Back-to-back homers from Edwin Díaz and Brice Matthews in the eighth lifted the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (18-24, 57-60) to a 4-2 series-clinching win over the Salt Lake Bees (20-25, 49-70) on Sunday night at Constellation Field. Sunday was the seventh time Sugar Land has hit back-to-back homers this season and the first time since August 6. The Space Cowboys won three-consecutive games over the Bees to clinch their series, four games to two. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Sugar Land took their first lead of the game as Díaz walked to start the frame and Logan Davidson pummeled a two-run homer to left as the Space Cowboys went up, 2-1. However, the Bees tied the game in the top of the seventh with a run scored on a wild pitch on a strikeout.  

After RHP Luis Contreras (W, 2-2) picked up the final two outs in the top of the eighth to post a zero, Sugar Land retook the lead in the bottom half. Díaz drilled a solo homer to left before Brice Matthews belted a 376-foot solo shot as the Space Cowboys smashed back-to-back home runs to pull ahead, 4-2. 

RHP Nick Hernandez (S,4) was summoned from the bullpen for the ninth and struck out the side in order to close out Sugar Land’s 4-2 win and clinch the series for the Space Cowboys. 

In the top of the first, Matthew Lugo hit a solo homer, giving Salt Lake a 1-0 lead, but LHP Colton Gordon responded by stranding the bases loaded in the top of the second with an inning-ending strikeout and leaving a runner in scoring position in the top of the third. 

César Salazar led off the home half of the third with a walk and Colin Barber slapped a single through the right side, putting runners on the corners with one out. However, RHP Shaun Anderson sidestepped the runners as Sugar Land was held off the board through three innings. 

After a scoreless fourth, RHP Jayden Murray entered in the top of the fifth and posted the Space Cowboys’ fourth-straight shutout inning on the mound. RHP Logan VanWey came in for the top of the sixth and stranded two runners on base. 

NOTABLE: 

·  Colton Gordon went 4.0 innings on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts on 71 pitches and 40 strikes.  

·  Brice Matthews bombed his 13th homer of the season with a solo shot in the eighth. Matthews has been a part of five of the seven times Sugar Land has gone back-to-back this season. The second baseman has also reached base in 34 of his last 37 games with the Space Cowboys. 

·  Logan Davidson went 1-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and a run scored on Sunday, extending his on-base streak to 10 games, with three doubles, three homers, six RBI, six walks and seven runs scored. 

·  Edwin Díaz drove the game-winning homer in the bottom of the eighth, his second homer in his last three games.  

·  César Salazar extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a walk. Over his on-base streak, Salazar has two doubles, three homers, nine RBI, 13 walks and nine runs scored. 

After the Space Cowboys’ six-game series against Salt Lake, Sugar Land hits the road for a six-game set against the Iowa Cubs in an Interleague matchup. Games can be seen live on the Bally Sports Live App or MLB.TV and can be heard anywhere at SLSpaceCowboys.com.

This article is provided by the marketing office of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and is used by permission.