Despite RHP Miguel Ullola tying his season high with eight strikeouts, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (20-26) dropped the opener of their six-game series against the Sacramento River Cats (26-18) on Tuesday afternoon, falling 11-6.
Sugar Land wasted no time getting on the board in the opening inning**. Kellen Strahm** worked a leadoff walk and swiped his 11th stolen base of the season to move into scoring position. CJ Alexander followed with an RBI single to center field, plating the game’s first run. Carlos Perez followed by ripping a double into left field, scoring Alexander and giving the Space Cowboys an early 2-0 lead.
Sacramento answered immediately in the bottom half of the first, using a single and a walk before a three-run home run swung the lead in favor of the River Cats at 3-2. The River Cats added on in the second with two solo home runs, extending their advantage to 5-2.
Sugar Land responded in the third as Strahm worked his second walk of the afternoon to put a runner aboard. Alexander continued his strong day at the plate, lacing an RBI double to right field for his second hit and second RBI of the game, trimming the deficit to 5-3.
The Space Cowboys took control in the fourth inning. Daniel Johnson reached on an error, Jack Winkler singled, Riley Unroe reached on a fielder’s choice and Jax Biggers drew a walk to load the bases. With the table set, Collin Price delivered a bases-clearing double, driving in three runs and pushing Sugar Land back in front, 6-5.
Ullola worked 4.1 innings on Tuesday afternoon, allowing five runs while striking out eight. The eight punchouts matched his season high, previously set on April 5 at Jacksonville.
Sacramento regained the lead in the sixth after a walk and a single, followed by a sacrifice bunt, set up a three-run home run that put the River Cats back in front, 8-6. The River Cats added two more runs in the seventh behind two walks, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI double, extending their lead to 10-6. Sacramento tacked on a leadoff solo homer in the eighth to account for the final margin in an 11-6 win.
NOTABLE:
- CJ Alexander went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored on Tuesday afternoon. Alexander has now recorded a multi-hit game in eight of his last 16 games and is batting 18-for-59 over that stretch with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and 11 walks.
- Miguel Ullola topped out at 97.2 mph with his fastball. It is the second hardest tracked pitch that he has thrown, just behind the 97.3 mph fastball he threw on August 8, 2025, also at Sutter Health Park.
- Kellen Strahm reached base twice via walks, scored two runs, and added a stolen base on Tuesday afternoon. His 11th stolen base of the season moved him into fifth place in the Pacific Coast League.
The Space Cowboys look to bounce back in game two of the six-game series against Sacramento on Wednesday night. Sugar Land will throw LHP Colton Gordon while LHP Carson Whisenhunt will take the mound for the River Cats for an 8:45 pm CT. The game 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.