Sugar Land Smokes Three Homers And Allows Only One Run In Convincing Win

RHP Jason Alexander (W, 3-0) tossed six innings of one-run ball while the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (32-22) smashed three homers, including two bombs in the eighth, leading to a complete 8-1 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes (24-30) on Friday night at Isotopes Park.

Sugar Land started quickly as Zack Short led off the first with a single before Shay Whitcomb stepped on a two-run homer to left, his league-leading 18th of the year as the Space Cowboys went up, 2-0.

Shay Whitcomb just homered again. We are out of superlatives, but WOW. pic.twitter.com/khyOGgH4GW

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 31, 2025

In his first-career start with Sugar Land, Alexander fired a scoreless first helped by catcher Collin Price throwing out Sean Bouchard trying to steal second to end the inning.

Alexander wiggled out of a two-on nobody-out jam in the bottom of the second by forcing Yanquiel Fernández to flyout before a 6-4-3 double play retired the side.

The Space Cowboys added to their lead in the top of the third as Whitcomb and Jacob Melton began the frame with back-to-back singles, and Brice Matthews reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Luis Guillorme plated Whitcomb with a productive groundout as Sugar Land extended their advantage to 3-0.

Albuquerque had a runner in scoring position with two outs in the fourth, but Alexander fanned Keston Hiura to post his fourth-straight scoreless inning.

After Jesús Bastidas reached on a fielder’s choice in the fifth, Matthews thumped a two-out double 399-feet to straightaway center, scoring Bastidas as Sugar Land stretched their advantage to 4-0.

Fernandez’s lead-off homer in the bottom of the fifth plated the Isotopes’ first run, but Alexander limited the damage by setting down the next three batters and kept it a 4-1 game.

Alexander allowed a lead-off triple in the bottom of the sixth but shut the door and logged a clean inning by getting the next three Albuquerque hitters. The righty hurled 6.0 of one-run ball while giving up just five hits and striking out three.

RHP Nick Robertson (H, 6) relieved Alexander in the seventh and held the three-run Sugar Land advantage with a scoreless frame with two punchouts.

Sugar Land opened the game up in the top of the eighth with a four-run frame. Matthews hammered an 0-2 slider 423-feet to left for a lead-off solo blast as the Space Cowboys increased their lead to 5-1.

Brice 💣 pic.twitter.com/sNKet3oFuF

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 31, 2025

Later in the inning, after back-to-back walks from Guillorme and Corona, Collin Price pummeled a fastball 390-feet to left for a three-run blast, blow the contest open, 8-1.

Three straight days, three Collin Price homers! pic.twitter.com/S5LG0Ek1nm

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 31, 2025

RHP Misael Tamarez took over in the ninth and closed out the 8-1 win.

NOTABLE:

• Shay Whitcomb homered in the first, his fifth home run in his last three games and the second time in 2025 he has homered in three-consecutive games. Whitcomb is also on a five-game hitting streak after picking up two more knocks tonight. Over that span, he is 13-for-24 (.542) with five homers, eight RBI and seven runs scored. The infielder has four-straight multi-hit games with a three-hit night on Friday.

• With a double, a homer and a single on Friday, Brice Matthews is currently on a seven-game hitting streak, going 15-27 (.555) with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored. Brice Matthews has homers in back-to-back games after going yard on Wednesday and not playing Thursday.

• Kenedy Corona extended his hitting streak to five games with a 109.5 mph single in the sixth, the third hardest-tracked ball of his professional career. During the hitting streak, he is 8-for-18 (.444) with a triple, two homers, two walks, three RBI and four runs scored.

• Collin Price homered in his third-straight game on Friday for the first time in his career after sending a fastball over the left-field wall. Collin Price is tied for second on the team in home runs with 10.

• Jason Alexander went 6.0 innings with only one earned run on Friday in his first start with Sugar Land since being claimed off waivers on May 18. Alexander has given up only one earned run in 10.0 innings with the Space Cowboys after tossing 4.0 of scoreless relief on May 23 against the Las Vegas Aviators. Friday was his deepest outing since he went 7.0 innings on September 11, 2024 with the Worchester Red Sox.

• Nick Robertson flung a scoreless inning in the seventh, running his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 11.2 innings dating back to May 6 against the Salt Lake Bees. Robertson has the second-longest consecutive scoreless innings streak from a Sugar Land reliever this season.

The penultimate game of Sugar Land’s six-game series with the Isotopes begins on Saturday at 7:35 pm CT. LHP Brandon Walter gets the ball for the Space Cowboys. Albuquerque has not yet announced a starter. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com. Season Memberships for the 2025 Space Cowboy season, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online here.

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 are the reigning Pacific Coast League Champions and Triple-A National Champions. They began playing as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022. 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). Fans can purchase full-season and partial-season plans for 2025 by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.