Home Run Barrage Lifts Isotopes Over Space Cowboys, 12-3

Albuquerque, NM – One of the most prolific offenses in Minor League Baseball was at it again Sunday night. The host Albuquerque Isotopes bashed five home runs while riding a solid pitching effort by Ryan Feltner to a 12-3 victory over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at Isotopes Park.

The Isotopes avoided being swept in this short three-game set and are now 10-11 against Sugar Land in 2022.

Albuquerque started the scoring when Alan Trejo lined a two-run homer into the left-field pavilion in the second inning, his seventh long ball of the season and second of the series.

Jose Siri put Sugar Land on the board with a solo shot in the third, but the Isotopes broke the contest wide open with a five-run fourth. Trejo singled before Tim Lopes walked and Coco Montes dropped down a bunt single to load the bases. With one out, Bernard smoked his grand slam into the Topes bullpen for a 6-1 advantage. Albuquerque added another tally on a Carlos Pérez sacrifice fly to make it 7-1 after four.

Feltner allowed a run in the fifth, but was able to wrap up a successful start in which he allowed just four hits and two runs in five frames. He improved to 5-1 at Triple-A this season.

Montes brought home another run for Albuquerque with a single in the fifth, then Dom Nuñez launched a 433-foot solo homer to right-center field in the sixth as the hosts led 9-2.

With the outcome well in hand, the Isotopes tacked on a pair of additional solo homers in the seventh – Trejo’s second of the night and Montes. Trejo capped the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth.

Topes Scope: - Bernard’s grand slam was Albuquerque’s eighth of the season, one shy of tying the team record nine hit in 2004 and 2019. It was the second slam of his professional career - July 28, 2018 for Double-A Tennessee vs. Chattanooga.

- Bernard is 12-for-28 with two doubles, a triple, three homers and eight RBI in his last six games. Tonight, he tallied his team-leading 30th multi-hit game of the campaign, it was the 10th time he had three or more knocks. This was the fourth time in 2022 that Bernard has homered and stolen a base in the same contest.**

- Elehuris Montero** extended his Triple-A on-base streak to 27 games with a single in the fourth.

- Trejo connected on the second multi-homer game of his professional career; he also hit a pair on Sept. 24, 2021 for Albuquerque vs. Reno. It was the 12th multi-homer game of the season for an Isotopes player and first since D.J. Peterson on July 9 at Round Rock.

- Trejo is batting .436 (17-for-39) with five doubles, three homers and nine RBI over his last nine games. He picked up his 13th multi-hit contest at Triple-A of the year, and fourth three-hit outing.

- Nuñez picked up his third three-hit game with the Isotopes this season and first since July 3.

- Montes delivered his eighth three-hit contest in an Albuquerque uniform. He homered for the first time since July 24 vs. Sugar Land.

- Albuquerque hit five or more long balls in a game for the fifth time in 2022. The most recent prior occurrence had been a team record-tying eight on June 25 at Las Vegas.

- The Isotopes moved into second place in all of MiLB in home runs (143). El Paso hit one Sunday night at Reno to hold onto the MiLB lead with 144.

- Albuquerque reached double-digits in the run column for the 21st time this season and 14th time at home.

- In 15 matchups between Albuquerque and Sugar Land at Isotopes Park this season, the Space Cowboys launched 44 homers, an average of just under three per game.- Jordan Sheffield allowed a run in the eighth inning and has now surrendered at least one run in eight of his last 10 appearances.

On Deck: The Isotopes open a six-game home series against the Las Vegas Aviators on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. Right-handed pitcher Karl Kauffmann is slated to start for Albuquerque, while left-hander Jared Koenig is scheduled for Las Vegas.