Ninth-Inning Rally Sends Space Cowboys Past El Paso

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (14-5, 46-47) erased a one-run deficit with three runs in the ninth inning to defeat the El Paso Chihuahuas (6-12, 41-52) 5-3 in the opener of a three-game series on Friday night at Southwest University Park.

Sugar Land jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Cavan Biggio was hit by a pitch to begin the game before stealing second to move into scoring position. Joey Loperfido then reached on a fielding error, allowing Biggio to score and give the Space Cowboys a 1-0 advantage.

Sugar Land added to their lead in the second. Raynel Delgado led off the inning with a single before Edwin Díaz worked a walk. The pair then executed a double steal to put two runners in scoring position. César Salazar was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Biggio lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to extend the Space Cowboy lead to 2-0.

Biggio plates another to extend the lead! #Ascend pic.twitter.com/zUYqNeecyc

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) July 18, 2026

El Paso chipped away in the bottom of the third when Bryce Johnson drew a walk and Mason McCoy drove him home with an RBI double. The Chihuahuas then scored twice in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead.

RHP Hayden Wesneski made his second rehab appearance with Sugar Land, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three over 4.0 innings. The Space Cowboys bullpen kept El Paso off the scoreboard the rest of the way as RHP Trey McLoughlin tossed a scoreless fifth, RHP Cristian Roa worked a scoreless sixth with two strikeouts, RHP Alimber Santa threw a scoreless seventh and RHP Roddery Muñoz fired a scoreless eighth while allowing one hit and striking out one.

Three strikeouts over four innings for Wesneski! #Ascend pic.twitter.com/ZiBiUhLjzk

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) July 18, 2026

Trailing by one entering the ninth, Trenton Brooks and Salazar each singled before Biggio was hit by a pitch for a second time to load the bases. A fielding error then allowed three runs to score, putting Sugar Land back in front 5-3. RHP Miguel Ullola (S, 2) closed out the victory with a scoreless ninth, striking out two to earn his second save of the season.

NOTABLE:

• RHP Hayden Wesneski made his second rehab appearance with the Space Cowboys this season, tossing four innings on Friday night. Wesneski allowed three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three. He threw 64 pitches, including 45 strikes, and topped out at 96.1 mph.
• Shay Whitcomb has recorded a hit in 11 of his 12 games against El Paso this season. In 12 games against the Chihuahuas, Whitcomb is 17-for-51 with four doubles, one home run, 14 RBI, 10 walks, two runs scored and six stolen bases.
• César Salazar went 3-for-3 with a run scored on Friday night, marking his third consecutive multi-hit game and extending his on-base streak to 17 games. The three-hit performance was Salazar’s first of the season and marked the first time he recorded a perfect game at the plate with at least three plate appearances since August 24, 2024 vs. Albuquerque.
• RHP Miguel Ullola earned his second save of the season on Friday night. Since moving to the bullpen, Ullola has allowed a run in just one of his 14 appearances and has now posted 10 consecutive scoreless outings.
• RHP Roddery Muñoz tossed a scoreless inning on Friday night, extending his scoreless streak to eight consecutive appearances.

The Space Cowboys look to secure the series win in their three-game set against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Saturday night. Sugar Land will send RHP Jackson Nezuh to the mound, while El Paso will counter with RHP Evan Fitterer. First pitch from Southwest University Park is scheduled for 7:35 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.