaz went 1-for-3 with a walk, collecting his first hit since joining the Space Cowboys off the IL.
- Zach Dezenzo went 1-for-5 with a home run, extending his on-base streak to 19 games. His homer left the bat at 104.0 mph, the third-hardest hit ball of the game.
- RHP Miguel Ullola struck out the side in the ninth inning for his sixth-straight scoreless appearance. Ullola has only allowed a run in one out of his 10 outings since being transferred to the bullpen. The right-hander topped out at 95.7 mph, good for the third-hardest thrown ball of the game only trailing RHP Ethan Pecko.
The Space Cowboys host the El Paso Chihuahuas in game three of their six-game series as they look to win their third straight on Thursday night. LHP Josh Hendrickson will take the mound for Sugar Land opposite RHP Matt Waldron for El Paso for a 7:05 PM first pitch. 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.