Cole And Salazar Homer, But Space Cowboys Rally Falls Short In Opener

Hendrickson Fans Seven For Third-Straight Home Appearance

By Raymond Brown/Sugar Land Space Cowboys

August 18, 2026

LHP Josh Hendrickson struck out seven batters for a- third consecutive home appearance, but the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-15, 63-57) dropped their series opener against the Oklahoma City Comets (27-18, 68-51) 6-3 on Tuesday night at Constellation Field. Oklahoma City wasted no time getting on the board, plating two

LHP Josh Hendrickson struck out seven batters for a- third consecutive home appearance, but the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (31-15, 63-57) dropped their series opener against the Oklahoma City Comets (27-18, 68-51) 6-3 on Tuesday night at Constellation Field.

Oklahoma City wasted no time getting on the board, plating two runs in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single put a runner on, James Tibbs III knocked a two-run home run to give the Comets an early 2-0 advantage.

The Space Cowboys started their scoring in the bottom of the third. With two outs, César Salazar launched his fourth home run of the season deep to right field, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

Salazar sends it packing👋 pic.twitter.com/rIBwI5OJvC
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) August 19, 2026

The Comets added to their lead in the fourth when Matt Gorski led off the inning with a solo home run. Oklahoma City extended its advantage again in the fifth with back-to-back singles before Alek Thomas connected on a two-RBI triple to push the Comets’ lead to 5-1.

RHP Christian Roa entered in the sixth and kept the Space Cowboys within striking distance, tossing two perfect innings while striking out two.

Sugar Land rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Jake Meyers singled to put a runner on before Zach Cole smashed a two-run home run deep to center field, cutting the deficit to 5-3. However, Tibbs III hit his second home run of the game to lead off the eighth inning, extending the Oklahoma City advantage to 6-3.

Cole got ALL of that one!💣 #Ascend pic.twitter.com/KpZZXuFZOW
— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) August 19, 2026

Facing RHP Blake Treinen on Major League rehab, the Space Cowboys were able to put the tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth. Joey Loperfido was hit by a pitch and Braden Shewmake singled before Raynel Delgado worked a walk, loading up the bases with one out. Meyers lined out sharply to right, and RHP Seth Halvorsen got a strikeout for the Comets to leave the bases loaded. RHP Logan VanWey took the mound in the ninth and worked around a bases-loaded jam while striking out two to keep the Comets off the board and give Sugar Land one final opportunity, but Halvorsen retired the side in order to close out the game.

NOTABLE:

LHP Josh Hendrickson tossed 5.0 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs while walking one and striking out seven. Hendrickson has now pitched at least five innings in eight consecutive appearances dating back to June 25 vs. El Paso. His seven strikeouts tied a season high, matching his totals from July 21 vs. Nashville and July 28 vs. Salt Lake. Both of those previous seven-strikeout performances came at home, marking Hendrickson’s third consecutive home appearance with seven strikeouts.
RHP Christian Roa struck out two while tossing 2.0 perfect innings in Tuesday night’s series opener. Since re-signing with the Astros on a minor league deal on July 4, Roa has not allowed a run in 11 of his 14 appearances, throwing 15.1 innings, allowing 12 hits, seven runs, eight walks and 19 strikeouts.
Zach Cole went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Tuesday night. The homer marked Cole’s third of the season, with his previous two coming on March 27 vs. Round Rock and June 17 at Albuquerque. Cole’s home run left the bat at 107.4 mph, marking the hardest-hit ball of the game.
RHP Logan VanWey worked around a bases-loaded jam to toss a scoreless inning while striking out two. VanWey has now posted three consecutive scoreless appearances and has allowed just one hit over his last 3.0 innings, while walking two and striking out five.
After hitting just one home run in the first half of the season, César Salazar has gone deep three times over his last seven games. During that stretch, Salazar is 6-for-24 with three home runs, six RBI, four walks and eight runs scored.

The Space Cowboys will look to bounce back and even their series against the Comets on Wednesday night. RHP Jason Alexander will get the start for the Space Cowboys opposite RHP Tyler Glasnow for Oklahoma City. First pitch is set 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.