Brantley Homers In Space Cowboys Defeat

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (47-68, 14-26) got a home run from Michael Brantley but dropped their opener 6-3 against the Round Rock Express (67-47, 23-17) on Tuesday night at Constellation Field.

The Express opened up a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run homer by Jonathan Ornelas. RHP Ronel Blanco (L, 4-2) sat down the next six batters in a row but Round Rock plated two more on three hits in the third to push their advantage to 4-0.

Rylan Bannon worked a two-out walk for Sugar Land in the bottom of the third, bringing up Brantley, who connected for a two-run homer to right, his first of the year, pulling the Space Cowboys within two at 4-2. Brantley went 1-for-3 in his first action with Sugar Land since May, collecting two RBI on the home run.

YOUR FAVORITE UNCLE GOES YARD pic.twitter.com/ZndFUKtBVm

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) August 16, 2023

Round Rock plated another run in the top of the fourth inning and a combination of RHP Marc Church (W, 4-0) and RHP Jonathan Hernandez limited the Space Cowboys to just one hit from Brantley’s homer in the third to the eighth inning. A single and a pair of errors in the top of the seventh widened the Round Rock lead back to four runs at 6-2.

Sugar Land’s bats put together a rally in the ninth. Joey Loperfido singled to left to begin the frame, his first hit at Triple-A, and Pedro León followed with a base knock up the middle, putting two men on base for Shay Whitcomb. The Space Cowboys’ shortstop cracked a single to center, driving in Loperfido and bringing the tying run to the plate. LHP Jake Latz (S, 6) entered for Round Rock, though, and retired the next three hitters in order to secure the save.

The Space Cowboys continue their six-game set with Round Rock on Wednesday night. RHP Spencer Arrighetti is scheduled to take the hill for Sugar Land while Round Rock is set to counter with RHP Robert Dugger for a 7:05 pm CT first pitch. The game can be heard on ESPN 92.5 FM or online here and seen on MiLB.TV.

*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. 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, as well as single-game tickets, by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.