Bees Allow Seven in the First, Fall 12-6 to Space Cowboys

SOUTH JORDAN, UT. - The Bees three game win streak came to an end in the coldest game in the history of The Ballpark at America First Square, losing the third game of the set and first to Sugar Land of the season.

Sugar Land 12, Salt Lake 6

WP: Sam Carlson (1-1)

LP: Kaleb Ort (0-1)

Key Performers

Denzer Guzman: 2-5, 2B, RBI

Nick Madrigal: 2-5, 3B

Chris Taylor: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K

Nelson Rada: 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB

Game Summary

The Space Cowboys launched three first-inning home runs—all off Kaleb Ort—marking the first time in franchise history they’ve hit three or more long balls in the opening frame.

Carlos Perez set the tone with a three-run shot, while Jax Biggers and Riley Unroe went back-to-back. James Nelson finished off the inning with an RBI double giving the Space Cowboys a 7-0 lead before the Bees came to bat.

Perez got the second inning going for Sugar Land with a leadoff double followed by Collin Price who extended the lead to eight with a single to left.

Salt Lake was able to get on the board for the first time in the third inning, started by a PCL-leading 23rd walk by Christian Moore who moved to third by a Nelson Rada double down the left field line. It led to back-to-back fielders' choice groundouts by Denzer Guzman and Niko Kavadas to plate the Bees' first two runs.

In the top of the fourth, Huascar Ynoa appeared out of the bullpen for his first time of the season, striking out the side for a shutdown inning.

Chris Taylor and Donovan Walton notched RBI doubles in the fourth and fifth innings to cut Sugar Land’s lead in half.

Sugar Land added on with two in the sixth and two more in the eighth to take a 12-4 lead as two of the runs were driven in by Riley Unroe.

In the bottom of the ninth, four straight Bees reached base as Salt Lake scored two, but it was too little, too late, as the Bees dropped their first game of the six-game set.

Game Notes

• Salt Lake allowed its third highest run total of the season while giving up 16 hits, one shy of its season-high which came in the previous contest to Sugar Land on Wednesday night. Friday marked the first time since the 2021 season that the Bees allowed three home runs in the first inning.

• Salt Lake’s pitching staff tallied 15 strikeouts, the most they’ve notched on the season as the last time the Bees struck out 15 batters was on July 26, 2025 against Albuquerque. Coming into Friday’s game, the most punch outs collected on the year was 13.

• With two triples on the night, it’s the first time Salt Lake has accomplished that since September 5, 2025 versus El Paso.

• Salt Lake first six of seven hits were extra base hits tonight, marking back-to-back games with 6+ XBH. Both games featured four doubles by the Bees, tied for a season- high.

• Huascar Ynoa appeared out of the bullpen for his first time as a Bee. The righty punched out seven Space Cowboys in 3.2 innings of work. His seven strikeouts are the most by a Salt Lake Bee of the season. Brett Kerry previously held the lead with six on April 10 in Reno.

• Nelson Rada scored his 14th run of the young season. The outfielder crossed home in the third inning on a Niko Kavadas RBI groundout. It is his 8th straight game with a run scored, which leads all of Triple-A.

• Christian Moore gained his 24th walk on the season leading all of Minor League Baseball. His 24 walks are the most in Triple-A since 2005 through a team's first 18 games of the season.

• Niko Kavadas put together a two RBI game, putting him at a team-high 14 for the season. He has three more than Jose Siri who is the next closest with 11. He is tied for 7th in the PCL.

• Denzer Guzman had a 2-for-5 night with a double and RBI. The infielder has multi-hit efforts in three of his last four games and holds an active five-game hit streak.

• Nick Madrigal collected a multi-hit ledger with a triple in tonight’s contest. He has multi-hit efforts in the last four games in which he has notched a hit.

• Salt Lake drew four walks tonight and has collected at least one walk in all 18 games in 2026, one of seven PCL teams to have one base-on-balls in every contest.

• Jose Siri notched an RBI today, marking the fifth straight game he has driven home a run. Over that five game stretch, the longest active streak in the PCL, the outfielder has seven RBI.

Up Next

The PCL foes play a doubleheader tomorrow after the postponement of Thursday’s game. Salt Lake looks for their first series win of the year, and the first games are tabbed for 4:05 PM MDT and the second for 6:35.