Shay Whitcomb delivered an historic performance, recording his 381st hit to become the Space Cowboys all-time hits leader as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (23-8, 55-50) secured a series victory over the Salt Lake Bees (10-21, 49-56) with a 4-3 walk-off win in 10 innings on Friday night at Constellation Field.
Trailing 2-3 in the bottom of the tenth inning, Whitcomb came through in a big way, crushing an RBI triple to deep right field bringing home the automatic runner and evening the score at three. With the winning run on third, Whitcomb came home on a passed ball to give Sugar Land the walk-off victory.
After three scoreless innings, the Space Cowboys struck first in the fourth. Whitcomb and Raynel Delgado connected on back-to-back singles to put runners on base before Matt Thaiss followed with an RBI single, giving Sugar Land a 1-0 advantage.
Salt Lake answered in the fifth, scoring a run to tie the game at one. It was the only run allowed by RHP Ryan Weiss, who tossed 4.1 innings while surrendering just two hits and one run with six strikeouts.
The Space Cowboys bullpen continued to shut down the Bees, keeping Salt Lake off the scoreboard through the middle innings. RHP Trey McLoughlin tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout, while RHP Kai-Wei Teng entered in the sixth and struck out both batters he faced to leave the bases loaded and maintain a 1-1 tie. RHP Christian Roa followed with a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit while striking out one.
The Bees regained the lead in the eighth. After a triple and a walk put two runners aboard, Nelson Rada delivered an RBI single to left field to put Salt Lake ahead 2-1. RHP Roddery Muñoz kept Sugar Land within striking distance, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out one.
Thaiss sparked the ninth-inning rally, doubling before advancing to third and putting the tying run 90 feet away. Cavan Biggio then reached on a fielding error by Gustavo Campero, allowing Thaiss to score and even the game at two.
Salt Lake reclaimed the lead in the top of the tenth after Yolmer Sánchez delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, putting the Bees ahead 3-2, but RHP Miguel Ullola (W, 3-4) only allowed the one unearned run to score, setting up the chance for the Space Cowboys walk-off victory.
NOTABLE:
- Shay Whitcomb went 2-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored on Friday night. His first hit of the night was the 381st of his Sugar Land career, making him the Space Cowboys' all-time franchise leader in hits.
- The Space Cowboys played their 14th extra-inning game of the season on Friday night and their fourth of the second half, improving to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the second half. Sugar Land’s 14 extra-inning games are tied with the Norfolk Tides for the second-most in Triple A.
- Sugar Land finishes July going 18-6, tied for the most wins in a month in franchise history. The Space Cowboys went 18-8 in May of 2025 and June of 2024 while going 18-7 in April of 2024. Their six losses in the month are also tied for fewest losses in a single month in franchise history (16-6 in May of 2021).
- Jake Meyers went 2-for-4 on Friday night, recording his second multi-hit game with the Space Cowboys this season. His other multi-hit performance came on July 24 against Nashville.
- Matt Thaiss went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI on Friday against Salt Lake. It marked his first RBI and first multi-hit game with Sugar Land since signing with Houston on July 24.
- RHP Christian Roa has held opponents scoreless in seven of his eight appearances since re-signing with Houston as a free agent on July 3.
- RHP Kai-Wei Teng made his second appearance with Sugar Land this season, striking out both batters he faced.
- Raynel Delgado went 2-for-4 with a triple on Friday night. Delgado has now recorded a multi-hit performance in three of his last five games, while his triple marked his first of the season with Sugar Land.
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys will look to win their seventh consecutive game at Constellation Field against the Salt Lake Bees on Saturday night. The Space Cowboys will throw RHP Jackson Nezuh while the Bees will counter with RHP Brett Kerry. 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.