A pair of crooked innings in the early going was too much to overcome for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (8-4, 40-46) as they lost 8-2 to the Oklahoma City Comets (6-6, 37-49) in the series finale at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark on Sunday night.
The Comets opened the scoring in the third inning. Oklahoma City connected on two singles and worked a walk to load the bases before Alek Thomas lashed a three-run double to left center, giving the Comets a 3-0 lead.
After putting multiple runners on in three of the first four innings, Sugar Land finally capitalized in the top of the fourth. Lucas Spence singled and then stole second to put himself in scoring position. Garret Guillemette then worked a walk and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch that advanced both runners. César Salazar then hit a two-RBI single, cutting the Space Cowboy deficit to 3-2.
However, the Comets replied with a four-run fourth inning, opening up a 7-2 advantage after four. Bennett Sousa tossed a perfect inning in his first appearance on Major League rehab as he returns from left elbow inflammation, throwing seven of his 10 pitches for strikes. RHP Brandon McPherson made his first appearance out of the bullpen this season and tossed a scoreless inning, working around two hits while striking out one.
NOTABLE:
- LHP Bennett Sousa made his first appearance on his current Major League rehab assignment with the Space Cowboys on Sunday night, firing a perfect inning with one strikeout. Sousa threw 10 pitches, seven for strikes, and reached 95.2 mph.
- Cavan Biggio went 1-for-2 with a double and two walks in the series finale, raising his season walk total to 60, which ranks second in the Pacific Coast League. Biggio has reached base safely in every game he has played against Oklahoma City this season, going 7-for-24 with a double, two home runs, three RBI, 10 walks and five runs scored.
- RHP Brandon McPherson made his first relief appearance of the season on Sunday night, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing two hits and striking out one. McPherson threw the two hardest pitches of the game, topping out at 98.9 mph.
- César Salazar went 1-for-3 with two RBI, extending his on-base streak to 12 games. Over that span Salazar is 9-for-29 with a double, a triple, six RBI, nine walks and seven runs scored while only striking out seven times.
- Shay Whitcomb extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 1-for-4 on Sunday night. Whitcomb is 15-for-41 with a double, three home runs, 11 RBI, eight walks, eight runs scored and eight stolen bases during his current streak.
After splitting their six-game series with the Oklahoma City Comets, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys return home to Constellation Field to open a six-game set against the Albuquerque Isotopes on Tuesday night. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher. First pitch is scheduled 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.