Space Cowboys Power Past Aces 9-2 Behind Multi-Homer Night
AUTHOR: Francisco Alvarez
PHOTOS: @camwithacam._
The Sugar Land Space Cowboys brought the power Sunday night, using multiple home runs and an early offensive surge to cruise past the Las Vegas Aces, 9-2.
Sugar Land wasted little time taking control of the game. The Space Cowboys scored in each of the first three innings, building a 6-1 advantage through three and forcing Las Vegas to play from behind for nearly the entire night.
The Aces opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first, but Sugar Land immediately answered with two in the bottom half. The Space Cowboys added two more runs in both the second and third innings, quickly turning a one-run deficit into a comfortable five-run lead.
Las Vegas managed to get another run across in the fourth, cutting the score to 6-2, but that would be the last time the visitors found the scoreboard.
From there, Sugar Land's pitching staff took over.
The Space Cowboys held the Aces scoreless over the final five innings and allowed just three hits for the entire game. Las Vegas struggled to generate any sustained offense, while Sugar Land continued adding insurance on the other side.
The long ball played a major role in the victory, with the Space Cowboys producing a multi-home-run performance as their offense kept the pressure on Las Vegas throughout the night.
After three scoreless innings in the middle of the game, Sugar Land broke through again with a run in the seventh before adding two more in the eighth to put the game completely out of reach.
By the end of the night, the Space Cowboys had collected nine runs on 10 hits, while committing just one error.
The win went to Mayer, who improved to 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA. Las Vegas starter Henry was charged with the loss, dropping to 5-8 with a 7.18 ERA.
More importantly, it was the type of complete performance Sugar Land will want to build on.
The offense provided plenty of run support, the pitching staff kept Las Vegas quiet after the fourth inning, and the Space Cowboys never allowed the Aces an opportunity to work their way back into the game.
With the 9-2 victory, Sugar Land improved to 70-66 and continued its push from second place in the PCL East.
On a night when the bats were loud and the pitching staff did its job, the Space Cowboys made sure there wasn't much drama left by the final few innings.
