Early Offense And Dominant Pitching Lifts Sugar Land To 5-2 Win

A quick offensive surge paired with dominant pitching carried the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (14-10) to a 5-2 victory over the Round Rock Express (10-14) in game three of the six-game series on Friday night at Constellation Field.

After a quiet opening inning, Sugar Land struck first in the bottom of the second. Collin Price jumpstarted the frame with a ringing double to left, and after Jax Biggers executed a textbook sacrifice bunt to move him to third, Kellen Strahm lined a single up the middle to bring home the game’s first run.

KELLEN STRAHM COMES THROUGH 💥 RBI knock and Sugar Land strikes first, 1-0 pic.twitter.com/QcPzhGlRaV

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) April 25, 2026

The Space Cowboys kept the pressure on in the third. CJ Alexander wasted no time, turning on a pitch and sending a leadoff home run deep to right field, extending the lead to 2-0.

CJ JUST LAUNCHED ONE 🚀 #ASCEND pic.twitter.com/OObcfx6oHa

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) April 25, 2026

Round Rock answered in the fourth with a solo home run of their own, trimming the deficit to 2-1, but Sugar Land responded again in the bottom of the fifth. James Nelson led off the inning by launching a home run, restoring the two-run cushion at 3-1.

From there, the pitching staff took control. RHP Ethan Pecko impressed in his first start of the season, firing three scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out six. He generated nine swings and misses, good for a 40 percent whiff rate. The bullpen followed suit, as RHP Roddery Muñoz (W, 1-0) turned in three strong innings, allowing one run on one hit while striking out four. LHP Tom Cosgrove (H, 2) closed the door with two shutout frames, punching out three. In total, Sugar Land’s pitching staff racked up 13 strikeouts while limiting Round Rock to four hits.

Sugar Land added insurance in the eighth, capitalizing on two walks and a Round Rock error to plate a pair of runs and push the lead to 5-1. From there, the Space Cowboys handled the ninth without issue, securing their first win of the series.

NOTABLE:

• Collin Price extended his on-base streak to 11 games, the longest by any Space Cowboys player this season.
• CJ Alexander is on a four-game hitting streak. Through the first three games in the series vs Round Rock he is 4-for-11 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk.
• RHP Roddey Muñoz threw a season high 51 pitches, 30 for strikes, in three innings, allowing one run on one hit, while striking out four.
• OF James Nelson collected another hit on Friday, going 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Nelson has hit safely in nine of his first 11 games with Sugar Land, going 14-for-43 (.326) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored.

Sugar Land looks to even the series against Round Rock on Saturday afternoon. LHP Josh Hendrickson is scheduled to start against RHP Trey Supak for a 4:35 pm first pitch. The game 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.