Thanks to a pair of big days at the plate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (19-21) kicked off their 12-game road trip with an 8-6 win over the Tacoma Rainiers (18-22) on Tuesday afternoon at Cheney Stadium.
James Nelson got the scoring started for Sugar Land with a two-out homer in the first, his sixth of the year, only for Tacoma to reply with a Patrick Wisdom RBI double in the bottom of the frame to knot the contest at 1-1.
The bottom of the lineup provided the first boost of the day in the top of the third. Jack Winkler singled to right and Riley Unroe followed with a single, putting men on the edges with no outs. LHP Jhonathan Díaz (L, 3-4) got a double play but Winkler raced in to score from third, giving the Space Cowboys a 2-1 edge.
RHP Jason Alexander (W, 1-2) worked around a one-out single in the second and delivered a 1-2-3 third before a Brennan Davis homer brought the game back level at 2-2 in the fourth. Alexander would respond and finish off 5.0 innings, striking out three and scattering five hits.
Sugar Land took the lead for good in the top of the fifth. Winkler collected his second knock of the day and Kellen Strahm put the Space Cowboys in front with a two-out homer to left, his third of the year, pushing the Space Cowboys in front 4-2. Sugar Land would hang another crooked number in the top of the sixth thanks to a single up the middle from Winkler and a two-RBI single from Strahm, widening the Sugar Land lead to 7-3. CJ Alexander capped the Space Cowboys’ scoring with a solo homer in the seventh, his 10th of the year.
On the mound, RHP Nate Pearson appeared on Major League rehab and turned in a 1-2-3 sixth inning, including a 101.3 mph fastball to get a strikeout of Brock Rodden. RHP Sam Carlson spun a scoreless seventh, but the Rainiers were able score three runs in the eighth to draw within a pair at 8-6. However, RHP Alimber Santa (S, 2) retired the final five batters he faced to procure a five-out save and give Sugar Land their series-opening win.
NOTABLE:
- Jack Winkler had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. It was Winkler’s first four-hit game since he went 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI on April 25, 2025 against Gwinnett while he was with Jacksonville. It was also the third four-hit game for a Space Cowboys’ batter this season.
- James Nelson continued his on-base streak on Tuesday afternoon, going 1-for-5 with a home run to extend his on-base streak to 21 games. Nelson also has an active six-game hitting streak and has scored a run in six-straight games for the Space Cowboys.
- Nate Pearson fired a scoreless inning, striking out one while throwing 10 pitches, seven strikes. He topped out at 101.3 mph on his fastball, the 11th fastest tracked pitch that he has thrown in his career and the fastest pitch he has thrown since April 14, 2024 with Toronto when he fired a 102.3 mph fastball vs. Colorado, the hardest thrown tracked pitch of his career.
- CJ Alexander extended his on-base streak to nine games by going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, an RBI and a run scored. It was also the fourth-straight multi-hit game for Alexander and his sixth multi-hit game in his last nine contests.
The Space Cowboys continue their series with Tacoma on Wednesday night. RHP Miguel Ullola is scheduled to start against RHP Dane Dunning for an 8:05 pm CT first pitch. 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.