On the final day of the 2026 season the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (42-33, 74-75) fell to the Las Vegas Aviators (43-32, 87-61) 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at Constellation Field.
After allowing two runs in the first inning, LHP Josh Hendrickson responded with two scoreless innings, striking out four of the next seven batters he faced while allowing just one batter to reach base. Hendrickson finished the outing with 3.0 innings pitched, allowing three hits and two runs while walking one and striking out six.
RHP Jason Alexander came in for relief of Hendrickson in the fourth inning and spun a perfect frame, retiring the side in order to keep the Space Cowboys within two. After allowing a run to score in the top of the fifth to give the Aviators a 3-0 lead, Alexander worked back-to-back scoreless innings.
Sugar Land plated a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning. Zach Cole led off the inning with a double before advancing to third on a groundout from Joey Loperfido. Raynel Delgado then smashed an RBI double to right field, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
After allowing the first two batters he faced to reach in the top of the eighth inning, Alexander induced a ground ball double play before recording a line out to end the inning, facing just one over the minimum. Alexander finished his outing throwing 5.0 innings, allowing four hits and one run while walking two and striking out four.
The Space Cowboys threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning. Pascanel Ferreras hit a two-out single before Cole was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Sugar Land. However, a flyout ended the inning, stranding both runners.
RHP Alimber Santa appeared in the ninth for Sugar Land and worked around two baserunners to record his third consecutive scoreless appearance, keeping the Space Cowboys within three runs.
In the bottom of the ninth, RHP Hayden Juenger took the mound for Las Vegas and struck out the first batter he faced before recording a groundout and a lineout to seal the win for the Aviators in the finale of Sugar Land’s season.
NOTABLE:
- LHP Josh Hendrickson hurled 3.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs while walking one and striking out six. Hendrickson struck out at least six batters in three consecutive outings, tallying 21 strikeouts in that span. Hendrickson concludes the year fourth in the Pacific Coast League in punchouts with 106 and ninth in innings pitched with 113.2.
- Garret Guillemette went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak to six games. In his last six games he went 8-for-23 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI, a walk and three runs scored.
- Trevor Austin went 1-for-3 in Sunday’s home finale, stretching his hitting streak to three games. In his last three games, Austin went 3-for-10 with a double, a home run, three RBI, a walk and a run scored.
- Zach Cole scored a run in each of his last three consecutive games and extended his hitting streak to four games on Sunday afternoon. After going 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored, Cole has recorded an extra-base hit in four of his last seven games. Over that span, he went 7-for-26 with three doubles, a triple, two RBI and three runs scored.
- Raynel Delgado went 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and two walks on Sunday night, marking back-to-back games with an RBI. It was Delgado’s fifth multi-walk game of the season and his first at home since July 22 against Nashville.
With the conclusion of the 2026 season, the Space Cowboys return for the 2027 season on March 26, 2027 with a three-game road trip against the Oklahoma City Comets. 2027 season tickets are available for purchase online at SLSpaceCowboys.com/Tickets.
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 2027 season are available now and can be purchased at slspacecowboys.com/tickets.