Bastidas' Ninth Inning Home Run Propels Sugar Land To Comeback Win

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (17-18) came back from an early 3-0 deficit to tie their largest comeback victory of the season, defeating the Salt Lake Bees (15-19) 7-6 on Wednesday night at The Ballpark at America First Square. Zack Short and Shay Whitcomb hit back-to-back jacks in the seventh as the Space Cowboys plated four in the frame to go up 6-4 before Jesús Bastidas belted a game-winning home run in the ninth.

RHP Tyler Ivey posted a scoreless first inning with two strikeouts while receiving some help from his backstop as catcher Joe Hudson fired a laser to second baseman Brice Matthews to catch Yolmer Sánchez stealing.

Salt Lake took the lead in the second with a sacrifice fly from Tucker Flint after loading the bases with one out.

The Bees plated two more runs in the third with an RBI double from Niko Kavadas and a sacrifice fly from Chad Stevens as Sugar Land trailed 3-0.

Tommy Sacco Jr. worked a lead-off walk in the fifth before Luis Castro muscled a single down the left-field line as the first two batters of the inning reached Sacco Jr. swiped third before hustling home on a fielder’s choice from Hamilton, scoring the first Sugar Land run. Short drew a walk, bringing up Whitcomb with two-on and two outs, but the third baseman struck out as the Space Cowboys still trailed, 3-1.

RHP Rhett Kouba relieved Ivey in the fourth and hurled a scoreless frame before setting Salt Lake down in order in the fifth.

The Space Cowboys cut the deficit in half in the sixth. Bastidas punched a single into right and took second on a wild pitch before Sacco Jr. brought him home with a two-out base knock back up the middle as Sugar Land pulled within a run, 3-2.

Although RHP Nick Hernandez spun two strikeouts in the sixth, Salt Lake took the run back in the home half.

Joe Hudson fisted a single to lead-off the seventh and Hamilton walked, putting the first two hitters on as the lineup turned over. With one swing of the bat, Short gave Sugar Land their first lead of the night with a three-run blast to center field as the Space Cowboys went up, 5-4. In the ensuing at-bat, Whitcomb cracked a solo shot to the same part of the park as the Space Cowboys went back-to-back and plated an insurance run, leading 6-4.

BRAND. NEW. BALLGAME. pic.twitter.com/JVEoX63z5Q

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 8, 2025

RHP Shawn Dubin made his second straight Major Legue Rehab appearance with Sugar Land and tossed a perfect seventh with one strikeout.

RHP Logan VanWey (W, 1-1) came on in the eighth but allowed a game-tying home run to Carter Kieboom as the Bees knotted the game up at six.

However, the Space Cowboys responded in the ninth as Bastidas took a two-out, 0-2 offering 371-feet to left, giving Sugar Land the late 7-6 lead with his fifth home run of the year. RHP Miguel Castro (S, 5) shut the door in the bottom half as he faced the minimum and secured the 7-6 win.

0-2 count, tied game, what does Jesús Bastidas do?

9th inning, game-leading Homer.

🧊🧊🧊 pic.twitter.com/QgJihgpfJK

— Sugar Land Space Cowboys (@SLSpaceCowboys) May 8, 2025

NOTABLE:

• Shay Whitcomb homered for the second consecutive game in the seventh after coming into Wednesday’s matchup tied for third in the PCL in home runs. Whitcomb has reached base in 16 of his last 18 contests. Over that span, he is 22-for-72 (.305) with eight doubles, six home runs, 12 RBI and six walks. Whitcomb entered Wednesday tied for third in the Pacific Coast League in extra-base hits.

• Zack Short blasted his seventh home run of the year in the seventh and his first three-run home run since May 5, 2021 with the Toledo Mud Hens. He also walked in the fifth, his 25th of the season after he came into today’s contest tied for second in the PCL in walks. Short has reached base in 16 of his last 17 contests and has three doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI and 10 walks over that span.

• Tommy Sacco Jr. stole two bases on Wednesday, including swiping third base in the fifth inning, his first game stealing two bases since September 5, 2023 with the Asheville Tourists.

• Jesús Bastidas recorded his third three-hit game of the season with a home run and two singles on Wednesday night. Last season, it took Bastidas until May 19 to record three games with three or more hits in a contest.

• Wednesday night matched Sugar Land’s largest comeback victory as the Space Cowboys trailed by three runs. Sugar Land came back against the Oklahoma City Comets with a four-run ninth after falling behind 3-0 coming into the bottom of the ninth on March 28.

• Luis Castro had his first multi-hit game with Sugar Land on Wednesday and his first multi-hit game in Triple-A since May 8, 2021 with the Nashville Sounds.

• Rhett Kouba fired two innings of scoreless relief with 16 of his 24 pitches for strikes, a 67% strike rate, his highest of 2025.

With the series tied at one, game three of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys’ six-game series against the Salt Lake Bees is on Thursday at 7:35 pm CT. RHP Miguel Ullola starts opposite RHP Victor Mederos. The game can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com. Season Memberships for the 2025 Space Cowboy season, including Full and Partial Season membership plans, can be purchased online here.

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 are the reigning Pacific Coast League Champions and Triple-A National Champions. They began playing as the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021 and began playing under the Space Cowboys brand in 2022. 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). Fans can purchase full-season and partial-season plans for 2025 by visiting slspacecowboys.com/tickets.