RHP Hayden Wesneski struck out seven in his first rehab appearance with Sugar Land as the Space Cowboys (12-5, 44-47) secured the series victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes (7-10, 46-46) with a 7-4 win on Saturday night at Constellation Field.
Sugar Land took control in the bottom of the first. Cavan Biggio worked a leadoff walk before Pascanel Ferreras ripped a double to put two runners in scoring position. Joey Loperfido and Shay Whitcomb followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to give the Space Cowboys a 3-0 advantage. Trenton Brooks and Lucas Spence then collected consecutive singles before César Salazar hit an RBI single to center, extending the lead to 4-0 after one.
Wesneski was sharp on the mound as the right-hander held Albuquerque scoreless through the first four innings before surrendering a solo home run to Adael Amador in the fifth. Wesneski finished his outing allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven over 4.2 innings.
The Space Cowboys added insurance in the seventh. Loperfido and Whitcomb opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Brooks lined an RBI single to score Loperfido. Whitcomb and Brooks then executed a double steal to move into scoring position, and Salazar delivered again with a two-run single to stretch Sugar Land's lead to 7-1.
LHP Bennett Sousa tossed a scoreless inning, allowing one hit while striking out one. Albuquerque mounted a late rally in the eighth on a three-run home run by Chad Stevens, but RHP Ethan Pecko shut the door over the final 3.0 innings to earn the victory. Pecko allowed three runs on two hits while striking out two.
NOTABLE:
- RHP Hayden Wesneski tossed 4.2 innings on Saturday night, allowing one run on five hits while striking out seven and issuing no walks. The outing marked Wesneski's longest appearance at any level during his Major League rehab assignment while recovering from right elbow surgery.
- César Salazar went 2-for-4 with three RBI on Saturday night, extending his on-base streak to 16 games. Salazar's streak is the fourth-longest by a Space Cowboy this season, trailing Zach Dezenzo (26), James Nelson (25) and Pascanel Ferreras (18). It also marked Salazar's first three-RBI game since August 12, 2025 against Salt Lake.
- Shay Whitcomb stole a base in Saturday night's victory, extending his streak to 14 consecutive stolen bases without being caught. Whitcomb is now 18-for-19 in stolen base attempts this season, good for a 94.7% success rate.
- Garret Guillemette went 2-for-4 with a double on Saturday night, recording his first career multi-hit game and first extra-base hit at the Triple-A level.
- Pascanel Ferreras went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored on Saturday night. Ferreras is now 7-for-19 with four doubles, three RBI, a walk and five runs scored in five games against Albuquerque this series. His four doubles are tied for the most in the Pacific Coast League this week.
Sugar Land wraps up their six-game set against Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon with RHP Brandon McPherson throwing for the Space Cowboys while the Isotopes have not yet announced a starting pitcher. First pitch will be thrown at 2:05 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. Â
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.